3rd birthday party!

Decisions, decisions … what to include on a 3^rd birthday party menu for 14 - eight adults and six children?  Of whom one is both dairy and egg allergic, one is a vegan and all six of the children can be, er, fussy.  

I need to get the right balance of healthy/nutritious (to appeal to me), junk (to appeal to the children), treats (to appeal to the birthday boys) and allergy friendly (to prevent an unwelcome trip to A&E), quick (don’t want to waste precious birthday morning in the kitchen), with the appearance of having made an effort (don’t want valued guests to think I’ve not gone to a little trouble). 

Well, not too much of a difficult decision in the end …

Sausages of course – cooked on the grill

Burgers – cooked on the BBQ

Vegan sausages and burgers – cooked in the oven

Jersey royals with home grown chives

Corn on the cob

A bowl of lettuce, tomatoes and home grown spring onions, plus a veggie plate of sticks of carrots, cucumber, peppers

Bread rolls

Ketchup, vegan mayo, mustard, tomato relish

Followed by …

Vegan chocolate cake, one for each birthday boy, covered in chocolate butter cream (well, ‘margarine cream’) icing, vegan smarties (aka ‘whizzers chocolate beans’ … the last of a stash – are these not being made any more?), and oodles of sprinkles with three candles each. 

Plus, vegan ice cream, dairy ice cream and

Strawberries