Ideas for really cheap easy Buffet food please!!

TwinkleTwinkle_2

Hi All!

Firstly, I want to thank everyone on this board, i have learnt so much over the past year of lurking, I hit a mile stone this week for myself by doing rubber chicken and i hope to continue in my OS ways!

Anyway, at weekend, my family are coming to my house and i have agreed to put on a buffet for everyone! We only have a little house as there is only me and my 3 year old which is why we are not having a sit down meal!

I want to put on enough for 8adults and 4 kiddies but i don't want to completely blow my food budget just on the buffet- but i have no idea where to start!

Please help! Does anyone have any os recipes that would be good for buffets?

TIA
Twinkle x

zippychick

Hi Twinkle Twinkle

there are various threads with loads of suggestions for you

Ideas for cheap easy buffet food please

OS buffet ideas

budget buffet help

buffet ideas

finger food buffet

Help, planning small party - buffet help

I'll add your thread to the first one later to keep all the suggestions together

Thanks:)
Zippychick

elona

Mini quiches using a bun tray

Pizza whirls using bread dough

Home made sausage or cheese and onion rolls

mini cornish pasties

Big bowl potato salad

" " home made coleslaw

" " mixed salad

Spanish omelette cut into small slices


Zippy - you are quick!!!!! Well done!

EC12345

Hello, probably not the same as home cooking but I had a buffet recently and I got a lot of the Sainsburys Basics range. It was fab and no one could tell - it really cut down on the cost of the buffet - maybe you could do a bit of cooking and a bit of "cheating".

Good luck.:)

Taadaa

HM potato salad is good, and if you buy a bag any left over can be used during the week. Boil the pots, then mix half mayo and half greek total yoghurt, and if you have any, some chives. The same sauce mix will do for the coleslaw too, carrots white cabbage and onion, no chives.

Pasta and rissotto rice is cheap and filling, as are bowls of salad. A packet of cheap ham laid out on a plate maybe? Or roast a chicken or buy a ready cooked one from Mr T, they are quite good value at £3.50ish and come in different flavours x

Butterfly_Brain

If it is still chilly why not pop some jacket potatoes in the oven and do some rice, a big chilli (to serve with the potatoes or rice) and some kebabs or sausages in buns for the children

TwinkleTwinkle_2

Thanks all- I am going to go through all of these later and plan what i need to buy!

Olliebeak

Last week I was involved in prepping a buffet for a family 'do'.

One thing that I'll NEVER do again is frozen mini sausage rolls - they stuck no matter how I did them. I used greaseproof paper and then did some without, in case it was the greaseproof that was causing the problem. There was SO MUCH fat coming out of them that they stuck like crazy and then the bases came away when I tried to remove them. In future, I'll buy the large ready-made ones and cut them into smaller pieces - HAS to be more economical to produce an edible item.

Something that went down well was Tortilla Chips and crudites with a selection of dips (value bought dips if you don't have time to make your own).

Chicken Drumsticks are good (and cheap) and can be frozen afterwards if there's any left-overs - just allow plenty of time for cooking them before people arrive. Can be done plain or left in a flavoured marinade overnight before roasting.

rachbc

portion control! slice meats thinly, use smaller plates, but stuff out in smaller bowls (can always top up later). I'm not saying being mean but it stops people over eating - which lets me honest is very easy t do at a buffet

Penny-Pincher!!

We had a hot/cold light buffet yesterday for a funeral and there were:

Spicy chicken wings
quiche with peppers and toms
couscous
sausage rolls
pork pies
white and brown sarnies quartered of egg, ham and cheese/pickle
wraps with humous or a curried veg filling...very nice
crisps
pieces of fruit
cupcakes
cheesecake
biscuits

This could be all done quite cheaply.

PP
xx