Feeding the Family

That-Crazy-Rat-Lady

Well-Known Forumite
Hi all!

I have family visiting in two weeks, it was just supposed to be three people but now they are all bringing partners so there will be 8!! of us in total to cook for.

To say I'm panicking is an understatement! I've never cooked for that many people before!

To make things even more difficult there are two vegetarians, a vegan and one guest has a wheat, gluten, yeast and dairy intolerance! WTF!?!

I had the genius idea to hold a 'Come Dine With Me' competition so we're not cooking for three nights - it's the other five plus lunches and breakfast I'm stuck with!

Any hints / tips on hosting large get togethers?

I'm not expecting to be the hostess-with-the-mostess but I don't want people to be hungry!

Help!!!!

TCRL xxx
 

proactive

Enjoying a drop of red.
Hi all!

I have family visiting in two weeks, it was just supposed to be three people but now they are all bringing partners so there will be 8!! of us in total to cook for.

To say I'm panicking is an understatement! I've never cooked for that many people before!

To make things even more difficult there are two vegetarians, a vegan and one guest has a wheat, gluten, yeast and dairy intolerance! WTF!?!

I had the genius idea to hold a 'Come Dine With Me' competition so we're not cooking for three nights - it's the other five plus lunches and breakfast I'm stuck with!

Any hints / tips on hosting large get togethers?

I'm not expecting to be the hostess-with-the-mostess but I don't want people to be hungry!

Help!!!!

TCRL xxx
Domino's every night, if there's one within distance of where you live and salad sandwiches every lunchtime.

If nothing else, it'll dissuade them from coming again. Job done.
 

pinky

Well-Known Forumite
Large pot of bean chilli and a large pot of veg curry. All served with rice and a stick loaf on the side for those without intolerance. You can make them in advance and freeze them so there is less stress when they are there. Let everyone help themselves to it on the side.
 

That-Crazy-Rat-Lady

Well-Known Forumite
For breakfasts I would also just buy continental style, fruit, cereal and pastries, again to help themselves too. Tesco did do a good variety on gluten free cereal and with dairy free milk on the side too.

Thanks Pinky! Yes I was thinking if cooked breakfasts but you're right - continental is much easier! X
 

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
Cook in advance, freeze and reheat.

Lasagne is s good one, a meat and a vegan option, get gluten free pasta for which ever lasagne that wheat intolerant person will be eating or substitute pasta for grilled Haloumi, it's delish! Almond flour works a treat for a gluten free roux.

Chilli again meat and vegan, serve with rice, natchos, cheese and dips and let everyone help themselves. Don't make it too spicy but have a bottle of tabasco on the table.

Roast Dinner again a meat main and a vegan main, all the trimmings - winner every time.

Buffet tea, pull stuff out of packets - aldi do some cracking vegan sausage rolls!

Then take away for the remaining meals.

Lunches - Cesar salad with the trimings on the side (chicken/prawn/anchovies) M&S do vegan parmesan not sure if the Cesar dressing is veggie though, a few fries and garlic bread on the side its a good summer tummy filler.

Soup and cheese sandwiches - again get the vegan and normal cheese and grab a loaf of gluten free bread.


Breakfast, get some big bags of frozen pastries to pull out as needed, some bread (plus gluten free bread) and some nice jam/marmite/peanut butter, good coffee and a pot of tea and breakie is sorted - for cooked breakfasts go to the pub.

Good luck! I'm got 8 to feed this weekend, duck pancakes (plus Linda McCartney option for the veggies) and a stir fry tonight, meat and veggie lasagne tomorrow and roast on Sunday before everyone gets sent home. Breakfast are the frozen pastries and/or toast and lunch is whatever I can scrape together from the fridge with is full to bursting at the moment.
 

That-Crazy-Rat-Lady

Well-Known Forumite
Cook in advance, freeze and reheat.

Lasagne is s good one, a meat and a vegan option, get gluten free pasta for which ever lasagne that wheat intolerant person will be eating or substitute pasta for grilled Haloumi, it's delish! Almond flour works a treat for a gluten free roux.

Chilli again meat and vegan, serve with rice, natchos, cheese and dips and let everyone help themselves. Don't make it too spicy but have a bottle of tabasco on the table.

