Cheap Party food for 20x9 year olds

kippers

I am having a swim party for my daughter who will be 9 at the beginning of feb. Parents are suggesting i have pizza chips etc delivered (what a cheek, this would cost a fortune for 20 children and whats it got to do with them)!

Anyway i would like to make some really nice cheap home cooked party food (which they don't know is cheap). I have plenty of ideas for cakes but i need savoury ideas....i value your comments...thanks.

angela110660

Don't have the pizza and chips delivered - do it yourself. (I presume you are going home to feed them all). Just buy some ready prepped or do your own toppings and tons of oven chips. Paper plates or picnic plates if you have them. Let them help themselves to what they want cos some eat more than others at that age. If not pizza you could do fish or fish fingers or good quality sausages. Maybe enclose a little menu option on the invites to get some ideas of the possibilities? Will be far cheaper and more fun to do your own. We always do.

kippers

Thanks.

Definately not doing pizza & chips out of princible. But thought of making sandwiches & snacks.

The party food will be at the leisure centre (you get a room & bouncy castle for 1 hour after swimming, all for £65). Therefore i can't cook anything there and i will have to take things ready prepared.

shellsuit

It would work out cheaper to just a buffet of 'normal' party foods, such as sandwiches, sausage rolls, mini sausages, chicken drumsticks (maybe?), little savoury scotch eggs etc etc

All of the above can be prepared at home and eaten when cold.

Moonbeam

Definately finger foods - if you have an Aldi near you try them - they have lots of stuff that are great for kids parties and normally you can find loads of bargains....

Sandwiches, crisps, fruit, sausages, cheese etc - simple things - avoid mushy fillings though like egg if you are holding it elsewhere - can get really messy

Idiophreak

CHEESE STRAWS!!!

Also do sausages/cheese+pineapple on sticks (it ain't a party without them!), sausage rolls (and cheese + onion ones for veggies), mini pizzas maybe, crisps, fruit, etc etc.

btw, why does everyone think it's such a bad idea to get pizza/fish and chips?
(i'm just curious - if I had the choice I'd have cheese and pineapple every time - clearly it isn't doable here because of the leisure centre thing)

I went to a party as a kid where they got fish and chips in and it was fine - it's only about £2 for a kids portion of fish and chips, less for sausages, fishcakes etc. Also, you only need 4/5 large pizzas to feed 20 9 year olds. So in terms of a kids party (where a treat is OK, presumably) it doesn't sound too over the top.

kippers

Never thought of aldi..thanks. Thats the sort of stuff i was going to do until the parents made me feel like i should be spending more.

christineperseus

More expense but less mess - box drinks of apple/orange or pineapple juice - very cheap in LIDL. Not forgetting all those good children who only drink water.
Good luck - don't forget your earplugs!

kippers

Just looked up Dominoes pizza...large pizza starts at £12.99. If i times that by 4 or 5 that makes my party food really expensive, especially as this doesn't cater for pudding or children who don't like pizza.

If i use the fish/nuggets and chips option, this is also really expensive as 20 x £2 = £40

We are a very low income family and have pushed the boat out paying £65 for this swim party so i've got to find cheap alternatives to party food.

Love the ideas given though. pls keep them coming.

By the way..I'm not giving party bags, i'm giving them a special muffin size birthday cake each, decorated with bright icing and loads of sweets with their own special candle to blow out (i did this last year and it went down really well).

amyandoli

*morrisons do big tubs of flavoured pasta and rice and potato salad, what about making your own - very cheap and filling! hm chips will be cold, might not be nice for fussies.
*asda do cheap big saver cocktail sausages in the fridge section, and the frozen sausage rolls work out cheaper than fresh. their big boxes of own brand crisps are good too, if you dont want people to see the asda packets, just empty same flavours in bowls.
*bake a load of fairy cakes and use icing pens to write happy birthday .... or similar - enough for all the kids/helpers, goes further than a bday cake, and you wont need knives/plates for them.
*set jellies in bowls and put squirty cream on when there, and maybe have some cheap sweets/cake sprinkles for the kids to add themselves.
*as long as your dd has a great day, who cares about the kids parents?! x

victory

poundland sell 24 fairy cakes in a box for £1 we always get them for the b parties, lidl is fab for cheap drink and food, how about sausage rolls a bag of 100 in iceland for £!?