What is your favourite party buffet food?

ciderwithrosie_2

Personally, I find 'communal' dips of any kind really annoying at a buffet - you either have to stand dipping and eating at the buffet table or try and put a bit on a paper plate which is more smearing than dipping.

Bowls of homemade coleslaw, potato salad, pasta salad etc are easier to deal with, cheap and very easy to make.

Ilona

Yes, veggies always get a bum deal with buffets. Nobody thinks to label veggie food, I always have to ask people to try something first and tell me if there is meat in it. I would say, even if you only expect a coupls of veggie guests, why not offer more veggie food so the meat eaters can try it too.
Ilona

Goldiegirl

I adore cheese straws and samosas at buffets.

Vegetable samosas are great, and adds another option for veggies.

I'm not a veggie myself, but I do enjoy dishes that aren't meat based.

themull1

cous cous with roasted veg, chicken skewers, potatoes in a honey, mustard and soy dressing, veg chilli and rice, duck spring rolls, veg spring rolls, mini sausages/quorn sausages in a chinese or bbq glaze, tiny meatballs/quorn pieces, onion relish with a bit of ciabatta either side on a stick.

sharnad

mrcow wrote: »

I'm sure most veggies are used to rubbish buffets though. I certainly don't go anywhere where "joe public" has catered expecting anything interesting (or often, anything at all) to eat.

OP - just have the buffet you've suggested. You seem quite happy with it yourself.

Really I usually find something really nice but that's because the people serving the food knows a vegetarian is coming and have something good prepared

Fruball

sharnad wrote: »

They might not go hungry but the menu for them is pretty rubbish. You could add a veggie cold rice for cheap and Quorn little packs of sausage rolls and savoury eggs are nice and also eaten by meat eaters

Qu0rn savoury eggs are gorgeous - much nicer than meat ones imo.

I make a bee-line for the vol au vents if there are some there! Love them

I think there is plenty of food for vegetarians in the OPs original list!

A recipe I got many years ago is so much nicer than it sounds and everybody who has had them asks for the recipe.

Olive Bites - (ETA just found the recipe online http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Olive-Cheese-Melts/ )
1 Jar green olives (I like the stuffed ones for colour). Chop them very finely
About double the quantity, so a good few handfuls, of grated cheddar
Chopped spring onions
Enough mayonnaise to bring together
Curry powder to taste

Mix the whole lot into a chunky paste and spread onto halved muffins. Cut into quarters (can be frozen at this stage. open freeze then pop into freezer bag) and bake in the oven at about 180c until cheese is bubbling.

I had no idea that these were muffins when I first had them! The ones in the link are left whole but they look nicer when quartered and are bitesized

pigpen

None.. I can't eat any of it.. someone with dirty hands might have touched it or sneezed on it lol.

A cauldron of hotpot went down nicely at my girls baptism though.

mrcow

sharnad wrote: »

Really I usually find something really nice but that's because the people serving the food knows a vegetarian is coming and have something good prepared

You're lucky.

Usually it's bread, tired looking quiche (you know, the cheap looking "cheese and onion" ones from the supermarket that you wouldn't feed to the dog), carrot sticks and communal dips (like I want to dip my food in something that has been used by 50 other people eating goodness knows what.

So basically I can eat bread. Sometimes garnished with a bit of limp lettuce. Great - usually I don't bother.

If it's a decent buffet, then obviously it's going to be (much) better than that, but your bog standard "I've got no imagination"/"The veggies will get by with quiche" buffets are pretty much all the same.

sweetme

My favourite buffet food is the hedgehog things made with cocktail sticks with cheese, pickled onions, pineapple and hotdogs on. So old fashioned I know but I love them

mrcow

btw - my favourite buffet food - breaded jalapeno peppers stuffed with cream cheese.