5yo DSD's party food - help please

[bratnav]

OK, it is DSD's 5th birthday party next weekend, I have offered to organise the food. There will be approximately 20 children and 7-8 adults. So far I was thinking....

Sandwiches (1 slice brown, 1 slice white) ham, cheese, tuna
homemade chicken nuggets
cheese and pineapple hedgehog
fairy cakes
crisps

Arrgh, as you can see I need inspiration!

Also, DSDs Mum is quite anal keen about healthy food (we are too, but are slightly more relaxed). Please help

Bread sticks?
Mini pizzas (dd1 likes them made from scone douhg with cheese and tomato on top)
Fruit, like strawberries, grapes, pineapple

nuts and bombay mix is the good for adults as they quite happy munch on the while chatting.
cucumber, carrots stick with different dips
cherry tomatoes
or you can make fruit salad and put in a big bowl.
pasta salad
potato salad
pitta bread
mini sausages
cheese cubes or shop bought cheese bells etc..
i gave angel delight and ice cream, and kids loved it. only little in a bowl though.

Oooh, lovely ideas, for this number of children, do you think the buffet thing is ok, or maybe I should consider little lunchboxes for them?

i used party boxes and when they went home they took fairy cakes, bday cake slice and some presents in it.
i think they like it as its novelty, i guess

Sounds great - but I remember as a child being really really put off by sarnies that had one slice of brown and one of white on them - it just wasn't right and I couldn't eat them!

All brown or all white, multi-bread sarnie = major wrongness!

I love those boxes, brilliant

It is a hall, and I assume that there will be seating, we didn't book the venue though, so not much information to go on.

I would forget the chicken nuggets - they seem like way too much work. Personally I think boxes are the way to go. It's not the cheap option but it saves you SO much time. You can bag it all up the day before (I froze sarnies and put them in the night before, to be defrosting) and used individual portions of everything, even juice cartons. So on the day you just lay out the bags, none of this putting food on plates and handing it round and does everyone have a drink and so on - you miss all the party through being a hostess that way.

Do boxes. DD's 4th is tomorrow and after last year and so much wasted food I am going for boxes. They will contain:

Sandwiches (choice of marmite, ham or jam - not v. healthy or inspiring but might get eaten)
packet of hula hoops
Mini cooked sausages (were pre-cooked and I've put them in little snack bags)
fairy cake
box of raisins (as the token fruit/veg - last year I cut up loads of carrot/cucumber/fruit and it got left)
Bottle of fruit juice mixed with water (Like hte go ones but Asda own brand are cheaper and bigger and don't need refridgerating)

There will be extra sandwiches and sausages for those who are hungry

Also, as we're having boxes I'm not going to have tables out but sit them in a circle on the floor so we can save room (and then they'll be in place for pass the parcel !).

Also hoping it makes clearing up easier !