HERE'S a few thoughts on how to cope with feeding a number of festive

revellers.

It is the thought of having to provide rather more special types of

dishes, and in greater quantities, that makes people feel

panic-stricken, I find.

If there are to be more people than can comfortably sit around your

table, it is much better to have a buffet party.

This has the added bonus of your guests being able to move around, sit

and talk to different guests with each course, and generally mix better.

There are one or two things to bear in mind, though, with buffet

entertaining. One is to have plenty of places for people to sit. Piles

of cushions on the floor or even the stairs will suffice when chairs run

out.

A vital point to remember when planning a buffet party is to have food

which is easy to eat with just a fork.

It is virtually impossible to balance a plate and glass, and try to

cut up food at the same time!

Attractive

You can have any type of meat or poultry based main course, providing

that you slice the meat in strips.

As long as everything on the plate is bite-sized you can't go wrong.

It matters that all food should look attractive, but I think it

matters more if it is to be arranged as a buffet.

One tip is to have the food on serving plates or ashets which are big

enough so that when your guests help themselves they don't spill the

food.

If you haven't got many large serving plates you can always cover a

tray in foil and use that as a platter.

If you want to cover up the serving table and you have no tablecloths

suitably coloured, try a white sheet, and have red candles and good

quality red paper table napkins.

If you want to cut down on the washing-up by having paper plates, my

advice is to have them for the pudding course.

When it comes to planning the actual food, bear in mind that people do

eat less from a buffet than they do when sitting drown around a table.

Save yourself the effort of extra plates and forks by not having a

first course, but having two or three types of ''eats'.'

Chipolata sausages are always popular, with a mustard dip. Or deep

fried mushrooms, with a garlicy mayonnaise dip. You can make a smoked

salmon and dill pate type of spread and make rolls of this by cutting

the crusts off sliced brown bread, then rolling each slice with a

rolling pin.

Spread with the pate and roll the slice up. Cut each slice in half, to

give you rolls about 1[1/2]ins long. By rolling the bread it prevents it

from splitting as you roll it up, and you can fill it with any sort of

smooth spread.

Plan food which can be made in advance and frozen, if necessary,

whatever is convenient to your way of life. Plan food which you feel

comfortable about making, don't go all out to impress your guests with a

new recipe. It is surprising just how much food can be prepared ahead of

time, right down to washing salad and storing it, in polythene bags.

Favourite

If you keep a a piece of kitchen paper in the bag with the lettuce it

helps prevent any discolouration of the torn bits of lettuce. You can do

this two days before your party.

Here is my favourite rich chocolate cake pudding.

Use very good chocolate for the best results. It freezes well, and all

you need is a fruity alternative, perhaps a mousse, or chopped fruits in

a honey and lemon sauce.