Please help with wedding food choice

[parttimeweddingplanner]

I'm MoH for one of my oldest friends, she's asked for help with food choices (among many other things )

The venue is lovely, and they've chosen to have a hog roast + wood fired pizzas. But, we're going back and forward over pizza choices, wise mumsnetters, what would you do?

They have about 200 guests coming (all adults) and about 20 of them are veggies plus a couple who don't eat red meat. No vegans, and none of the meat eaters have an issue with pork, as far as we know.

The venue has suggested a plain cheese and tomato pizza and one with chicken, to meet all dietary needs. But, do people really like chicken on pizzas?

Also, as one of the veggies, I'd be happy with a pizza, but disappointed if it the only choice was a margaritta, that's what my kids eat! It feels like a kids pizza, if you know what I mean?

The venue has lots of lovely ingredients for a posh adult pizza - all the usual including artichokes / goats cheese / spinach / feta etc, so they can easily make something else if we order it.

AIBU to suggest two veggie pizzas - one with all the lovely toppings and one plain?

There's going to be a whopping great hog roast, so the meat eaters will be well catered for!

Or if not, maybe one veggie with all the topings and one with salami or pepperoni?

Or a chicken, like the venue says, but a more adult veggie pizza with it?

WWYD? Thanks :)

I agree 2 veggy pizzas will work well. One more sophisticated and a margarita. Chicken pizza out!

Personally I suspect everyone will dive for the posh pizza.

Can everyone eat bread/gluten? The options seem limited if the only carb is bread.

Yes, we have a few gluten free people too. They'll get a gluten-free version of the pizza - or the hog roast minus the roll I guess!

I’d just do a marg and a pepperoni. I am a meat eater but always choose a marg! I don’t think of it as a kids pizza at all.

Do They have a separate oven and workspace to prepare the gluten free? I’ve only seen these places with one oven and they cook all of them in together so there’s cross contamination. A lot won’t be able to eat that. Also a lot of gluten free pizza is revolting!! 😂

Make sure there is lots of salads and extra bread. Having been to a hog roast wedding it was not enough food to soak up the alcohol!!! I would do a roast veg pizza and a plain one.

I love a spicey chicken pizza but I can see it's not for everyone. Ham and mushroom is good too but that's more pork. I would prefer a roasted veg pizza rather than a plain margarita.

Pizza for 200, nightmare.
No one eating at the same time. A pizza each, slices of pizza.

That's a good question, I'll ask. Thanks :)

Well, I'd hate to cook pizza for so many, sure.

But this is a wedding venue that gets excellent reviews, and this is one of their standard options so I'm pretty confident they know what they're doing and it works in that setting.

Not chicken

I'm a meat eater and never have chicken on pizza!
I would go two veggie pizzas
Anyone who wants meat and pizza can shove the hog roast on the pizza

I’m not veggie - but wouldn’t choose meat on a pizza, I usually have olives and mushrooms.

Are there children there, if yes I would do a plain cheese pizza, if not then I like lots of veg and goats cheese on mine !, as for chicken 🤷🏼‍♀️ more boring than than the cheese 😂 could do a spicy chicken one ?

if that was my selection to make, I would do hog roast for the meat eaters then a plain cheese pizza and a fancy veg pizza, I have a family of meat eaters and vegetarians and me who doesn’t eat pork, but we all would be well happy with that selection

edit to add, if my DH was there he would get pork of the roast then a veggie rich pizza and put the pork on top , but then he’s a pig 😂😂

Good point

I'd have a plain pizza and a more exotic veggie one

A margarita made with decent mozzarella and fresh basil is amazing. I'd he happy with that. But you could also suggest another veggie option with peppers/onion/mushroom/sweetcorn. I'd love the artichoke option personally, but it's a pretty acquired taste.

The real issue is the chicken pizza. Fuck no. A classic pepperoni for the meat eaters.

I would do plain cheese and then pepperoni or salami. Chicken as the only topping is a bit dull unless it was with peppers and onions.

If the hog roast involves stuffing or gravy that is probably another cross contamination nightmare for gluten free people 😫. Same with any salads if they contain any unsafe ingredients (especially gluteny dressing). Id warn any affected guests so they can possibly self cater unless you're sure they will be safe. As for the pizzas probably one plain option and one "posh" option is a fair balance.

Thanks so much everyone, you've given us the confidence to go with 2 veggie pizzas. Very pleasantly surprised to see how popular that is! Now the agonising starts over which ones

Does anyone fancy saying what pizza you'd like made from this list (basically all the veggie ingredients the venue does that the bride likes!)

Mushrooms
Cherry toms
Artichokes
Roast peppers
Red Onion
Chilli
Olives
Spinach
Sun dried tomatoes
Feta
Ricotta
Goats Cheese
Smoked Cheddar

No way does chicken belong on a pizza 🤢

I like your idea OP, one fancy veggie pizza with all the toppings and one plain margarita. As a PP suggested maybe fresh basil on the latter? I'd be very happy with that.

Just a thought: is the hog roast one with a whole suckling pig on a spit.
That really puts me off and I eat meat now. Was a veggie once. Imagine veggies may find it quite upsetting?

I would avoid olives and artichokes. I know too many who don't like one or both - quite divisive

Mushrooms
Roast peppers
Red Onion
Chilli
Olives

Ditto