Roast Dinner again a meat main and a vegan main, all the trimmings - winner every time.

Buffet tea, pull stuff out of packets - aldi do some cracking vegan sausage rolls!

Then take away for the remaining meals.

Lunches - Cesar salad with the trimings on the side (chicken/prawn/anchovies) M&S do vegan parmesan not sure if the Cesar dressing is veggie though, a few fries and garlic bread on the side its a good summer tummy filler.

Soup and cheese sandwiches - again get the vegan and normal cheese and grab a loaf of gluten free bread.


Breakfast, get some big bags of frozen pastries to pull out as needed, some bread (plus gluten free bread) and some nice jam/marmite/peanut butter, good coffee and a pot of tea and breakie is sorted - for cooked breakfasts go to the pub.

Good luck! I'm got 8 to feed this weekend, duck pancakes (plus Linda McCartney option for the veggies) and a stir fry tonight, meat and veggie lasagne tomorrow and roast on Sunday before everyone gets sent home. Breakfast are the frozen pastries and/or toast and lunch is whatever I can scrape together from the fridge with is full to bursting at the moment.

Thank you so much for taking the time to type all this!

I'm off to make a shopping list!! Xxx
 

staffordjas

Well-Known Forumite
Afraid I'm not very inventive. When son had a vegan girlfriend , she had to survive on beans on toast each visit.


(Then , after 2 years of not going to restaurants we really wanted to on special occasions, because they didn't do vegan...
Treated her to a Spanish holiday , where she decided to go ' non- vegan' for a few days so that she could try the seafood she'd always wanted to :roll: )

So what I would do..
Beans on toast all round ( with the gluten free bread for those with allergies)
 
Last edited:

littleme

250,000th poster!
Afraid I'm not very inventive. When son had a vegan girlfriend , she had to survive on beans on toast each visit.


(Then , after 2 years of not going to restaurants we really wanted to on special occasions, because they didn't do vegan...
Treated her to a Spanish holiday , where she decided to go ' non- vegan' for a few days so that she could try the seafood she'd always wanted to :roll: )

So what I would do..
Beans on toast all round ( with the gluten free bread for those with allergies)
I've still not fed the vegan dil yet!
 

That-Crazy-Rat-Lady

Well-Known Forumite
I'm not too worried about the vegan meals, as a veggie myself I have plenty of recipes already / I can adapt.

It's the wheat / yeast / gluten that gets me! Does that include grains / pulses??

I've had to be 'that person' and ask them for an itemized list of what they can / can't have!
 

Noah

Well-Known Forumite
Does that include grains / pulses??

Wheat, barley, rye, spelt & triticale contain glutens, and that includes products like bulgar & couscous. Oats and rice are probably ok but best check with the people concerned. Any products containing the cereals will contain gluten unless they are specifically produced as gluten free.
 

That-Crazy-Rat-Lady

Well-Known Forumite
Thank you all for your advice!

Everyone has just left, full and successful well fed this week!

I made a batch of chilli as recommended as well as a jerk veggie stew that went down a treat!

Lots of picnics and picky foods as well as an easy pizza night!

The Come Dine With Me experience was interesting.... with one guest managing to burn the side, spill oil EVERYWHERE and burn and inch worth of food to charcoal on the bottom of two pans. So maybe next time we'll just cook....

Other than that it was an absolute delight to have them!

Thank you all!!! Xxx
 

Bob

Well-Known Forumite
Glad it went well and I hope the guest offered to rectify the damage caused. For the pans soak for a couple of says in biological washing powder, it should come off then after a quick scrub with brillo pad.

If it makes you feel better we had a big pre Christmas gathering (19 people) and someone managed to flush the end of the loo brush and not say anything, then at least two people went for number two's and the overflow happened just as we were dishing up, everyone was tucking in while hubby was pulling the loo apart and I was frantically trying to contain what was spilling out on the floor.

We decided shortly after to sell the giant dining table and turn the room into one we use all the time now rather than a handful of times a year and we haven't had a houseful like that since (also because of Covid but still not really in a hurry to recreate that experience............................) Pre Christmas 2019 was in south Wales and Pre Christmas 2021 is booked for North Wales, I'm sure our turn will come again, I might hire a big tent!
 
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