5 key questions when you're planning kids' party food
1. The time of the party?
If you've been generous enough to have scheduled your party to spread over or run into anything approaching lunchtime or teatime, then you'll need to put on a decent spread. If you've cannily timed your party for the early morning or early afternoon, however, you can probably get away with drinks and a few snacks – but do make sure the kids' parents know what you're planning.
2. The age of the kids?
The official ratio of healthy party food to sugary junk food changes exponentially with each year of age. So, while a birthday tea for babies or toddlers should include several nods to the existence of vegetables, there's absolutely no point whipping up anything too worthy if your party guests are over the age of five...
3. The number of children coming?
Generally speaking, the more children you invite, the less complicated your birthday tea needs to be. Burger and chips for five is do-able; burger and chips for 25, is absolutely not. A rough rule of thumb oft-quoted on Mumsnet is to invite the same number of children as candles on the cake. (Of course, if there are 30 kids in the class this can be wishful thinking).
4. The party venue?
If you're having the party at home, you may be able to sit everyone at a table - meaning you can serve the food on plates and get everyone to pass things round in a civilised way. But, if space is limited, you may have to spread a tablecloth on the floor and produce a birthday 'picnic', in which case dividing the food up into individual food boxes can save on mess and washing-up, and ensure nobody hogs more than their fair share of Twiglets.
If you're having the party away from home (in the park, for example, or at a hired venue), food boxes or pizza delivery boxes really are the way to go. Unless, of course, the venue comes with party food as part of the deal, in which case you can gratefully abdicate responsibility for everything except, of course, the birthday cake.
