Childrens partiy food- What have you been your most successful dishes?

[mrsruffallo]

Anything that was a real hit?

You don't say how old your kids are. IME, simple is best ... they don't eat much anyway
popcorn (if old enough)
marshmallows and fruit on sticks (put marshmallows in the middle!) Stick into upturned watermelon skin ... very decorative!
Fairy bread (white and brown bread and butter/marg with spinkles on top)
iced biscuits in party themed shapes (or just get party rings...)
Sausages (mini ones)
pizza (older kids)
macaroni cheese
crisps of course
Jelly - kids love it! (make little jelly boats in orange skins if you can be bothered, which I can't so just do it in little bowls!)

Eeeek! @ the spelling in the thread title.I do apologise!

Children aged 2-11
Thanks LP

Open sandwiches done like little boats
eg finger rolls, halved then spread with things like cream cheese, or egg or marmite and a cocktail stick stuck in top with a little flag made out of a sticky note!
Obvously not advised for very small children who might poke their eyes out....

homemade pizza slices

wraps and little bowls of fillings for the children to put together themselves

Individual jellies made in a transparent cup
Iced fairy cakes
small triangular tuna sandwiches

fruit kebabs - the kids loved them

cocktail sausages all go very fast!

nigella's marmite sandwiches do not

I did DS1 an omnitrix cake from Ben 10 for his birthday this year, following a link from here, and when I brought it out all the little boys went "oooh, an omnitrix" which was very satisfying.

Just butter soft rolls then put ham, slices of cheese, cucumber etc. out in little bowls. Easier than making sandwiches and the children get to pick whatever they like.

Annabel Karmels chocolate martians - a faff to make but worth it.

Fish fingers/chicken nuggets, chips, kids dig in, and there is little preparation.....

Crisps.

I swear I am just going to put out bowls of crisps for ds1's next party.

Every year I try to make healthy(ish), tasty food and all they ever sodding eat is the crisps.

So that's what they're going to get.

Also please don't forget that some children have gluten/lactose intolarances so stuff they can eat too, not just all sandwiches,pizza,sausages and nuggets.

Ha, that's just what I was going to say, Olihan. Many flavours of crisps. They don't want anything elae.
They don't want:
lovingly made small sandwiches;
cunning jelly boats made from oranges a la Annabel Karmel;
meringues shaped like ghosts;
cocktails suasages in finger rolls;
fairy cakes etc etc
they want crips

Chocolate fondue - we now have to do it for every party but I'd only do it for around aged 7 up as dp couldn't cope with the potential mess with littlies!

We've got one of those raclette sets (present) and that has gone down well with smaller parties of aged around 9+.

Otherwise the hotdog and salad type meals have tended to be eaten more than the sarnies and crisps type meals.

There is no limit to the number of chocolate fingers that can be consumed in any party setting.

For 6 yr olds, pizza and garlic bread. And crisps!

Little biscuits in number appropriate to birthday childs age and some little mice made from a stawberry (milkybar button ears and jelly lace tail) were probably most popular last time. Agree though that it hardly matters as they don't seem to eat much anyway!

Oooh, mrs ruffalo, a big THANK YOU from MNHQ for starting this thread!

We were just about to start one ourselves asking people exactly the same question.

We're looking for your favourite birthday tea tips and recipes - and survival advice! - so we can immortalise your words in our new Food content (coming soon).

Please keep those suggestions coming

Crisps and pizza. But also a big hit is mini strawberry tarts - make mini pastry cases (just like jam tarts) and bake them while empty, cool them, then fill with either whipped cream, or creme fraiche with a bit of icing sugar beaten in (it's delicious) - and top with a strawberry on each. Or I suppose if serving immediately you could even just use squirty cream.

Chocolate dipped strawberries also go down very well, as does a plate of fresh pineapple and melon.

MELON BALLS

I almost got laughed off MN for considering these for DD's7th b'day but theywwere a HUGE hit, nice and cooling when they've all been running around doing my head in

and grapes

I do a choice of cheese or ham sandwiches (often cut using cookie cutters)
cocktail sausages
some salad and dips - carrot sticks, pepper sticks, cherry tomatoes
under 5s might get cheese cubes
crips

strawberries and grapes (sometimes with choc to dip)sometimes melon and pineapple too (this is always v popular)

chocolate fingers and party rings (because I just have to have them at parties

number biscuits (using SIL's cutters)

cupcakes(because SIL has amazing cupcake stand thingy)

top hats, marsbar crispies

My top tip is to put all of the carrot and cucumber sticks, grapes and strawberries out in big bowls at the beginning of the party - don't let them near the rest of the food yet and they will eat the lot. If you put that stuff on the table next to the cakes it never gets eaten.

Last party for DD (7) I gave them each a tortilla wrap and put a load of different fillings in the middle for them to make up their own wraps. It was a BIG hit and they all ate all the 1st course. Then they ate homemade iced fairy cakes and jellies. They all loved it and I felt very proud of myself ( I am terrified of coming over as a boring mum at parties!!!)

It was all very easy too

What kinds of fillings, dizzy?

strawberries dipped in chocolate - they WHOOSHED off the table
tiny pinwheel sandwiches where you flatten the bread with a rolling pin, remove crusts, apply filling, then roll up tightly and wrap in clingfilm
refrig for 30 mins then cut slices so you get a lovely spiral effect

french bread, crackers and cheese board popular with accompanying adults ime - providing food for the parents doesn't cost much extra and keeps everybody cheerful