Ideas for really cheap easy Buffet food please!!

[Kimmywim]

Hi peeps I have put a thread up somewhere else regarding my 2 year old Birthday Party in 2 weeks time, to cut a long story short, I only have about £20 to do some sort of buffet/party food for approx 20 adults and 10 small kiddies. I was advised to put up a thread over here, so..here it is!!

Any ideas would be immensely appreciated, Although I must admit my cooking is very average and I am not very confident with making food, so the simpler the better, oh and if anyone has any recipes for a nice sponge birthday cake, what the heck I will give that a go!!


Thanks in advance

Kim
x

[Bogof_Babe]

Well that budget works out at about 66p per head, so I would major on sandwiches, perhaps with a big bucket of cocktail sausages (on sticks for the adults), with dips and celery/carrot sticks, plus maybe a bowl of coleslaw and one of potato salad. You can get most of this in Morrisons or Tesco for not much dosh. Cut the sandwiches small, i.e. quartered, with the crusts cut off, and pile deep on two plates - one huge one for the adults and a smaller one for the kids, because they will not be all that interesting in the eating part of the proceedings anyway!

Don't forget to provide a selection of vegetarian fillings - not difficult to do, but easy to overlook.

Crisps and fairy cakes for the children, with jelly and ice cream for afters.

[janeawej]

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

[janeawej]

I saw your other thread and realy feel for you, wish i could make a cake for you but it wouldnt post well!!!

have posted my sandwich cake b4 but here goes again, it never fails!

weigh eggs (3-4 for normal size cake)
same weight as the eggs in
butter/marg
& sr flour (economy)
& granulated sugar
a bit of vanilla escence if you have it

cream butter and sugar till fluffy
add flour and eggs in about 6 stages, flour-beat-eggs-beat-ect till all used
add vanilla escence
put into tin and bake!
20ish mins at 180c check after 20 mins

i sometimes do a huge single layer cake in a roasting tray that looks realy good! and plenty to go round!

the same for fairy cakes but 10 mins ish!

icing glace is just icing sugar and water with a bit no colouring if you want or use lemon/orange juice

butter cream - cream lots of icing sugar into butter/marg - add cocoa powder if you want or melted choc

i ofte make buttercream and add choc then grate loads of choc (economy) white/milk and dark onto it, it looks fab and everyone is impressed, add a crumbled flake for extra impact if ther budget runs to it!

or i have just put smarties/buttons all over the buttercream kids love that!

I think homemade food looks and tastes so good that people always love it! also you will get loads of compliments on your great cooking!

if u have a breadmaker how about making a couple of loaves of herb bread to go with some pate for the adults, i just add a few dried herbs and a bit of olive oil instead of butter to an ordinary recipe, very cheap and if you can serve it warm bound to be popular!

birthday cake should be ample for pudding for adults too!

[gingin]

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

[lynzpower]

oooh im feeling hungry now and Im not even invited

Rice crispie cakes are easy too, but that big tray cake jane said sounds scrummeeee

[purpleimp]

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

[nearlyrich]

If you have an Aldi near you their crisps, breadsticks, coleslaw, pate, cheese biscuits etc are better quality and cost less than the other supermarkets.

[shell2001]

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).

[V.Lucky]

If you have a CoolTrader local they were selling the small Iceland buffet pizza's, a box of 30, use by end of Nov for 2 for £1 - cheaper than you can make yourself.

Got them for my 4 year old's Halloween party on Saturday as they were such a bargain.

[Crazychik]

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

[anguk]

Originally Posted by shell2001

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.

Both my kids had hedgehog cakes when they were young and I've now been roped in to do them for the grand-nephews! I make it just like yours but use chocolate buttons cut in half for the prickles because they're cheaper!
Harriot Hedgehog Cake

[Peem]

Hi

for our DS and DD christenings we didn't have much money some of the things we did were

potato wedges (bought bag of potatoes), cut into wedges put some spices on (some without for wee ones) some oil, and bake in oven

Plates of cold meat and rolls beside them for bigger people to make up own sandwiches as well as ready made for kids

tomato salad - tomatoes with olive oil and salt to dress, mozzarella if you have it - unfortunately ours was hijacked by a 3 year old who ate pretty much the lot

hm sausage rolls.

sausages on sticks just cause I wanted them

mini quiches - I baked the quiches in cup cake trays. I think in the end people ate less because the cup cake size is way smaller than a slice of quiche (even 2 or three are smaller) and people don't realise.

I did make a full size spanish omelette (tortilla) with potatoes and peppers and this helped fill people up.

english muffins cut in half to make pizzas with tomato sauce cheese and onion on them

chunks of cheese and abowl of pickled onions

a greens salad, potato salad (basically I bought a big sack for 3 quid and did as much as I could with it.) and good old pasta salad (pasta with some peppers, mayo and kidney beans(cooked)).

Roast potatoes - cause every one loves these, do with some rosemary and they look really swanky even though it's still just roast tatties.

Trifle and fairy cakes for afters

Most people actually thought we'd bought the catering in or else it was ready meals. I think they thought this was a complement - honestly I was insulted until my mum explained to me that home made is "downmarket" to a lot of people.

Hope you have a good time

and TBH - the food isn't the biggie! Most people don't expect a feed. If you put the same thing on several plates IYSWIM then it looks like more.

For later occasions - and I have a 2yo party coming up too (dreading it already) - I've just done big servings of lasagne, curry etc and let people get on with it. Depends on your audience tho.

