Feeding a crowd on bonfire night

[snowandrocks]

We're hosting our annual bonfire night next weekend and will probably end up with a crowd of around 40 to feed.

Main criteria is that it's tasty, hearty and can be cooked in advance. Usually do a chilli and pulled pork rolls then leave them out in the slow cooker for guests to help themselves.

Would welcome any alternative ideas - happy with fairy elaborate/complex prep as long as it can all be done in advance.

[Greendubber]

Big pot of curry?
Nice fresh soup and rolls?

[Evanivitch]

Pizza oven.

[Efbe]

adults/ kids or both?

[DoubleSix]

Hotdogs....


Posh ‘em up.

Onions etc can all be keep warm in scale with ease.

No plates or cutlery required.

[snowandrocks]

Some good ideas there - all adults, no kids (thankfully!).

Got a pizza oven but it needs continuous effort all night and makes hosting harder work than I'd like - I also need to keep the fire going, let off the fireworks and get suitably drunk myself.

[Mr E]

Sausage casserole.
It can sit in the pot(s) on summer for hours. It’s cheap. It’s tasty. You can serve in bowls, with bread, with Yorkshire puds.
And it’s good the next day.

[Twig62]

Homemade soup and decent crusty bread.

[jakesmith]

Lamb tagine goes down well & is a bit different & cheap & easy to make
For 40 people you use 4kg lamb mince, you can use beef & people are unlikely to notice
Brown it off & drain most fat then add into the cauldron:

• 10 quartered onions
• 10 sliced peppers
• 500g fresh ginger chopped up in mincer
• 8 tins tomatoes
• 2 pints lamb stock
• 500g chopped apricots
• a lot of paprica, pepper, cinamon
• Lemon juice

Then simmer for 4-5 hours & serve in paper bowls with couscous & wait for the compliments to roll in
If you want to make the couscous yummy do 2kg with the same volume of boiling water but add 500g salted butter & 1kg roasted salted cashews. Cover & leave

[SystemParanoia]

Twig62 said:

Homemade soup and decent crusty bread.

this.. chunky meaty soup in styrene cups

[48k]

I have no suggestions because pork baps with crackling and apple sauce infront of a smoky bonfire and fireworks is pretty much perfection.

[condor]

Jacket potatoes wrapped in foil - from your bonfire.
Toasted marshmallows

[Type R Tom]

Sausages braised in beer, onions and sauerkraut.

Brown them first then drop into a container with the above, people can pull them out when ready served in rolls with the onions etc.

[21TonyK]

Jacket potatoes, with chilli beans (just baked beans with chilli sauce) and cheese. And make a decent soup. Use disposable take away cups and containers with plastic forks. Stick it all out on a table and leave people to sort themselves out while you enjoy the evening as well.

[motco]

Invite Jeremy Corbyn, give him five barley loaves and two small fishes and tell him to get on with it!

[mcg_]

I'd just do burgers and sausages.

I've got a Weber kettle so nothing fancy, I'd get a load of lumpwood going, spread it out on the bottom and then put the lid on. Bring them temp down and then fill the grate. 2 rounds of that should be enough for everyone. Get some decent toppings and I'm sure everyone will be happy.

The some chicken for the vegans, maybe some coke.

[Ranger 6]

Mr E said:

Sausage casserole.
It can sit in the pot(s) on summer for hours. It’s cheap. It’s tasty. You can serve in bowls, with bread, with Yorkshire puds.
And it’s good the next day.

This - cooked with mixed beans and a can of Guinness

[dazco]

Corned beef hash or Lancashire hot pot.

We always used to have hot pot on bonfire night, served with pickled red cabbage

[cbmotorsport]

Ribs always go down well, cheap too. You can cook them the day before, then glaze and finish off on a bbq or in the oven.

I braise mine in full fat coke for a couple of hours, then make a glaze of ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and paprika coat the racks then finish in a hot oven/bbq


Also, saw these on F***book the other day, look like a fun easy way to cater for lots. You can premake and then bring them out in waves.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRU7d0WjC3A

[Steve Campbell]

Can't really beat the suggestions already done, except thinking about puddings...parkin and treacle toffee was always on the menu when I was a kid :-)