Brunch Buffet

A buffet is an excellent way to cater for a brunch or light lunch party. Serving a wide selection of foods means that all tastes can be catered for - and omnivore guests who don't enjoy a meal with no meat or dairy can bring their own deli slices or cheeses. At my house we like to serve this on a Sunday, starting at around 11am and going on until around 4pm. People can turn up and join in whenever they like, and for those staying the whole time, you've essentially catered two meals in one - brunch and afternoon tea.

Begin by making sure that surfaces are clean and clear, then arrange foods in groups of similar items, providing suitable utensils with each group. Take a little time to arrange things attractively. Once everything is set out, all you need to do is sit back and enjoy!

• Breads: a wide range of breads is essential. Provide breadboards (at least one), breadknives (at least two) and plates. It's best to stick to savoury or plain breads, since with a buffet it's easy for someone to get mixed up and start putting hummous on a cinnamon bagel, for example. Good choices include:
  • Bagels: plain, onion or sesame
  • Dark rye bread
  • Pumpernickel
  • Ciabatta
  • Three-seed Bread
  • Onion Bread
  • Sourdough
  • A good, dense wholemeal, perhaps spelt
  • Practically anything home-made
• Toppings: put home-made spreads into attractive bowls and garnish appropriately. Provide spreading knives and serving spoons. Try:
  • Guacamole
  • Pinto Bean Spread
  • Hummous
  • Butter Bean Dip with Basil
  • Mushroom Pate
  • Peanut and Lemon Dip
  • Vegan cream cheese (Kallo FromSoya is especially good)
  • Fresh, ripe tomatoes (present these on a small chopping board with a serrated knife for people to slice their own)
• Cereals and Fruits: provide bowls, spoons, soya milk, soya yogurt and brown sugar for topping.
  • Fresh strawberries, raspberries, or other berries, washed and arranged in a bowl
  • Semi-dried figs dusted with icing sugar
  • Ripe bananas (present these on a small chopping board with a knife for people who only want a few slices. Have a bin or bowl handy for disposing of skins)
  • Mix-and-match muesi: offer rolled oats, chopped nuts, wheatgerm, seeds and dried fruits in separate bowls, so people can assemble their favourites rather than being tied to a particular recipe
• Hot and Cold Drinks: set these out together, at the end of the buffet. This is best done near a kettle (at least one) and a source of water for it. Provide mugs, glasses, teaspoons, sugar and soya milk. Set out cafetieres (at least one) or get the filter coffee machine going. Provide both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee, or choose one of the "half-caff" coffees available now. A selection of teas is also a good touch, including herbal or fruit teas. Orange and apple juices are both nice, served chilled (don't put out too much juice at once; reserve some in a fridge to keep cool).

Kake's (Vegan) Cookery Site - http://www.earth.li/~kake/cookery/
This page added 9 Apr 2001 - comments and questions to Kake L Pugh (kake@earth.li).