(and I just accept that there will always be someone who isn't happy - generally my MIL for me I've haven't given up - one day she'll say somethings nice. Probably when I serve pease pudding! Never in the field of human conflict....)

[John 3:16]

Jacket Spuds cheep and filling

[mirakl]

I bake small ish potatoes, scoop out the middle, mix with a little cheese, salt pepper and anything else that takes my fancy, refill the skins and then put back in the oven for 10 mins. Dead cheap and really tasty.

[chardonnay]

cheap squash for the kids or asda do large packs of cool cups cheap

jam sandwiches


remember this is a 2 year olds party so as long as they enjoy it you don't need to spend a fortune.

[natlie]

Hi
blinis

cut out some shapes in some white bread/toast you can top these with anything cheese chiva and mayo, egg mayo, cream cheese and cucumber, salmon etc

Quiche - you can do these mini in bun tins

sarnies

tortilla chips and dips

friut bowl

fruit/choc cake cut it into cubes and pop into paper cases look homemade

crudites - chop cucumber, peppers, mushrooms, carrot into sticks, make a garlic mayo with 1 clove garlic to a tablespooon of mayo and some lemon juice or do paprika and garlic and mayo

Nat
xxx

[Kimmywim]

Hi guys thanks for all your ideas, I am going to have ago at the hedgehog cake!! I feel so much more confident now xx

[mattfletcher]

I have tried to collate some of the ideas I have found both on this thread and across the web for my own wedding. I thought I'd share with you the list I've come up with:

SAVOURIES
Baby Roasties
Bread Sticks
Cheese Board
Chicken Nuggets/Strips/Goujons
Chipolatas/Cocktail Sausages
Crackers
Crisps
Crusty Bread With Butter
Garlic Bread
Honey Mustard Chicken On Toasted Brochettes
Meat Platter
Onion Bhajis
Pigs In Blankets
Pizza
Pork Pies/Gala Pie
Prawn Toasts
Quiches
Ritz Crackers
Samosas
Sandwiches
Sausage Rolls
Scotch Eggs
Seafood Sticks
Spring Rolls (Vegetarian And Meat)
Vol-Au-Vents

DIPS & STICKS
Carrot Sticks
Cheese And Pineapple On Sticks
Coronation Chicken
Crudites
Dips
Doritos
Ham & Apricots On Sticks
Kettles Crisps
Nuts
Pate
Philledelphia Cream Cheese
Pringles
Tortilla Chips And Dips
Vegetable Sticks And Dips

SALADS
Chicken Caesar Salad
Coleslaw
Mixed Leaf Salad
Pasta Mixed With Chicken/Ham/Sweetcorn & Mayo (Chilli Powder Is Nice)
Pasta Salad
Potato Salad
Prawn & Cucumber Salad
Rice Salad
Savoury Rice
Tomato And Cucumber Salad
Tomato, Basil And Mozzarella Salad
Tuna Mayo & Sweetcorn

SWEETS
Cheesecakes
Chocolate Brownie Cake
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Chocolate Mini Rolls
Doughnuts
Eclairs
Fairy Cakes
Fizzy Jelly
Fruit Salad
Fruit Trifle
Gateaux
Grapes
Jelly And Ice Cream
Profiteroles
Raisins
Rice Crispie Cakes
Satsumas
Scones With Cream/Jam
Strawberries And Cream
Wedding Cake

[parsonswife8]

Originally Posted by mattfletcher

I have tried to collate some of the ideas I have found both on this thread and across the web for my own wedding. I thought I'd share with you the list I've come up with:

SAVOURIES
Baby Roasties
Bread Sticks
Cheese Board
Chicken Nuggets/Strips/Goujons
Chipolatas/Cocktail Sausages
Crackers
Crisps
Crusty Bread With Butter
Garlic Bread
Honey Mustard Chicken On Toasted Brochettes
Meat Platter
Onion Bhajis
Pigs In Blankets
Pizza
Pork Pies/Gala Pie
Prawn Toasts
Quiches
Ritz Crackers
Samosas
Sandwiches
Sausage Rolls
Scotch Eggs
Seafood Sticks
Spring Rolls (Vegetarian And Meat)
Vol-Au-Vents

DIPS & STICKS
Carrot Sticks
Cheese And Pineapple On Sticks
Coronation Chicken
Crudites
Dips
Doritos
Ham & Apricots On Sticks
Kettles Crisps
Nuts
Pate
Philledelphia Cream Cheese
Pringles
Tortilla Chips And Dips
Vegetable Sticks And Dips

SALADS
Chicken Caesar Salad
Coleslaw
Mixed Leaf Salad
Pasta Mixed With Chicken/Ham/Sweetcorn & Mayo (Chilli Powder Is Nice)
Pasta Salad
Potato Salad
Prawn & Cucumber Salad
Rice Salad
Savoury Rice
Tomato And Cucumber Salad
Tomato, Basil And Mozzarella Salad
Tuna Mayo & Sweetcorn

SWEETS
Cheesecakes
Chocolate Brownie Cake
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Chocolate Mini Rolls
Doughnuts
Eclairs
Fairy Cakes
Fizzy Jelly
Fruit Salad
Fruit Trifle
Gateaux
Grapes
Jelly And Ice Cream
Profiteroles
Raisins
Rice Crispie Cakes
Satsumas
Scones With Cream/Jam
Strawberries And Cream
Wedding Cake

_____________________________-

Phew!

That would feed the multitude.

What a nice, comprehensive list!