Oh tits, I have 20+ people coming here on Saturday for my birthday party, and ....

[TheMoistWorldOfSeptimusQuench]

... until today I had barely given it a moments thought

Help! What do I need to do?!

Food? How much booze?

I hope to God think music is kind of being taken care of by a friend.

How the heck are they all going to fit into my rabbit hutch of a house?

How about a big old pot of chilli (or two: one meat, one veggie) and 20 baked potatoes? Ring the ones you like best and ask one of them to bring nice crisps, another 2 or 3 to bring pudding-y things. Booze: get stuff you would drink anyyway so that if it's left over you will get through it eventually. Rabbit hutch I can't help you with

Unless you are my next door neighbour in which case once I've got over not being invited, they can use my house for the overspill.

Aw Lio, of course you can come to my party

Thank you for answering, and the chilli's a great idea, but I think I fancy doing more nibbley stuff that people can just pick up (and that I can waft around my guests with, a la Beverley in Abigail's party)

I've made some smoked salmon pate to put on some croutons or something. Olives, I suppose, nuts, a couple of dips with crisps & crudites (ponce alert).. but from there a I draw a blank. Any other ideas for stuff that can be thrown together with zero effort? Or nice dips to make?

Thanks

A big cheese board, French bread, grapes, celery, olives, nuts, breadsticks, dips, big bowl of green salad, maybe some little sausages. Pile of opened and chopped up chocolate bars, After Eights, a few posh ones, icecream and a huge trifle for pud. Sorted!

A good dip is mashed feta cheese, a bit of natural yoghurt to thin it, chopped chilli, bit of olive oil and loads of black pepper.

I love smoked mackerel paté - seriously easy to make, and delicious spread thinly on crackers or bread.

If you fancy baking, you could do mini-quiches or mini pizzas.

I also love sausages and prunes wrapped in bacon (always forget which is a devil and which is an angel on horseback )

You could always go for "retro" party food:

-sausages or cheese and pineapple on cocktail sticks all stuck in half a swede covered in tin foil

-vol au vents

etc

Norbert, I did consider that Given that I was born in 1973, I thought I could totally cop out by doing 1973 food, complete with iced gems & cheesy & pineapple, as you say.

But I do think Janeite has hit the nail on the head - that would be dead easy & would keep the everyone happy, veggie & carnivorous alike. Thanks Janeite

I love devils on horseback. Aren't angels oysters? I always thought they sounded a bit boaksome, on the other hand.

Iced gems and cheese and pineapple on sticks are always a good addition to a party methinks.