18/05/2026
You’re having a party and you want to save money where you can, so you’re considering doing the food yourself... how hard can it be?! Not THAT hard, providing you have the time...
A rough breakdown of the time needed for a typical buffet:
Planning (1 hour)
Shopping (1.5 hours)
Cooking (sometimes up to 8 hours)
Prep on the day (2 hours)
Laying it out (up to 1.5 hours)
Clearing away (at least 1.5 hours)
= 15.5 hours / almost 2 days!
Also, think about the fridge space needed...
If you don't have time or fridge space, make sure you ask for help!
- Get guests to each bring a dish (ask them what they’re bringing, so you don’t just have a whole table of crisps and dips!)
- Ask a few people if they’d mind coming early to help on the day.
- Write out a list of jobs that need doing and make sure your helpers can see it so they can crack on without asking you.
If you don’t have the time, the help, or the fridge space, get in touch and I'd be happy to help 😊