What do you like to eat at a buffet?

[Sleep10]

I'm doing a surprise 40th party, but I'm wondering what adults like to see served.
I was thinking of a cold buffet with the usual sausage rolls/ sausages/nuggets/ quiche/pizza/ salad/ crisps / cakes etc and maybe a slow cooker with bbq pulled pork and crusty bread rolls but then I'm out of ideas.
There will be children, which I'm sure will enjoy the above but never really catered for adults, so I'm a bit stuck. Any help/ advice would be much appreciated, please. Thank you!

I love a traditional buffet - sausage rolls, little sandwiches, various crisps, pickled onions, vol-au-vents (you rarely get them anymore), cherry tomatoes, cocktail sausages. I know a lot of people would add samosa to that.

I also love pulled pork

I personally would settle on one or the other, rather than both.

Round here the curry houses will deliver a hot curry / rice / naan.

Thanks for your help.

I much prefer the traditional buffet type foods too!
So hopefully that would go down well?!

I like something warm.

I really struggle at cold food buffets and unless they're just meant to be sweet, hardly eat anything. The texture when cold of food I enjoy when hot is no longer pleasant to me.

I find cold beige buffets pretty boring, pulled pork rolls seems a better choice to me

Houmos and lots of it. I hate cold pastry.

I would do a jacket potato station with lots of different filings for people to choose from, chilli, beans, tuna mayo, cheese etc with some mini baguettes or rolls for the children to make up their own piece and bacon/sausages to go in rolls for adults who don't like jackets.

Cheese (very mature Cheddar) and pineapple on sticks 😋

I'm easily pleased.

That would mean the OP cooking through the party though.

If I'm at a party, I like to be dancing, chatting, mingling, not cooking.

With a cold buffet it is all done during the day, set up, and then you get yourself ready and relax.

Not really, you can do all the jackets ad baguettes before hand keep them warm in the oven, get a slow cooker for the beans and chilli on the counter for people to help themselves, same with the sausage and bacon, just pop it on 20 mins before people arrive.

Scotch egg, crisps, chicken drumsticks, kebab sticks, pizza, ham, cheese, vol au vents, sandwiches.

In my experience anything that requires cutlery tends to get left over. So a bowl of salad, slab of pate, coleslaw/dips etc. - it's too much faff, people prefer to eat with their hands. Especially if they are standing around talking - one hand to hold the plate and one hand to eat. Trying to balance cutlery as well is just too much effort.

vol au vents

chicken or mushroom in a creamy sauce, still faintly warm,
18 a pack Jus Rol from Morrisons, back to the seventies !!

Definitely don't serve anything cold that should be hot ( imo this includes sausage rolls but definitely anything like chicken nougats or pizza)

I like a whole poached salmon on a buffet with a big bowl of salad, a large bowl of rice salad too. Crusty rolls, selection of cold cuts and cheeses. Crisps, nibbles, drumsticks and sausage rolls. Selection of cakes and sweet tarts.

Pasta is always good.. I like to bake a tray of Feta cheese and cherry tomatoes, mush together and add cooked pasta. Add chilli flakes or meatballs if you like.
The pulled pork is a good idea.. perhaps some jackets wrapped in foil or Roast potatoes.
And lots of cheese and chutneys.

I would be happy with a tray of nice sandwiches and cocktail sausages.
In my experience though its easier and cheaper to order some platters from the local Chinese or chippy. Never any waste and people enjoy them.

Also depends if this is in your house, or in a hall.
If in a hall, if there is a useable kitchen.
Also depends if people will all be able to sit at a table and put their plate down and use cutlery. Otherwise food you can eat with your fingers is a LOT easier.

Wraps are a good alternative to sandwiches and sausage rolls M&S do a lovely platter, also houmous, carrot sticks etc. Agree with others nice cheese board with grapes/figs etc. Quiche can be nice or spanish tortilla.

Cheese straws but not like the ones you can buy in Greggs. I mean really good ones. I adore them😀

I'm not a big fan of processed beige food and generally prefer things that are a bit fresher / more flavourful & colourful. Especially for a special occasion. I would be really pleased to see things like:

• cheeses
• fresh baguette sliced, various crackers
• crudités
• various dips
• olives
• pate, charcuterie
• finger sandwiches or small wraps
• pasta salad or something like tabbouleh
• fruit (dried fruit can be yummy too)

All cold. All easily prepped in advance.

I think your suggestions are great! Personally I love kids party food. Particular favourites are: chicken nuggets, pizza, cheese and pineapple sticks, and cheese savouries.

I also agree that often people don't like the faff of cutlery.

P.S The BBQ pulled pork rolls sound very yummy!

A buffet consisting of this alone would be perfect.

Smoked salmon blinis, mini seafood quiches, mushroom tarts, prawns in tempura batter.

It's not a buffet unless you have vol au vonts, lovely cold for breakfast too 😅. I am also partial to a scotch egg. Breaded or southern fried chicken portions, preferably boneless, not just chicken legs as they always look a bit anemic to me. Samosas and onion bhajis, a nice coleslaw and some crusty rolls with proper butter.

Food that is good quality. I hate pile it high cheap shit buffets and on the odd occasion that I've been to any, I don't eat it. Eugh.

If you know anyone with a Costco card, they do good buffet things.