Ideas needed please for lunch - 7 adults and 11 kids

[sandyballs]

My ante-natal group take it in turns to meet at each others houses on Fridays and provide lunch for everyone. Lately it seems the adults have had lovely filled jackets spuds, salad etc and the kids have ended up with crappy nuggets and smiley faces.

I'm trying to think of something decent that everyone would eat - not sure if some of the kids would eat jacket potatoes and salad. The children are 4 and under.

Needs to be cheap!

Roast chickens with jackets and salad. Nearly all chicken I know eat a roast dinner, done with jacket pots it's easy. Or do potato wedges, cut up big potatoes into wedges, put in a boil with a glug or two of olive oil, mix around a bit. Spread on a baking tray and cook for about 35 - 40 mins. You can jazz up the grown up ones with spices and sea salt (just sprinkle in the bowl) paprika is good for this, as is garlic crushed finely.

We still eat loads of roast chiken in the summer, cool it to louke warm and it is great for everyone, you don't need gravy etc, just mayo.

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Spag Bol as ggg says, or any kind of pasta dish (usually goes down well with everyone....)

Shepherd's Pie?
Good quality sausages, good bread, soup
Fish Pie
A big quiche, jackets, sald - and maybe beans for the little ones?
Vegetable Tarte Tatin: melt butter and olive oil in a metal pie pan that can go on hob and in oven, then add brown sugar, lay in veg in a nice design - courgettes, toms, red onion, rd pepper, anthing that roasts or caramilises well, sprinkle with brown balsamic, and herbs, fry gently for a while, transfer to oven, roast for a while, roll out ready-made-chiller-cabinet puff pasty, lay over top and cook til done. Remove from oven, cool a bit, turn out on to plate, veg side up. Will kids eat it? Give them good pizza instead?

A big platter of couscous and roasted veg ? The adults could add hot harissa sauce to theirs.

Good quality hot dogs (buy butcher's best sausages; something posh for the adults and little coctail chipolatas for the children. Cut children's rolls in half to stop hotdogs being unwieldy) + lots of simple salad.

Cheese, bread, salad?

Sorry, that's bloody boring, will post again if I have any better ideas!

Pasta - with one sauce for adults (would suggest mixing in a jar of pesto and having with salad) & for the little ones - with a tomato sauce - or just with grated cheese.

pasta, as others have suggested, sals and garlic bread - most kids I know love garlic bread

sals? SALADS

Pizza usually goes down well with both adults and kids - add some nice salads for mums and cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, grapes etc for littles ones.

Sandwiches - use a nice bread, or croissants again with salad bits.

Thanks for all your suggestions. Some great ideas here.

pasta.