Hugely overladen buffet tables at parties.

Sausage rolls and mixed sandwiches really suitable for a large Buffet?
I have catered some pretty posh cocktail parties/receptions - Daunts Bookshop in Marylebone High St, the Liberal Club in St James's, the Riverside Cottage (of Profumo fame) at Clivedon and I can reassure you our smoked salmon pinwheel, tiny homemade sausage rolls mini croustades,blinis with cream cheese and caviar, and asparagus and brown bread pin wheels are not what you seem to mean by sausage rolls and mixed sandwiches

I like the sound of the Lancashire hotpot and the smoked salmon pinwheel buffet.

Mind you can you even imagine Lancashire hotpot with a pastry crust and pickled red cabbage (although to me it sounds bluddy gorgeous).

Guest 1: “oh dear, I don’t eat meat I’m afraid”.
2nd guest: “I can’t eat pastry unless it’s gluten free”.
No.3: “none of tha’ pickled stuff for me chuck it’d play havoc with me acid reflux.”

Yikes.

Oh FGT how very dare you.
Was meat and potato pie with pastry not hotpot.
A hotpot has thinly sliced potatoes on top not pastry.
In Lancashire to confuse the two is a travesty.
😂

We went to a bar bq last September held at a Christian conference centre run by a charity. It was free to all as we are residents and they have one each year. About 50 people there and the food was enough for double that amount. We were all given containers to take some home but still lots left over.

They do the same for a Christmas Carol evening.

I’ve also attended. 90 yr old birthday bash recently and exactly the same thing happened. About 80 people there but so much food.

It seems to be a common occurrence.

I do hope they didn’t waste any of it and took it to good causes.

Visgir1

I like the 'Grazing' style of food for parties. That always seem to get eaten more than a traditional Buffet. Well it has in the few events I have been to, that has served this style of food.

If I was doing a Buffet for say 80 people. I would aim for food for 70-75 people that would still enough.

I would still overcater than under

I’d have no problem with doggy bags. Far better than wasting it. But what I do have an issue with is people taking more than they want/can eat, and leaving it on their plate, so it has to be thrown away.
I have seen this too often, inc. at a wedding, someone taking a lot of very nice roast lamb - and leaving at least half of it. 🤬

Most of the social events we go to are ‘bring a plate to share’ and most people are overly generous and don’t want to be mean. They take home what is left, individually. Works well.

Witzend

I’d have no problem with doggy bags. Far better than wasting it. But what I do have an issue with is people taking more than they want/can eat, and leaving it on their plate, so it has to be thrown away.
I have seen this too often, inc. at a wedding, someone taking a lot of very nice roast lamb - and leaving at least half of it. 🤬

I hate this too. You see it at any kind of buffet, whether it's a function, hotel buffets or buffet-style restaurants. People piling their plates up then leaving half - or even more - of it. It's such a waste!

MissInterpreted and Witzend - I think we had a thread about breakfasts in hotels that went something like this!

I hate it too BTW.
Both greedy and wasteful.

I also don't want to look greedy, but I always notice some guests piling their plate so high it is amazing how it all stays on the plate, this happens at a breakfast buffet in hotels as well

Yes, going slightly off subject, the first time we went to a Toby Carvery (on impulse), we opened the door, and the first thing I saw was several people balancing a plate absolutely heaped with food, far more than a normal appetite, frankly it was repellent. We went home, never to return.

Plates heaped up - been there, seen it
My step-son's wedding was help yourself buffet going by table.
His Gran and I were not on the last table to get food but there was very little of the "mains" left.
The caterer's team all standing there. Their response when I asked about bringing out more? "We didn't keep any back."
Luckily, I got some for Gran but on returning for myself, virtually all that was left was potato salad, cucumber, and other salad trimmings.
And, yes, it was because the early ones piled their plates high.
When I've organised formal buffets, I've always asked the staff to carry out the dishing out of the "mains" and to ignore requests for a bit more of the chicken or ham etc. Keep to the portions, we can always offer seconds.

I was always guilty of over catering at my daughters whole class parties when she was small,
besides the class there would of course be friends and cousins and a lot of the parents would stay and sometimes with other siblings as well.
With all those people I had to make sure there was enough. I didn’t mind at all. There was always lots left over but it’s the done thing around here that you offer it up to everyone at the end. I miss those days.

I remember going to a wedding a few years ago whereby it was a Buffet when we went up to get some food there was absolutely nothing left and we weren’t late going for it, we had to get a takeaway on the way home.

