Party food

[kayzr]

My DS1 is 2 next week and we are having a little party. It is going to be for adults really as there will only be DS1 and my neice.

I've never really done a party before and not sure what to do.

I was going to do some sandwiches, get quiches, crisps, spring rolls, cocktail sausages that sort of thing.

What else could I do?

MIL reckons she is some sort of party goddess but she did his 1st birthday and the food was pretty poor really. She has been moaning that I won't be able to pull it off and I'll be getting her to do all the birthday parties my boys ever have. So I want it to be decent but I don't have a big budget really.

Does party have theme - pirate etc? In past we have got fussy eaters to eat by saying grapes are eyeballs, chocolate fingers are dead man's fingers etc - silly but hey they usually love it.

IMO they like easy to eat food, small bitesize bits - and usually the rubbish! Mine liked things like

mini sausages, mini sausage rolls, mini sandwiches, baby toms, grapes, small sticks of cucumber and celery, crisps/snacks like quavers etc, tiny cakes, swiss rolls etc, chocolate fingers, iced gems, small bowls of jelly..

all the rubbish party food you might not normally give them - but it is a party after all ! They are only 2 so beware of anything with sticks like satay and someone is bound to be nut intolerant so prob not peanut butter.

I realise this might be exactly the sort of food your MIL does and you would rather give them hummus on wholemeal pitta in case, go for it - you know the children better than we do!

Enjoy !

Her food was a few quiches, some cucumber sticks and some pringles and a really horrible cake.

Your ideas are really good. The theme is In The Night Garden as he absolutely loves it. So it's ITNG plates, cups, cake etc.

Since it i mostly adults I might be inclined to do a big bowl of chilli, baked pots and cheese. It will work out a lot cheaper than all the nibbles, and will be more satisfying.
then could just do pitta and houmous, cucumber sticks for the little ones.

If you want quick but easy, I'd do pizza (shop bought or home made) and if you want to go classy (but cheap) buy pizza bases, cut out circles using cookie cutters, spoon dolmio on top, put a piece of pepparoni on, maybe cooked mushrooms, sprinkle on mozzerella and bung it in the oven, Took me about 15 mins for the whole thing at Christmas and everyone was impressed as they were small and neat!

I also made savoury scones which can be made in advance (cheese with olives), frozen and wrapped in a 'bag' of foil on the day to be bunged in theover when you need to heat them up.

Frying pitta breads in bite size pieces with oil and flavouring (salt/pepper, gharam masala) etc works well and is quick and cheap.

Sainsbury's do a Basics Sausage roll pack in the frozen section that is about 60p for 100 or something similar-my family loved those!

Good luck, remember to make what you like at parties, cover all options and ignore your MIL who is obviously feeling threatened!

Forgot to say have been to parties where mums have cut out sandwiches with cookie cutters making little stars,moons,hearts etc, looked real sweet and children loved them but there is a lot of waste.

I don't know much about Night Garden (DC are teenagers now) but maybe you could get a few pictures of them on rice paper to put on some cakes? I've seen fairy cake kits with pictures of Dennis the Menace etc to go on them - do they do something similar for Night Garden? You wouldn't need many to dot around the other cakes. Also mine loved those Kipling French Fancies - goodness knows what's in them, but they look very colourful and pretty and children love them - good to intersperse with home made fairy cakes if you are up to it/have time.

Hope you have a lovely happy party, take lots of pics and hold the memories dear before you know it they are spotty, hairy and grunty (but I still love them!).