Help please - 15 people for lunch on Sunday

[theincredibleshrinkinglady]

We're all going out in the morning and coming back for lunch but I'm clueless as to what to cook/prepare. There will be 1 veggie, 7 kids and 7 adults. Your mumsnet wisdom please?...

Personally if you are going out in the morning I would be boring and do 2 beef lasagnes and 1 veggie lasagne. Cook them in advance and then all you have to do when you get back is bung them in the oven. Open a bag of salad - job done.

I'm sure Nigella has a recipe for just such an occassion. If I remember correctly it's slow roast pork shoulder that she put in the oven the night before, for lunch the next day. And I think that she serves it with dauphinouse potatoes that go in the oven in the morning. Can look it up this evening if you like the sound of it (and I'm not totally making this up).

Alternatively do a stew or similar that you can cook the day before and warm up later.

Re the veggie, my easiest veggie dish is a roast veg tart. Roast some veg the day before (onions, courgettes, peppers, whatever else you think might work) and put on pre-rolled puff pastry. Add cheese, pesto, anything else you think may work and bung in the oven till it's cooked (should take about half an hour). You can put it all together in advance and leave it the fridge. Then just put in the oven the minute you walk through the door.

Thanks happysmiley and shopalot for your great ideas!x

DO you have a slow cooker? If not, cna you borrow one because it will solve all your problems - you can walk in to a hot meal.

I have lots of lovely recipes if you want them.

I would love some slow cooker recipes - am also watching with interest as I have 12 people coming for lunch on Xmas Eve and not sure what to do yet!

Love the idea of the veggie tart - it might be that I do something of a buffet so that would be great then too.

Not very 'Sunday dinnerish' but warpa/fagitas?

We had my Mum [veggie) and others round for dinner:

Veg and chicken wraps

Wraps - about 2 per person

Mushrooms, peppers, tomotoes, red onion - roasted in oven with little oil and some 'fajita spice' mix (did this the day before when we had the oven on)

Some chicken [we used left overs from a roast - you could get thighs or diced....) Pan fried.

Put these in middle of the table, maybe we other bits like a salsa, guacamole, sour cream etc.

Have these all in fridge then warm up veg and wrap in microwave when you get home.. Folks can pick what they want to eat.

or

Slow cooker?

For 15 people, do something like beef in red wine with a few onions in. Cook day before or in morning then have with tagliatelli and some creme fresh or with rice or pittas?

Or do on stove and store in fridge till the dinner?

Good, cheap and easy pudding:

Tins of manderins
Whipped cream
Ginger biscuits
Cadburys flake....

Open cans of manderins and drain liquid into a bowl. Dip ginger biscuit into bowl of manderin juice then put on dollop of cream.... stack these together... Either in one big bowl or in individual bowls. Spoon on some of the manderin fruits and garnish with flake....

Very very delicoius. Can be made in the morning and popped in the fridge.

Massive Veg shepherds pie?
Squash and pine nut lasagne is delicious...
Pueanut and lentil layer type thing with panfried chicken if folks want to add that on

I really fancy sme of my mums ginger biscuit, orange and cream poud now...

Also wtahcing out for ideas!

Like shopalot, I would recommend lasagne, including a veggie one. If I was feeling flush I might do beef bourguignonne with dauphinoise potatoes, but that's an expensive meal for 15. Or a chicken in white wine/cream casserole type thing with roast potatoes.