Ideas for really cheap easy Buffet food please!!

first remember little kids like small bits of food so cut everything up small! i even cut chocolate mini rolls into slices! a few cold chipolatas again sliced into small circles, tiny bits of cheese, bowls of plain cheap crisps (just put them out 1 pack at a time so none get wasted, the same goes for any packet food) what about small homemade pizza cut into fingers, satsumas in sections, grapes, raisins, homemade fairy cakes with a bit of coloured glace icing, i use cheap chocices instead of icecream, but otherwisw make a jelly and serve with icecream, i have used plain cheap paper napkins and written each childs name and drawn a little picture on them they do like that and much cheaper than fancy ones, (remember the felt tip may come off on hands tho!) i cut sandwiches into 8 and cut the crust off as they always get left! give them to the birds instead! a little goes a long way, for adults who i presume are eating at the same time as cuildren i would do a couple of large homamade pizzas and lots of hm garlic bread, maybe hm sausage rolls, use brought pasty if u are not confident making your own they will still be tons better than ready made ones, maybe some crudites, cucumber & carrot r cheap and a couple of dips, potatoe salad is nice pour french dressing over warm potatoe and allow to cool add chopped onion and season, nicer than one made with mayo. why not make a punch for adults nice non alcoholic one i put in a carton of tropical juice and some lemonade and chopped fruit, it goes down well and is cheap but tasty, im sure i will think of lots more! jane

If you have some puff pastry just spread or roll it out and sprinkle with cheese then roll into a swiss roll and slice across (about 5mm slices) to make little pinwheels, place on a baking tray in the oven for approx 10 minutes and they make really tasty and cheap nibbles for adults and children.

Buy a large tub of hummous (approx £1) and serve with lots of veggies and breadsticks.

French stick cut up with cheese and ham slices or pate and tomatoes cucumber on a platter?

Cheese and pineapple on sticks or cheese and cherry tomatoes on sticks.

Lots of crisps and fruit segments for the kids to bulk it out.

Fruit and marshmallow kebabs for the kids

Have fun

mini toad in the holes made in bun tins with wee willie winkies cooked, chopped, popped into the tin, pour the batter over and cook off.

They're dead easy, I make them all the time for the adults, I prefer them to proper toad in the hole because they rise properly and you don't end up with sausage omlette like you do when making a big one.

jelly whip or fizzy jelly ( melt the jelly in the microwaive p0ur in the required amount of water but instread use lemonade and pop in the frige to set, it sets fizzy and the kids love it, you can do it for the adults too by using cava or lambrini, obviously not for the kids party but a handy wee recipe to have none the less!), marsbar crispie cake, chocolate crispie or cornflake crispie cake, hope this helps.xxx

For my DD 2nd birthday I made a hedgehog cake (dont worry no animals were injured in making the cake).

I made a chocolate victoria sponge cake and covered in a fudge icing (really simple just butter, cocoa and icing sugar. Filled cake with icing and covered outside of cake then stuck matchmakers all over it. to make the face I was gonna use coloured icing but ran out of time so cut small circle of brown paper and made into cone shape. Added small red pompom for nose and googly eyes.

Everyone came back for seconds. If you like orange use orange matchmakers and when making sponge and icing add orange essence.

if you want exact recipe let me know (think I have a pic somewhere I could show you).

As for other food, iceland do cheap quiches (99p I think, although they are cheap to make yourself but sometimes its the time issue). Chicken drumsticks are cheap and can be marinated (I did BBQ ones). HM pizza is cheap as you can top with whatever is in the fridge. Cucumber and carrot sticks are easy to do and most kids like them (plus is you do a dip adults eat them too). Egg sandwiches always go down well too so its a cheap filling.

Think the cheese pinwheels sound lush, may make them for the girls to munch on during half term (gotta workout cheaper than buying cheese straws).

I love doing party buffets. Even over the years, I always find I make too much. However, if you can afford to buy party/meal boxes, that will help to work out your food portions per child. i.e sandwiches, few crisps, sponge roll, sausage roll, coctail sausage, chicken nuggets, mini pizza's (obviously not all - but idea's what to put in). For the adults, make a plate of sarnies, sausage rolls, cheese/pineapple on sticks etc. Bowls of crisps/nuts, bread sticks with dips.
Do a menu plan 1st of what you would like to see on the table, roughly work out what it'll cost and work from there, you can put more variety on the table but smaller portions, it looks like you've gone to town.
Drinks can be served when required (ie dilute blackcurrant - not orange this will send them wild) and you could pre-make jelly and put into plastic party cups for portions also. If you can get clear plastic cups - even better, make 1 falvour jelly, put into the cups, leave to set, make another flavour jelly and pour on top of the other which is set, kids think its great. Rather than make 1 huge 1 in a bowl and have left overs.
Ideas for sandwich fillings, jam, ham, cheesespread (for the kids), cheap enough and easy enough for a 2 yr old to pallette
Adults, tuna/tuna mayo, egg mayo, ham, cheese sandwiches, bread,celery,carrot sticks. Small salad bowl, french loaf cut into slices.
What about a pasta dish of tuna,mayo & sweetcorn, filling and adds variety aswell as bulk.
Have fun, I'll be doing the same in Nov for my DD 7th birthday.
Remember, kids wont be bothered about eating, so dont go overboard.
Good luck!!!! and let us know how you get on