what do you feed visiting 3 year olds for a light tea?

[nowwearefour]

i have at least 2 different lots coming this week and my recent offerings have been rejected out of hand! i am wondering where i am going wrong!! any ideas gratefully received!

bump?

sandwiches (selection)

vegetable crisps

stasumas

yoghurt

you can always try pizzas

what have you offered? and why does it have to be light tea? (can you just do small portions of whatever you are having?)

I'd ask the mum's
At that age they are so picky our answers might not be any help

but for my two, cheese sandwiches, grapes, yoghurt and quavers always got eaten

Sausages.
Fish fingers.
Egg fried rice.
Spag bol.

oh yes smiley faces, fishfingers, wafles, beans, chicken dinosaurs and pesto pasta if you're doing hot food

well only that i usually feed mine their main meal at lunchtime. i have done spag bol, pasta/ pesto, lasagna to accommodate those who dont hav emain meals at lunchtime but people seem to think those sorts of meals are only accepted by their own mums? i have also offered sausages and beans, scrambled eggs on toast, beans on toast. i tend to do more veggie things eg homemade chickpea burgers but dont think i can inflict those on visitors if they are not familiar?

fishfingers. what a brilliant idea!!!

lol, sorry but I wouldn't give them homemade chickpea burgers unless you want it thrown out

Bread rolls. Cubes of cheese. Grapes. Cherry tomatoes. Cucucumber and carrot sticks. Etc for a picky meal.

Or small portions of pasta with grated cheese, cherry toms, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks.

Or something of that ilk. Hardly any bother and not too heart-breaking if ignored!

i can ask the mum for 1 group- is just 1 family. but the others is my nct group eg 5 families so cant really pander to all their particular needs! which is why i thought a generic mumsnet jury view might be good..... ideas are top though. pls keep them coming!

yes thatis what i thought compo. they are scrummy though!!!!

Cold sausages always go down well - I cut them up into slices, cold pizza ditto.

Crumpets, toast with different things to put on - butter and marmite, cheese, peanut butter, serve with cherry tomatos, cuecumber etc

mini pizzas
cauliflower and pasta cheese
spag bol - definitely
beans on toast
cheese on toast
omlettes with cheese/ham/mushroom cooked in
nutella bananas or apple rice pudding or fritters very popular with our lot

you could get them all to make mini pizzas(thus entertaining them at the same time) and serve that with chips/mash/smiles/other potatoey side

or serve your main as evening meal that day to make it a bit easier?

yes i could serve my main meal in the evening that day. not sure what i have planned for those days yet might think about that. yes know what you mean re fishfingers might be considered unhealthy but they certainly are used here!!

I frequently do Pizzas with garlic bread, cherry tomatoes and cucumber followed by an ice cream pud with fruit

Previous fayre I have offered:
Picnic style - sandwiches, cocktail sausages, cherry toms, carrot, cubes of cheese, cucumber etc followed by jelly.
Lasagne.
Spaghetti bolognaise.
Pancakes with do your own filling - put out bowls with grated cheese, chopped ham, chopped tomatoes, fried mushrooms, etc etc and then bring out chopped bananas, nutella, lemon, sugar, etc for pud.
Omlette.
Cheese on Toast.

If I'm just having one of DS' friends over I just stick with what we are having - but we eat our main meal in the evening.

thanks.some splendid ideas in here. some i hadnt thought of at all. they still all come with their parents which makes the will eat it/ has to be at least a bit healthy trade off difficult to pull off i reckon!!!