Party Food
- Lily Hough
- Oct 29, 2024
- 4 min read
Hi everyone,
Continuing on with our birthday parties theme, this blog is all about party food. Now I know at the moment there is a lot of articles out there on allergies, being gluten free, BPA free etc. But I promise you this blog is catered to you where you make the decisions on what party food to have at yours or your children's birthday parties.
I'm not going to lecture anyone on the above as A. I have no medical knowledge or experience nor training and B. Living with allergies myself, it wouldn't make sense to tell you what to do when I can actually bring my own food with me to your party to make it easier for you.
Having said that I will stress that allergies are serious and we should take them seriously. The best way we can do this is by asking the parents of the children invited or our friends in advance by way of invitation either by paper invitation or by WhatsApp etc. to let you know in advance of any allergies/preferences etc.
This way you can plan ahead. That way you and the parents or friends have peace of mind that you've catered to their needs. I often bring a packed lunch with me to parties or make sure I eat a big meal before hand so that the host doesn't have to worry. If this option is better for you then go for it.
With children's parties, I find often that finger food is best and a lot of it you can make and freeze ahead. Equally you can go to the supermarket but I would always advise reading labels before buying (if someone coming has a food preference or an allergy). You can make mini pizzas, cheese and pineapple on a stick, cupcakes, biscuits and more.
You could even do a pizza party where you make the dough in advance and the children can decorate their pizza with various toppings. You can also cater for allergies by having a separate set of bowls of toppings for the child/friend in question.
My go to pizza dough is this recipe:
Instead of Olive Oil I use Rapeseed Oil and I do use fast acting yeast (but either is okay).
You can make this a day or two in advance and freeze it, the only thing I would say is let it come to room temperature about an hour before the party starts.
There is a gluten free version as well:
Cheese and pineapple on a stick are so easy to prepare and can be done on the day of the party. When I was younger my mum used to do chunks of cheddar with chunks of pineapple on little cocktail sticks. My mum is an epic caterer and used to do all the catering for our birthday parties as kids and more.
Sandwiches are also good at a party. I find the most popular options are cheese and ham, plain ham, plain cheese, tuna, and chicken slices. These can be made in advance and kept covered in cling film in the fridge.
I also love gingerbread biscuits and they are so easy to make and decorate. Another potential activity that the children can do at your party. I always use the following recipe and it works a treat.
I don't melt down the butter, sugar and syrup as I find it can alter the way the dough comes out. I use softened butter and combine it with the sugar and syrup by hand using a spatula. I then add the wet ingredients (as it were) to the dry ingredients. Trust me the dough will be more pliable and easier to roll out for the children.
And where would a party be without birthday cake? Now having a nut allergy prevents me from buying one in the store and cake companies cannot always guarantee that their kitchens are nut free so I like to make my own. Either cupcakes or a small round cake does the trick for me. My favourite cake is red velvet. Yum!
There are plenty of recipes on the BBC Good Food website to make cakes and cupcakes for birthday parties. You don't have to be an expert decorator either. The birthday boy/girl will appreciate your efforts none the less.
If there isn't any allergies or food preferences you can buy one in the supermarket. But on special birthday's it's good to consult with a cake company. If you are based in London one company I trust avidly is Delights by Cynthia. She's made many a cake over the years and also teaches baking to children and young people across London. She also makes biscuits and cupcakes too.
Do take a look at her website and get in touch with her if you need a cake that's extra special!
Top tips:
Ask those who you are inviting to let you know in advance if they have any allergies or food preferences.
If someone asks if they can bring anything, make sure they too are aware of any allergies or food preferences.
Make things in advance if you can- it does help ease the pressure of prep on the day of the party.
You can make it into a pizza or gingerbread party with the children helping you to prepare and make them.
Always be prepared for the weather- have back up games in case it rains.
Also encourage the parents to stay in case of any emergency or in case a child gets tired and wants to go home.
Best advice I can give is just to enjoy yourself and have fun with the children.
Lily xxxx
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