Quantities

Congratulations and wishes for much joy! As a happily-25-years-married person, I must say that I highly recommend it.

I found the Ellen's Kitchen website a few years ago,when I needed to make a meal for 35, and it's been helpful in more than one quantity-cooking situation since. Here's the link http://www.ellenskitchen.com/bigpots/index.html

And here's the more direct link to the roast beef page http://www.ellenskitchen.com/faq/roastbeeftable.html

where she explains about various cuts and quantity per person.

Edited by: Midwesterner to add the beef page link

Hi - thank you!

I'll report back!

*bellart1.... Congrats and good luck with everything.
Just take into account - there's nearly always food left over.
Think how much 'You' would actually eat - and guide yourself round that.
I did the catering at our wedding - and we did it very cheap.
The spread looked really good, cost us little - and there was ample. Very tasty too.

Thanks batty!

You're right, if I remember back to every party I did for my children, there was always loads left, so I'll follow your advice! I guess that as it's not sit down, people won't eat as much as they would otherwise.

We were shocked BTW at how much caterers charge! And well done you for doing it yourself.

Take a look at this Google Search quantity serve 50

Almost all the hits are US sites. When I tried to restrict it to UK sites, I got almost nothing.

What I'd do is trot over to the nearest library. They should have a cookbook section that includes books about large quantity cooking. You just have to pick & choose--you probably don't want one about how to prepare meals for the local penitentiary.

They may also have how-to books for caterers, that will have sections on estimating quantity. These might not be with the cookbooks.

You can also find books on doing your own wedding, that may have stuff about preparing your own food. I must have read every one of them when I did my own wedding--which to my shock I realize will be 5 years ago,come August. We didn't do our own food, however, so I can't help there.

*bellart1....

Totally agree about the outside caterers. Such inflated prices for not such big quantities.
Plus - the food's never as nice as home-made.

I'd have catered.

good luck bellart :-)

Thanks for your input, all of you!

Sneaker, I'd rather have catered but as my soon to be husband said, if we do it ourselves, we have more money for the 'honeymoon'..... Our 5 grown up kids will be here and all are willing to help! Fingers crossed.

actually if you can recruit helpers it makes sense :-) especially if helpers can bring skills with them (cutting skills, following instruction skills, making sushi skills etc.

ps I find fresh spring rolls popular. I generally choose vegetarian but prawns would be good and chicken too.