First birthday for 20 guests
A buffet-style first birthday for 20: 6 dishes, about 939 g of food a guest (41.5 lb in all), 29 lines on the shopping list and around 82 drinks. 11% of the cooking can happen before the day.
- Dishes
- 6
- Food
- 41.5 lb
- Drinks
- 82
- Shopping lines
- 29
Sized by the planning engine
The menu, amounts and kitchen check
- · A first birthday is planned without alcohol. Change it if the adults are drinking.
- · We set food for 11:30 AM — change it if your timing is different.
Menu for 20
To start
- Pickle and ferment tray1.5 batches · 30 servingson the day
Mains
- Jollof rice2.5 batches · 25 servingson the day
Sides
- Canoe-country couscous with apricots and pistachios4 batches · 16 servingson the day
- Cold green salad, sharp dressing2 batches · 16 servingson the day
Bread
- Cornbread3.5 batches · 28 servingson the day
Dessert
- Macerated fruit & citrus2.5 batches · 25 servingson the day
About 939 g of food a guest. 11% of the cooking can be done before the day.
Shopping highlights
- Citrus8 ea
- Citrus for garnish7 ea
- Herb for garnish — mint or rosemary2 bunch
- Lemon8 ea
- Red bell pepper3 ea
- Salad leaves2 lb
- Scotch bonnet2 ea
- Seasonal fruit10 lb
- Tomato9 lb
- Buttermilk3.8 cup
10 of 29 lines. The full list comes with the plan.
Kitchen check
SERVING STATIONS — What runs out first
Cookout without declared grill
Cookout without declared grill. Confirm the grill, or change occasion shape to buffet dinner.
Checked against a starting kitchen of 1 oven and 4 burners — not yours yet. Seats are not counted here: the planner asks for your real number rather than guessing it.
Drinks and cost
- Drinks, all kinds
- 82
- Ice
- 28 lb
- Food, estimated
- $422
About $21 a guest — a planning estimate from typical supermarket costs, not a price.
Countdown
The first birthday timeline, condensed
4 weeks before
- · Send the date, the start time, and a question about what people do not eat.
- · Soft, mild food for the children and a real plate for the adults.
2 weeks before
- · Order the things that sell out. Leave the greens for the week of.
- · Decide the table before you buy anything for it.
1 week before
- · Cook whatever is better the next day. Leave the last fry for the day.
- · Count the zero-proof and the water with the rest of the drinks.
Day before
- · Clear the surfaces you will actually serve from.
- · Label what is already done so a helper does not redo it.
Day of
- · Finish only what cannot wait. Put the rest out before people arrive.
- · Keep one person out of the kitchen once guests are in the room.
Day after
- · Cool leftovers in shallow containers. Note what actually ran out.
- · Eat the food that keeps. Throw out the food that does not.
Other sizes
First birthday for more or fewer
Questions hosts ask
How much food for a first birthday for 20?
About 41.5 lb of finished food, or 939 g a guest across 6 dishes, with jollof rice as the main. The amounts are sized by the planning engine and include a small margin.
Should a first birthday for 20 be a buffet or a sit-down meal?
It usually runs buffet-style: guests help themselves, so not everyone needs a chair at once. Still count the seats you have; the planner never assumes them.
How many drinks for a first birthday for 20?
About 82 drinks across the party, including alcohol-free ones, and 28 lb of ice.
How far ahead should I start planning?
Start 4 weeks before: send the date, the start time, and a question about what people do not eat, and soft, mild food for the children and a real plate for the adults.
What does a first birthday for 20 cost?
The food in this plan comes to roughly $422, about $21 a guest. That is a planning estimate from typical US supermarket costs, not a price for your shop.
The whole night
Plan my first birthday for 20
Tell us about your kitchen, your seats and anyone's food needs, and the menu, shopping list and timeline redraw around them.