“Eyes bigger than” as my late mum used to say.

This must be a new thing as most buffets i have come across at buffets tend to be on the sparse side, you feel very aware of what you are taking!
i think what gets me is the choice; I am vegan which does not help with the choice but i find these days everything is too spicy for me. i hate spicy food and everything seems to be over spiced. for instance years ago you could have nice pasta or rice with things like peppers and other veg usually with a creamy dressing but now one bite and my mouth is on fire!

We were in a restaurant for Sunday lunch recently. There was a Christening in a private room. As the door was open I could see the buffet table. The Christening party left and to my amusement the staff started filling containers to take home. Mostly were young people and I was delighted to see them take the food. I think this was the norm as they all had their tupperware with them.

I must admit I've never thought about the actual amount of food laid out at events, what leaves me cold is the fashion for 'grazing tables', whereby the food is literally tipped onto the table and different foods touch and merge into one another. Not a serving plate in sight. Yuck

We over catered at my mother in laws party and so much food was left. Before we had a chance to even think about doggy bags let alone containers, the manager of the centre whipped out large black bin bags and swept the lot into them. We were not happy and such a waste. He wanted to clear up quickly and get us out.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Mind you can you even imagine Lancashire hotpot with a pastry crust and pickled red cabbage (although to me it sounds bluddy gorgeous).

Guest 1: “oh dear, I don’t eat meat I’m afraid”.
2nd guest: “I can’t eat pastry unless it’s gluten free”.
No.3: “none of tha’ pickled stuff for me chuck it’d play havoc with me acid reflux.”

Yikes.

My grandmother was a wonderful lady and cooked like an angel.
I will never forget her melt in the mouth meat and potato pie, always served with pickled red cabbage.
She was a Lancashire lady, if only I could have some time with her to get the recipe.
I was 9 when she died.
My mother had no desire or idea when it came to cooking.

If this happened to my family I know we would all take some of it home for lunches etc for the next week. It doesn't have to be wasted.

A friend who caters for Parties etc says the buffet should be cleared away after 4 hours as food such as Prawn sandwiches and sausage rolls would not be safe after this time in a warm room . When we paid for a buffet at a pub we were not allowed to take remains home . After all if someone got food poisining they would blame the Caterer or Pub. Personally I do not want to eat leftovers that have bee breathed over or handled by others.

Visgir1

Hope this comes through.

Oh perfect this is my kind of buffet, not all stodge

RosiesMaw2

Visgir1

Hope this comes through.

I’ve been to a couple of funerals where this was the type of buffet - “trendily” laid out on big sheets of brown paper and frankly I thought it appalling. Messy did not come close.
Any idiot can put out an array of charcuterie/ salami/ fruit/ celery sticks/slices of ham /cheese/ olives etc on a table with a pile of finger rolls or bread rolls and leave you to assemble your own food plate- of course when you are also standing or circulating, juggling a plate, knife, butter and a wine glass rapidly becomes impossible.
Daintily prepared canapés, finger food, mini bites, tiny sausage rolls, tiny sandwiches, pin wheels, blinis or vol au vents etc are both easier to eat, and show skill on the part of the caterers .
That’s what you are paying for.
Spare us “grazing tables”

I think you missed the whole point of grazing, you do not make up anything when grazing you pick up and eat, with or without a plate, whatever takes your fancy. Mini bites of everything like you describe is done for grazing too.

My mum's family was always poor, & did 9 wedding receptions for 9 daughters.Despite not always being able to afford generous portions at home, when they catered for guests they catered in abundance. My S-i-L, from a similar background, is the same.
When mum or S-i-L or in fact any of the extended family cater, it's a standing joke there will be 3x as much as we can eat. It doesn't matter, it's packaged up, sent off with guests or with big families, there's no option of things going to waste.
I've been to wedding receptions where, being among the last to go up to the table, there's just been crisps & dips left. If that was my reception, I'd be so shamed.
I think it's the old-fashioned value of hospitality, getting it just right is impossible so too much is offered. When it was home - catered, that didn't mean waste. Now with catering companies doing it, & people's appetites varying drastically, there are going to be times when there's lots left. I think for a big "do" that's absolutely fine, no reason still why people can't take "doggie bags" home & there is the option of taking some things like salad stuff to the community shop.
There's always waste when people are eating out on a regular basis too.
For a big do like a celebration party, in my view that's more acceptable than the mass of food thrown away by companies catering things like corporate / sports events.