A stress-free celebration meal: how much to cook, what to make ahead and how to get it all done
How many starters, salads, mains and drinks you need per guest, how to balance the menu, a prep plan from a week out to an hour before guests arrive, how to share one oven between dishes and which dishes can be made ahead. Plus safety: how long salads can sit on the table.
How much food per guest
The host's great fear is running out of food. The result is usually twice as much as needed, and half gets left over. Guidelines per adult for a 3–4 hour meal:
- Canapés and finger food: 5–7 pieces if a main course follows; 12–15 for a buffet with no main.
- Salads: 150–200 g per person in total. With three salads, 60–70 g of each per guest.
- Platters (cheese, cured meats, vegetables): 50–80 g cheese and meat, 100–150 g vegetables.
- Main course: 200–250 g cooked boneless meat or fish (that's 300–350 g raw on the bone).
- Side: 150–200 g.
- Bread: 2–3 slices.
- Dessert: 1 slice of cake or 100–150 g, plus fruit.
- Soft drinks: about 1 litre per person, 1.5 litres in summer.
A balanced menu
A common mistake is five mayonnaise salads, three meat platters and a heavy main. Guests fill up on starters and the main goes untouched. Better fewer dishes, but different ones.
- Starters: 2–3 kinds — one light (vegetables with dip, bruschetta), one filling.
- Salads: 2–3, including at least one fresh salad without mayonnaise and one festive classic.
- Main: one centrepiece, or two for a large group (meat and fish or poultry).
- Side: one, simple — roast potatoes, rice or vegetables.
- Dessert: one star plus fruit.
What you can make ahead
The secret of a calm celebration is to leave only assembling, dressing and reheating for the day itself. Many dishes even improve for being made ahead.
- 1–3 months ahead, frozen: dumplings, patties, dough, cake layers, stock.
- 2–3 days ahead: sauces and dressings, pickled vegetables, shortcrust pastry, cake layers.
- 1–2 days ahead: a soaked and frosted cake (it gets better), tiramisu, cheesecake, meat jelly, pâté, meat marinade, roast meat for slicing.
- The day before: boil vegetables and eggs for salads, chop ingredients (undressed), prepare platters and cover with cling film, make dessert, wash and dry herbs.
- On the day: dress salads, assemble starters, roast the main, lay the table.
A day-by-day prep plan
- A week ahead: write the menu and guest list, check crockery, tablecloth and chairs. Split the shopping list into long-life and fresh.
- 4–5 days ahead: buy everything that keeps — dry goods, drinks, tins, frozen food.
- 2 days ahead: buy meat, fish, dairy and vegetables. Marinate the meat if needed. Make dessert if it's a cake.
- The day before: boil and chop everything for salads, make sauces, platters, tiramisu or cheesecake. Write a timed plan for tomorrow.
- In the morning: lay the table and set out serving dishes, dress salads that need to soak in (layered salads — 2–4 hours ahead).
- 2–3 hours before guests: put the main in the oven, assemble starters, chill drinks.
- 30–60 minutes before: dress leafy salads, set out starters, get changed.
One oven, several dishes
Most homes have one oven, yet you want to roast meat, potatoes and something else. Plan dishes that cook at the same temperature — 180–200 °C — and put them on different shelves.
A large joint needs to rest for 15–30 minutes under foil after the oven. That frees the oven for the side or hot starters. The meat won't go cold in that time.
Use everything else too: the hob, a slow cooker, the microwave, an air fryer. Mash can stay hot in a slow cooker on keep-warm, and sauce in a pan on the lowest heat.
Salads: when to dress them
Layered salads where mayonnaise soaks through (mimosa, herring under a fur coat) are dressed 2–4 hours before serving and kept in the fridge — they need time. Olivier and other mixed salads are best dressed 1–2 hours ahead: dressed the night before, the vegetables release juice and the salad turns watery.
Leafy salads with dressing — only just before serving, or the leaves wilt within 10 minutes. Serve the dressing separately in a jug if you're not sure when everyone will sit down.
Food safety at the table
The riskiest time for food is sitting on the table at room temperature. Bacteria multiply fastest between 5 and 60 °C.
- Salads with mayonnaise, sour cream, egg, meat or fish — no more than 2 hours at room temperature. In summer or a hot room, 1 hour.
- Don't put everything out at once — serve in batches and keep the rest in the fridge.
- Don't top up a bowl that's been on the table with fresh salad.
- Put leftovers in the fridge within 2 hours of serving.
- Dressed mayonnaise salads keep 12–24 hours in the fridge; undressed chopped ingredients up to 2 days.
- Keep hot food hot (above 60 °C), or cool it and refrigerate.
Scaling a recipe for a crowd
Salads, starters, mains and soups scale simply — multiply every ingredient. But there are a few catches.
- Don't scale salt and spices fully — go to 75–80%, then taste and adjust.
- Roasting time depends on thickness, not weight: two 1.5 kg chickens take as long as one. One 3 kg chicken takes noticeably longer.
- Don't double a cake in one tin: bake two — the centre of a big cake may not cook through.
- Don't overcrowd trays and pans: you'll stew instead of fry. Better to cook in two batches.
The table, serving and the host
Lay the table in advance, the night before or in the morning: tablecloth, plates, cutlery, glasses, napkins. Use serving dishes of one shape or colour — the table looks put together even with simple food.
Arrange dishes so everyone can reach them: two identical salad bowls at either end beat one big bowl in the middle. Put serving utensils in every dish.
Most importantly, leave time for yourself. A party where the host spends the whole evening in the kitchen does nobody any good. Better one dish fewer and you at the table with your guests.
Questions and answers
How do I cater for a buffet?＋
A buffet is starters only, so you need more of them: 12–15 pieces per person for 2–3 hours. Plus 1–2 salads in cups or tartlets and 2–3 mini desserts per guest.
What do I do with leftovers?＋
Meat goes into sandwiches, salads and pancake fillings. Undressed salad ingredients make a new salad. Cold cuts and cheese go into an omelette or pizza. Cake keeps 2–3 days and can be frozen in slices.
How do I keep the main warm if guests are late?＋
Take the meat out slightly before it's done and cover with foil and a towel — it finishes cooking and stays warm for 30–40 minutes. Or leave it in the switched-off oven with the door ajar.
How much alcohol do I need?＋
As a guide, half a bottle of wine or 150–200 ml of spirits per adult over an evening. Sparkling wine for a toast: 1 bottle for 6–8 people.
Can I freeze finished salads?＋
No: vegetables and mayonnaise turn watery and separate once thawed. Only freeze individual ingredients — boiled meat, carrots.
Try it in practice
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