Making Party Food
FUN and EASY

"I can't even bake a cake so
thanks for all your party food advice!"

Food is usually a lower priority for the kids than playing games, friends getting together and simply having fun. Teenagers are an exception, as teenage boys especially seem to have a voracious appetite so make PLENTY of it.

Remember a lot of kids are fussy eaters, even if your child is not, so err on the side of caution. Concentrate on child friendly and fun party foods. Let your standards slips for once, but do bear in mind that too much sugary foods and drinks can cause very hyperactive children.

* Planning the party food
* The cake
* Savoury Food ideas
* Sweet Food Ideas
* Kid Drink Ideas

* Plan ahead.
The time of day for the party will influence the type of food that you may want to provide. If you are going for mid morning or mid afternoon, snacks will be fine. Think about how much you and the kids would normally eat around that time of day. Plan how many kids are coming and allow 3–4 different savoury plus 2-3 sweet party food choices as well as the cake. Don't forget that some kids have ALLERGIES especially to nuts, but in general their parents should inform you of this before hand.

Prepare as much party food as you can in advance. Make use of your freezer if you have one, as you really won’t want to be doing much cooking on the day. Leave yourself time to be having fun with the kids.

* What party food should you have?
Discuss with your child what party food she/he would like and allow treats to make the day feel special. If you are having a theme party this may well dictate the sort of food that you might choose. Finger foods, especially for the under 7's, are much more child friendly and practical than a child balancing a plate of food on their laps. Younger kids are also likely to eat more if they can come and go to the food table.

* Allow 2-3 drinks per child
Plan drinks according to the weather and how boisterous the activities are. Make sure that disposable cups aren't too flimsy, as with little kids paper cups tend to get a bit soggy round the lip and thin plastic ones tend to get crushed by little hands. The same applies to paper plates. I always write names on each cup and plate (or stick pictures on) to save mixing them up as the kids always forget which one is theirs. Party food boxes are a great and fun alternative and are much easier for the younger kids to use.

* To bake or not to bake.
Ask yourself how much time you have, how good are your cooking skills and what is your budget. I tend to do a mixture of both shop bought and homemade party food. I must admit that shop bought party food often works out cheaper if you buy the shops own brand and in bulk and obviously saves a huge amount of time and energy. Buy foodstuffs that have a long shelf life or are freezable so then there is less wastage. Or you could do a mix such as buying a packet biscuit/cake mix and decorating the goodies yourself. Your child will love to help I'm sure!

Some of the supermarkets produce excellent packet mixes which just need water, eggs and oil. Consider ready made pizza bases and have fun with your kid(s) going wild with your own toppings.

* Where you are going to set up the party food table
Where do you want the kids to eat?. Remember, if it's a buffet the guests will need somewhere to sit. We often lay down a big mat which all the kids sit on and have a sort of indoor picnic if it's too wet/cold to be outdoors.

* Will some of the parents be staying for the party?
I don't usually cater specially for the adults but if you have the time it's nice sometimes to prepare one party food item that is more adult appropriate although adults still like crisps and popcorn!

* The end of the party
At the end of the party you won't feel like cooking for the family so make sure that you have something ready cooked in the freezer.

The all important CAKE

I love making cakes but oh boy did I used to get stressed about it when it was for a party. We have loads of cake decorating books at home and my kids plan all year the cake design that they want for their next birthday. I then spend hours trying to reproduce it and invariably it only vaguely resembles the design in the book.

I have to say though, my kids are always thrilled to have a homemade birthday cake.

Kids are much more forgiving than adults and will not notice the flaws and the fact that the writing is all wobbly and the intricate Nemo design that you spent hours working on is all out of proportion or that the cake is lopsided.

So if you feel up to making your own cake – Go for it! and I guarantee that your kids will just love it.

