Family get together.

[Nana]

I think maybe what I need to do is ask my sister what her family likes & maybe then decide. Some great ideas tho. Thanks again.

[Daisy]

I like to do salmon as well - it's so easy and looks impressive.

If you're doing a cold buffet, I've found it easier to do a few large things rather than lots of different things which can be fiddly. A cold baked gammon and a big lump of lean beef cut well and are nice with good breads and/or salads, baked potatoes, salmon as already mentioned, and two or three large pieces of cheese.

In these days of so many people having special dietary needs I've taken to doing a large bowl of rice with peas and finely chopped sweet peppers - it's gluten, fairy, garlic, onion, spices and meat free. It sounds a bit boring and tasteless but actually it's not bad at all and there's usually someone at any given gathering who says "wonderful" because they can eat it safely.

A friend of mine always does pulled pork - I've never tried cooking it, but ti's delicious and very popular.

Roughly how many people will you be catering for, Nana?

[Nana]

Not sure of the numbers yet Daisy but not expecting a huge amount of relatives. Just close family. My siblings + BIL & nephews, neices & all their OHs + all their children. My DDs of course + one's partner & their children. Oh + self & OH. Also need to include a milk allergy of a nearly 3yr old GS & children aged from 8-2yrs. The journey is about an hr & a quarter for us & nearly all the others come from nr Plant's area.

One snag is that the hall is used until 11am so won't have much time to get everything ready before everyone arrives. It'll all work out I'm sure. We're all relaxed & enjoy each other's company. The main thing is just being together & granting my DD's wish to see her cousins' children.

[Gemini]

Another option of course is getting it 'catered', someone else does all the work and delivers it to the venue.
They charge per head, you could Google local caterers, if this was something you are interested in Nana.

[Plantaholic]

Sounds lovely Nana, nothing like a good family get-together.

[Nanto2girls]

Nana, some good suggestions for food have been given.
I'm sure everything will work out well.

[Nana]

Thank you everyone whose responded to my quandary. Some really good suggestions here. I will look into caterers tomoro Gem. Good to weigh up all the options/alternatives.

[Nana]

Well to get you up to date on this. I asked my brother if he could let me have the number of a caterer. I foned three times, left my number etc but she didn't get back to me.

After speaking with my sister I decided on a buffet. To make it easy for me I'm going to order a variety of made up party ' platters' from a well known supermarket beginning with S. DD2 loves Christmas as much as she did when she was a little girl, so tables will be decorated with the Christmas theme. Oma I managed to get a little tree from the shop you suggested....1/2 price too + tiny battery operated tree lights from the pound shop. Boy I love a bargain.😉

It should be fun as I've said that Christmas dress is optional (scarves, hats, jumpers etc). I also stated that any fairies or pixies will be most welcome. 🎅🤶

[Daisy]

Nana - I think you've found the perfect solution. Your DD will love it, so will all the youngsters-at-heart, no matter what their age is!