BS: Catering Quantities

Subject: BS: CATERING QUANTITIES
From: Mo the caller
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 08:01 AM

I'm making sandwiches for a party, and want to buy spreadable butter, instead of the blocks I usually use.
How much do I need / loaf (a UK thin sliced loaf has about 20 slices I think0

Subject: RE: BS: CATERING QUANTITIES
From: Sorcha
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 08:40 AM

Both slices of bread or just one? How many loaves of bread? Or, better, how many buttered sandwiches total?

Subject: RE: BS: CATERING QUANTITIES
From: Mo the caller
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 11:02 AM

Both slices. 2 or 3 loaves (but I asked 'how much / loaf). So that would be 40 or 60 slices of bread.

Subject: RE: BS: CATERING QUANTITIES
From: Bee
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 11:35 AM

It takes me and husband about three weeks, or about twelve loaves of bread and whatever else might need buttering, such as vegetables, to get through a 907 gram/2 pound container of spreadable margarine, if that's any help.

Subject: RE: BS: CATERING QUANTITIES
From: Rapparee
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 11:36 AM

Buy a lot of it and freeze what you don't use. That's what we do.

Subject: RE: BS: Catering Quantities
From: Mo the caller
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 01:00 PM

yesbut. I only use hard butter on bread and cheapo marg for cooking, so don't want any left.
Bee it sounds as if 1 small tub should do it then. Thanks.

Subject: RE: BS: Catering Quantities
From: Sorcha
Date: 12 Apr 08 - 11:09 PM

Figure 1 oz/1 Tbsp (US) per slice...perhaps just a bit more. Depends on how thinly you spread it. One pound should do one loaf of bread, more or less. Buy one and if you need more then go buy more.

Subject: RE: BS: Catering Quantities
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 13 Apr 08 - 03:38 AM

During my several years in catering, I developed a method for buttering sandwiches.

I use ordinary butter, but I leave it out of the fridge, somewhere warm so that it's in that state of squishiness akin to custard, but not so melted that it goes clear and runny. I find it spreads easily and goes twice as far. The whole point of a sandwich is to taste the filling, not the spread so little is best.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Catering Quantities
From: Rowan
Date: 13 Apr 08 - 08:05 PM

I echo Liz' comments about making butter spreadable. I suspect UK loaves are not too different from Oz ones; a standard loaf has 24 'thin' (read 'ordinary') slices or 18 'thick' or 'toast' slices. The number of slices was the only novel (to me) info I picked up at an in-service, for teachers running school camps, in the mid 70s. I already knew of the "Recipes for 50" published by the then Commonwealth Dept of National Service and later the Aust Govt Publishing Service; it had the only recipe for corned beef that equalled my mother's.

Cheers, Rowan

Subject: RE: BS: Catering Quantities
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 13 Apr 08 - 09:20 PM

I've been thinking (always a dangerous sport!) that you're hold a prty and expect enough people to turn up to eat a full loaf of bread's worth of sandwiches...

Subject: RE: BS: Catering Quantities
From: Mo the caller
Date: 21 Apr 08 - 04:52 AM

Yes we held our 175th (me, him and us), at the weekend.
I didn't take much food, barely enough for a tiny sandwich and a biscuit each, but the guests had been told not to bring presents, so they all brought loads of food instead.
We invited the members of 3 dance clubs I go to now, various bands I call for, musicians I play in sessions with, people from dance clubs we used to go to.
My sister reckoned she handed out 170 paper plates, but I can't believe that there were that many there. The dance floor was full though.
We had that excellent band Alberio and Rhodri Davies calling a good programme of dances (some hard enough to keep us all on our toes, but he managed to put most of them within the grasp of all)

We wanted a quiet, no-fuss wedding, so after 40 years I've had my Big Day.

Subject: RE: BS: Catering Quantities
From: theleveller
Date: 21 Apr 08 - 06:35 AM

Here's radical thought - use your usual block butter, warm it first to soften it and there you go - no waste

Subject: RE: BS: Catering Quantities
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 21 Apr 08 - 08:54 AM

You evil devil, you didn't tell us WHAT the party was for.... :-(

Subject: RE: BS: Catering Quantities
From: Mo the caller
Date: 21 Apr 08 - 09:39 AM

Our 175th year, as I said. Or did you want advanced notice so you could all come? Sorry if I left anyone out.

Subject: RE: BS: Catering Quantities
From: Rowan
Date: 21 Apr 08 - 05:56 PM

Congrats, Mo et al. Glad you had fun with it.

Cheers, Rowan