Easy kid party cake recipes

Sometimes the simplest designs are the best. My kids favourite cake when they were younger was just a simple chocolate iced sponge, covered in smarties. Usually the smarties got eaten and not the sponge but if you haven't spent hours on baking it, who cares. You could even buy a packet sponge and decorate it at home to save on time. One tip is to be wary of food colouring. Some of them can really stain mouths and fingers not to mention the hyperactivity that they can cause in some kids.

Make a kid party cake

PS Don't forget the candles. Print of this party checklist.

Some party foods are just obviously more popular with the kids than others.

These staple kids party foods may seem boring to you but they never fail to please.

Remember to make the food look fun. Dress up the serving dishes with small plastic characters, make sandwiches or biscuits into shapes such as stars and hearts. Give hot dogs eyes and a mouth with tomato ketchup. Use your imagination....

Once past the age of 10, kids party food tastes get a bit more sophisticated and they might not be so keen on too many sweet things or all the bright food decorations. So adapt any of the following to your child's age and preferences.

Savoury Party Food

• Raw Carrot/cucumber fingers with mayonnaise dip
• Cheese straws
• Finger sandwiches(cut off crusts): Peanut butter, marmite, savoury spreads with no bits or lumps
• French fries or fried potato wedges
• Pizza slices or mini pizzas cut with a pastry round. Stick to plain tomato and cheese and use tomato paste (if homemade) rather than slices of tomato which invariably get pulled out by the kids. Same applies with too many sliced vegetables.
• Chicken wings or ribs
• Mini chicken dippers
• Sausages on sticks
• Pita bread with dips
• Mini cheese scones
• Salty popcorn
• Mini hot dogs or hamburgers. Younger kids generally prefer the soft rolls.
• Samsosas
• Green stoned olives – my kids just love these.

Savoury birthday party recipes

Sweet Party Food

• Chocolate Rice Crispie cakes dotted with smarties
• Ginger bread men with the children's initial on
• Meringues – add a bit of colouring to one half of the mixture so you can have different coloured meringues or drizzle with melted chocolate – very yummy!
• Cup cakes – add lots of coloured sprinkles or chocolate vermicelli. The kids just love these.
• Sugary coloured popcorn
• Marshmallow on sticks
• Shortbread rounds (bought or homemade) decorated with a little icing
• Seedless grapes, strawberries, raisins. Leave as they are or make mini fruit kebabs
• Ice-cream. Cones are much easier than bowls or ice lollies on sticks. Decorate with sprinkles or a dribble of chocolate sauce. If you have time you could drizzle a little melted chocolate in the bottom of the cone and allow it to harden. This stops dripping cones. Have plenty of napkins available anyway!
• Ice popcicles
• Mini fromage frais for those who don't like ice-cream

Party Drinks

Some families ban fizzy drinks because it makes their child hyperactive. Bear this in mind and make sure you offer a selection of different drinks. I have tried not offering fizzy drinks at all and the kids were quite happy. The following always go down well in our household. Make the drinks look exciting with bendy straws, paper umbrellas or coloured ice cubes.

• Fruit juices: apple, orange, grape – make sure there are no bits
• Homemade lemon juice
• Iced lemon tea
• Milk shakes
• Ice-cream sodas
• Fruit cocktails for older children
• Something for the adults? Depending on the time of day a glass of wine might go down well or even a cocktail!

Did you know.......".HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU" is the most well known song in the English speaking world and perhaps in the whole world too. Its origins began with a Kindergarten schoolteacher from Kentucky called Mildred J. Hill. In 1893 Mildred composed a melody and her sister Patty Smith Hill who was the school principal added some simple lyrics to form the song "Good Morning to All". It was to be a simple greeting song for teachers to use in welcoming students to the class each morning. The catchy little tune soon became popular and was then published in a songbook 'Song Stories for the Kindergarten'. No one is sure who changed the words to what we sing today as "Happy Birthday" but they first appeared in a songbook in 1924 and since then it has been sung at millions of birthday celebrations throughout the world, including up in space.