Catering for a tea at home after a funeral

Disdisbiff

I am going to be catering for the tea after my mother in laws funeral there wil be approx 60 people returning to the house (big house) can anyone help on how much food to provide for a finger buffet there are no vegetarians.

I have thought of doing the following foods:

Sanwiches egg mayo
tuna mayo
cold meat
cheese
Sausage rolls
Vol u vents unsure of fillings for these
Cocktail sausages
Chicken Drumsticks
Cakes (All HM) Banana loaf
Teabreads/ scones
Iced Gingerbread
small fairy cakes
Biscuits
Crisps
Peanuts

If anyone can suggest any other foods i could include it would be appreciated.

TIA
Biff

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kezlou

sorry to hear about the funeral.

How about the following:

2 x Cheese & Onion Quiche (Cut up into lots of little slices)
2 x Cheese, leek and bacon Quiche (same as above)
Cocktail sausages (i would get 4 packs of these as will go quickly)
pickled onions (jars 31p each)
crisps and dips (ordinary doritos type)(dip 98p)
cheese cubes
cold meats
egg mayo
tuna mayo
pizza - just chopped up into pieces (x2)
mixed nuts (2 packs)
carrot sticks
cucumber sticks
cherry tomatoes ( 2 packs)

fairy cakes
scones (always a winner)
biscuits
tea bread
banana bread
iced lemon cake

drinks
tea, coffee, juice

For the sandwiches are you thinking of making buns / chopped in triangles?
When we catered for my mothers funeral we cut buns in half and just put the fillings on top.This worked out really well for us.

booter

Sorry to hear of your loss Disdisbiff.

Are you sure that 60 people will be returning to the house after the funeral? I only ask because in the few funerals I've "catered" for, some do not return, and of those that do, some only stay long enough for a quick cuppa and a biscuit. Generally, of those that do return for any length of time (usually family in my case) they tend to have a cuppa, then move on to a slightly stronger beverage (maybe that's just my family - oh dear, says a lot! ) and then decimate any food.

Personally, I wouldn't bother with vol au vents - they're too much of a faff, and messy! Ditto with chicken drumsticks. I'd agree with Kezlou's list - a good all round selection. For quantities, if there are 60 people attending the funeral, I would cater for max 40 (plus a few extra packs of biccies).

wondercollie

When the FIL died, I did the catering to avoid the funeral. I spread the cold meats out, cut the buns, left a selection of mayo, mustards, butter out and some cheese and greens and they built their own.

A couple of shrimp rings, some potato salad, smoked salmon.

Salty nibbles.

Banana bread, chocolate cake squares, wafery type biscuits.

Keep the kettle boiling.

Honestly, it was more drinks and picked up bits than a real feeding. Half the pople didn't come back.

When my Dad died, 150 came to his celebration of life but it was catered by his work. They then donated the leftovers to a men's shelter were Dad's pal was the vicar.

ash28

For my mother we did a finger buffet, I think you have to decide (for ease) if you want a finger or fork buffet.

Sausage rolls (small ones) - lots
Cocktail sausages - lots.
Quiches
Pizza - bite size
Sandwiches/ tuna mayo, ham & mustard, egg mayo and cress, Cheese and chutney, used a mixture of white, granary, wholemeat bread and rolls.
Mini pork pies - cut into 4
Mini scotch eggs
chicken dippers, goujons or nuggets
crisps/nibbles
crudities and dips
lemon drizzle cake
chocolate gateau
cheesecake
Tea/coffee/soft drinks/beer/wine etc

It started off with quite a lot of people but ended up with family and a few close friends, it actually turned into a bit of a party, people talking about their memories of her, it was lovely and I actually felt a bit guilty that we were all having a good time - but it's what she would have wanted.

Chris25

Personally, I wouldn't do the chicken drumsticks as they can be messy. And I wouldn't bother with the crisps & peanuts either.

I think people are grateful for lovely cakes/scones & a selection of sandwiches. The little sausages & sausage rolls are a good idea too.

I think that people don't tend to eat that much & a lot of people just come back for a quick cuppa & sandwich.

Don't make yourself too much work on what could be a stressful day to start with.

Hope it all goes well.

kezlou

booter mine are like yours . Ours always turn into a party with lots of memories shared.

food wise it depends. In our case all the food was pretty much eaten straight away with the hot drinks. Then we all went to the pub afterwards .

I left them all there whilst i collected my son from childcare, he was only 3 and i thought it would be to much for him. Don't know i managed to get drunk though, luckily had a partner with me.

lynnemcf

The best thing I had was a big water boiler, everyone wanted tea/coffee and the kettle would not have been able to cope. I also had a big teapot but I found that a bit of a problem cos it was so heavy to lift, so a few ordinary size teapots would be best. And gallons of milk and sugar and sweetener. Loads of cups and loads of washing up liquid and a pile of tea towels.

Honey_Bear

We found after my father's celebration that although someone who really liked him put on a fabulous spread in the village hall, that about 20 people who had travelled quite a distance were stuck for what to do in the evening, as were the people who hosted their stay. So we ordered in a Chinese takeway, spread it out on the table in the takeaway containers and plonked down a pile of plates and the knife, spoon and fork box from the kitchen drawer. We did not provide alcohol - too much faff. There was a choice of water, water or water from the tap. It was an absolutely magical evening and I got the chance to chat to his school friend from 70 years before. I know this doesn't help you with the period immediately following the service, but the evening after a funeral is usually a really horrible time, so I thought I'd pop the suggestion on the board. Sorry if it offends anyone.

maman

I'd definitely go for finger buffet rather than fork and use paper plates.

I was at a funeral a couple of weeks ago (that snowy Friday) and it was sandwiches, quiche, chicken goujons (easier than drumsticks but not essential anyway), crisps, cut up tray-bake (rather than individual) and a very nice touch was fresh fruit cut up (pineapple was what I enjoyed).

Hope it goes well for you. I hope you have some help.

[Deleted User]

It might be easier to have whatever you do decide on in bite sized pieces which will be easier to eat standing up also while folks are chatting, 60 people in a normal sized house will be quite crowded and having to use forks standing up with no elbow room is difficult and may not be good for your floors! Hope it goes well for you and is a good experience to look back on.