Planning a party can be fun at first, but it can become overwhelming, especially when you start to consider food. You have the task of serving a variety of crowd-pleasing snacks that won’t break the bank, take a long time to prepare, or give anyone an allergic reaction. No pressure or anything.
If you’re here because you’re hosting an event and are frantically Googling how you’re supposed to serve food to a wide variety of people with different tastes and dietary needs, you can stop holding your breath now- you’ve come to the right place.
Whether you’re hosting a game night, entertaining a gang of toddlers, or celebrating your nan turning 98, we’ve got the perfect snack idea for you.
Nachos
They’re cheap, easy, and nobody could possibly hate them. Serve a gigantic pile of nachos and allow your friends to customise them with sour cream, jalapenos, and whatever else floats their boats.
If you’re having a more unstructured event with no set time for eating and don’t want your nachos to go soggy, opt for unstructured nachos- chips with dipping bowls of salsa, nacho cheese and guacamole.
Charcuterie Board
The great thing about charcuterie boards is that they can be anything you want them to be. Cold cuts and cheeses? Fruit? Lollies? Pastries? Cans of VB? Use your creative freedom and create the charcuterie board of your dreams- or your nightmares.
Veggies and Hummus
The slightly fancier version of chips and dip that maybe isn’t as much of a crowd pleaser, but certainly makes you look classy. Cut up some carrots and celery sticks and let your guests dip away, and soon they’ll forget that they would rather be eating chips.
With veggie sticks, at least you know what to expect. Your guests may appreciate not having to play the unwanted party game of guessing what flavour of chips the host has emptied into a plastic bowl. There is no greater disappointment than preparing your tastebuds for sour cream and onion and instead biting into salt and vinegar. That kind of betrayal just doesn’t exist with celery.
Party pies and sausage rolls
They may not be the epitome of luxury and elegance, but who could possibly hate them? Whether you’re serving a crowd of toddlers or drunk twenty-somethings, you’ll get a round of cheers when you slap down a platter of nostalgic Aussie party food.
Dim Sims
Speaking of nostalgic Aussie party food, you can never go wrong with dim sims. South Melbourne dim sims blend class and sophistication with the familiar and comforting taste of the humble dimmy.
Dim sims can suit any event from house parties to weddings- it all depends on how you serve them.
Make-Your-Own Pizza
What could be better than making the guests do all the hard work? Buy a bunch of mini pizza bases and toppings and let your guests go to town. You can even use English muffins for a less pricey stand-in pizza base. Your guests will love getting to choose what they eat and the novelty of making their own pizza, and it might be a conversation starter between party guests.
Bruschetta
Another snack that is cheap and simple yet seems fancy enough for almost any event. All you need is bread, tomatoes, basil, olive oil, garlic, and maybe some balsamic and onion. You probably have half of these things in your kitchen right now!
Chocolate Fountain
Guests of all ages will squeal with glee over a chocolate fountain. Who wouldn’t? Chocolate fountains are relatively inexpensive and they can be enjoyed with fruit, marshmallows, biscuits, or straight out of the spout once your guests have had a few drinks.
Fairy Bread
Fairy bread is one of the most basic snacks you can make, but your guests, with their rose-coloured glasses of nostalgia and sentimentality, will act as though you are the next Julia Child when you whip out a platter of bread and sprinkles.
Customisable loaded fries
Potatoes truly are the little black dress of food. Almost everyone loves fries. Provide a bunch of toppings- cheese, bacon, condiments, anything- and let them go to town.
Skewers
Skewers are another one of those things that can be customised depending on your event. If you’re having a few beers in the backyard you can shove some sausages and mushrooms on your stick and roast them over the fire. If you’re holding an Instagrammable event you can fancy them up into antipasto skewers. If you’re holding a children’s party you can skewer some fruits and marshmallows. All you need is a packet of skewers and a creative vision. Oh, and some things to put on your skewers. Unfortunately, you cannot serve guests on your creative vision alone.
It doesn’t matter if you serve greasy fried food or the fanciest vegetable platter, you can be the host with the most as long as your guests are fed and satisfied.
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