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

[mrsruffallo]

Anything that was a real hit?

I did tuna/mayo ( not a big hit) ham, cheese,cucumber, tomatoes, mayonnaise, crisps and ketchup. So nothing fancy.

The pinwheel sandwhiches sound amazing Franny

Thank you for all your scrummy ideas.

Please keep 'em coming!

surprise hits for us with 5 yr olds (i.e. predicted to ignore all but crisps/cake) were sandwiches cut into shapes with cookie cutters (if you can stomach the waste, but tbh is almost all crust which most of the kids would leave anyway) and fruit kebabs - melon, strawb, kiwi, grapes etc on bamboo skewers (with the sharp end then cut off with kitchen scissors).

lol at Franny and her piddling little pinwheel sandwiches

I am inspired by them greeny! I'm going to make them for our next party - and what's more I'm going to practise beforehand (sounds like something that could go horribly wrong to me)

The only way that my children will eat marmite is in pinwheels! For some unknown reason I have always made them like that - I don't do it with any other filling!

Bite sized chocolate crispies - one lot with white chocolate and one lot with milk choc - always seem to get scoffed.

Put a heaped teaspoon of mixture each into those individual small cake papers - then bung in fridge to cool. Looks pretty piled onto a large serving dish and the kids can eat them with their fingers without too much melted choc getting everywhere!

Also different coloured jellies in clear plastic drinking cups. Colourful, and no washing up.

cocktail sausages, definitely. More than you would imagine.

Strawberries - they never make it round the table more than once.

simple sandwiches - i.e. just cheese, just ham - white bread with crusts cut off.

Iced biscuits (nigella's butter biscuit recipe)

..but mostly my food gets scoffed by parents - they like chicken and avocado sandwiches (easier than they sound) and mars bar krispie cake best.

Mumonthenet - we've done those too. If you use white chocolate, you can add a drop of food colour too, to suit the party theme.

Other popular things -

mini pizzas made on halved muffins.
fairy bread is a MUST
fruit is always a hit - grapes, strawberies and watermelon especially
little sausages or meatballs
sandwiches cut with biscuit cutters

Baing a meanie, I don't put out crisps at all, as I know thats all they will eat! When putting out nibbles for adults, I make a couple of dips (hommous, and salmon dip usually - cheaper than a big cheese platter) and put breadsticks, crackers and crudites with them (and the kids are welcome to eat this as well - and usually do)

Sausages. Sausages. Sausages.

mini fairy cakes with a dab of buttercream and a smartie on the top. Really not a hassle if you buy one of the mini fairy cake tins.

my sil made delish buttercream by putting raspberries in it making it pink and delicious.

astrophe, mmmmmm, like the idea of food colouring for the white choc crispies.

pinwheel sandwiches are FAB
i expect they are too refained for Miss Greensleeves though

fruit kebabs - strawberries, grapes and bits of satsuma threaded on to half a wooden skewer.

Always get eaten quicker than anything else. They have to be kebabs tho, plain old fruit just not as good.

Also Nigella butter biccies yy.

Franny...

• what kinds of fillings do you put in? Something very flat methinks?
• does the sandwich kind of "desquash" once it's rolled up, or does it stay as rolled-flat bread?
• how do you stop it from unrolling?

philadelphia cheese, hummus, or pate, or similar wettish but not soggy things. i wouldn't try anything solid like cheese or ham
it mostly stays squashed (it's the only time i would start with a sliced loaf, as well - we make our own bread but for this, shop bought is best)
the clingfilm (wrap it tightly) and the chilling before you cut it, are the key to it not unrolling
put in fridge until shortly before you are going to serve, then cut it

they really are nice
ds1 and i sometimes make them just to have a little tea party by ourselves
you can do them as a cute way to serve tortilla wraps also - it's quicker than the whole bread squashing thing - but not so effective in terms of appearance

i got the idea from a poster on here but sorry i have forgotten who!

Oh cheers Franny!

i want some now

my chocolate spread sarnies were FOUGHT over

other hits
are

FrAZZLES

SKIPS

PARTY RINGS

IcED GEMS

Fridayschild pleeeeease can you direct me to the omnitrix cake- I have to make one for this weekend!

Hard boiled quails eggs - big success.

Duffy - do you have any top tips for peeling quails eggs? My DC are mad for them but the shells never come off very easily - can't imagine peeling enough for a party!!