'Cowboy' Style catering for 90 people

parsonswife8

Personally, I would go for rice instead of potaoes.
With bread and a tomato salad on the side.
and maybe, a bowl of sweetcorn.
Good luck with all the gas.
:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

ubamother

Stephen_Leak wrote: »

Ubamother may also be Bristolian. Where we have always had not only "lush" but also "gert lush".

Hah, not quite - emigrated to Geordie land a decade or so ago - Geordies have 'geet lush as owt' as their regional equivalent!

My region of origin's equivalent would probably be - 'bostin'... bostin being the best dialect word ever! (say it like you're Lenny Henry)

babyshoes

I would suggest you do something to start with too, such as tortilla chips and dips like guacamole, soured cream and salsa. The more they eat beforehand, the less of the expensive meat course they will want.

To bulk out mince, I usually add one or two handfulls of oats to a smallish pack of mince (about 400g). If you add it just after browning the mince, the oats will soak up some of the fat and juices from the meat. Then add some beef stock, fairly concentrated if made from a cube - the oats soaks it up and goes brown - you can't tell it's there unless you are looking for it. You could also experiment beforehand with other 'stretchers' like lentils and soya mince.

Also, be sure to cater for about a third of your guests wanting seconds. I am sure a single jacket with chilli, coleslaw etc is enough for most people, but for some it won't be, or they will be fussy and only eat one part of it such as the jacket and some cheese then want another potato and cheese. There is nothing worse than going to a big party and not having enough to eat! (Well, ok there are a lot of worse things, but in this context it is pretty unpleasant). It doesn't matter if everything else is great, if someone wanted more food and there wasn't any, they will remember that over the good bits. Perhaps bung a second batch of spuds in to cook once the first lot is served. People won't mind waiting a short while for second helpings as long as there is some on the way! I am sure they will keep a day or two too if you end up having lots leftover. The last groups of guests to leave can usually be persuaded to take some food home too, in my experience, so have old takeaway tubs or similar tucked away somewhere out of sight but easy to get to.

For pudding, if you can't think of something 'authentic', don't worry, just do a selection of simple things and include something light like fruit salad and something stodgy, just in case anyone is STILL hungry enough to eat it!

Good luck with the catering, and hope you get a chance to enjoy the party too!

Paulie'sGirl

Hi,

I'd recommend seriously boosting the bean component of the chilli, I find that to many people it actually looks more substantial that way, as well as being cheaper. As you have such a long lead in, buy a few bags of the dried beans and boil them up instead of using tins. Dried beans are obviously cheaper.

Consider a big sack of spuds from your local veg man (is it 10k for a fiver? it was the last time I bought them)

Tesco's value tortilla chips are just salted, and so are exellent for the nacho etc ideas mentioned above. 17p a packet ish. Aldi sell lovely salsa, but its cheap to make your own and recipes are abundant online. Some cheap grated cheese melted on the top and voila!

Boston baked beans might be another avenue to consider, as its a fairly similar flavour to tex-mex. You can buy cooking bacon cheaply, and I would recommend that from Sainsburys as the best as its mostly end pieces, not thin fatty bits like other supermarkets.

PGxx

usernameisvalid

melicalica wrote: »

Add bread in your party food because people will take a piece of bread and it will fill them up and they eat less it is the best way to bulk out the chilli too as if you don't want to spend tonnes on mince.

Id say you have missed on this party, it was 6 years ago

peachyprice

usernameisvalid wrote: »

Id say you have missed on this party, it was 6 years ago

I'm surprised she recommend spam fritters!

DomRavioli

One small potato each? That is not going to happen. How are you going to ensure 90 people only take one? I'd suggest doing at least another 30, potatoes are fairly cheap (especially when on offer in aldi or lidl), and I'd rather take two potatoes and less filling.

ultimately though you cannot tell people who are hungry that they can't have anymore unless you want to lose friends.

jackyann

We always add tinned sweetcorn to our chilli, and I find that adding both that and red kidney beans bulks it out and adds both colour & texture.

Whilst everyone is busy adding loads of beans, I would say that some find them indigestible, so although I would have things like the lovely 3 bean salad as well, I would be wary of too many in the actual chilli.

I'd also think about keeping costs down by making your own baked beans.
I'd also suggest chilli sauce on the side, for those who like to add heat (cheapest from Chinese market stalls or supermarkets)