1970s theme buffet ideas please | Mumsnet (2024)

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1970s theme buffet ideas please | Mumsnet? ›

For a buffet you'd need devilled eggs, cheese and silver skin onion / pineapple hedgehog, twiglets, Black Forest gateaux for pud, mushroom and/or prawn vol-au-vents and if you're posh you need a poached salmon deforested with cucumber 'scales'.

Quiche, vol-au-vents, chicken wings… Part of a sketch from the famous comedian Peter Kay, pair this list with other 70s recipes such as blancmange and cheese and pineapple sticks, and this line-up of pick and mix buffet food is no longer just a part of a joke.

For example, as a start, you could consider a bbq something that comes with so many options and tastes that your guests will surely come to find something just what they hoped for. Fries, onion rings, veggie skewers, burgers, lamb chops, selected skewers are all possible alternatives for any bbq.

Traditional Buffet

This classic style features a spread of various dishes on long tables. Customers serve themselves by moving along the table and selecting the items they want. It offers a wide variety of options and allows guests to choose their portion sizes.

Go with some beaded curtains, green shag rugs, lava lamps, and tapestries if you want to do the rock-and-roll basem*nt theme. Don't skimp on the decorations, though—hang disco balls, beads, and tie-dyed everything. Set a fun, vibrant atmosphere with '70s party supplies, and the party will be a success.

The 70s were definitely a colorful decade, so feel free to have fun with your party decorations. Make sure everyone knows it's a disco dance party! Include a disco ball and dancing queen balloon decor, plus a tie-dye lava lamp or two.

1978: Croissants

In the '70s, "Americans went wild for flaky, buttery croissants," Lovegren writes in Fashionable Food, and they would either buy them from croissant shops or make them at home using refrigerated Pillsbury Crescent dough.

The first food items on your buffet should be green salads or cold salads, says Smith. "If you are not serving a salad or if you have room-temperature items, like grilled vegetables or fruit platters, these will go next, towards the front," she says.

How do you make a classy buffet? ›

Make sure to elevate the less messy dishes as you don't want sauces to spill on your tablecloth. Some people stack books under the tablecloth to create elevation; however, I prefer to vary the heights on top of the tablecloth using beautiful serving trays or eclectic items.

A finger buffet meal consists of food which may be picked up with the fingers (finger food), such as small (finger) sandwiches, canapés and vol-au-vents.

Guests appreciate it when there is a mix of traditional and more healthy buffet foods on offer. For example, favourites such as chicken wings and scotch eggs, alongside salads and vegetable kebabs. Platters of fruit as well as cakes; waters as well as juices.

An Average Classic Buffet will typically consist of dinner rolls, a salad, 2-3 sides, and 1-2 entree options, but everything is ultimately personalized to your preference.

The all-you-can-eat restaurant was introduced in Las Vegas by Herbert "Herb" Cobb McDonald in 1946. The buffet was advertised in flyers for only one dollar, and a patron could eat, "every possible variety of hot and cold entrees to appease the howling coyote in your innards".

Of course, no retro co*cktail hour menu would be complete without some old-school appetizers like a cheese ball, fondue, and deviled eggs. Those beet dyed eggs were even topped with some fried Spam because meat in a can was all the rage. Canned fish was a staple in the 60s too.

Early Renaissance buffets resemble medieval cupboards and were supported on bases. The entire piece was usually decorated with columns, medallions, and arabesques. Sideboards store linens, silver, wine, and other dining accessories, and provide a display surface for food before it is brought to the table.