What can I bring to the potluck?
Potluck. I looked up what a more appropriate British word is for something that sounds fairly American, and all I could find is “Brits don’t do potlucks”. Now that’s definitely not true - but I think it’s time we have a word for it!
What can I bring to the potluck, Nana?
…That’s the sentence that always comes up in my head when I hear that word. Stand up comedian Taylor Tomlinson’s amazing bit about how useless we all are in our twenties, and her grandmother responding with “Napkins. Can you handle that? Dry ones this time.”
Actually, us dreaded millennials are great at bringing food to parties! We love saving money, sharing our skills and sharing the love. And potlucks, food parties, sharing parties… Whatever you want to call them, are very popular, especially in the summer when we can all meet somewhere outside - and for barbecues and other similar gatherings.
But what do you bring? It can be stressful to have to make something the same day - you’d like for it to cool down before you pack it in your Zoë&Mii boxes so it doesn’t get soggy, or you simply don’t have time before you travel to your friends place. But then what do you make the day before, that doesn’t get soggy in the fridge, or stale, or dry??
This is the perfect time to make friends with food that needs some time in the fridge. Lord knows I’ve found many exciting recipes but been disappointed when I realised it needed to marinade or soak overnight. Well, now - make that your friend! Try to keep a list of food that you often want to make but that should ideally be left in the fridge or on the side for a while. That will be the perfect thing to bring! One of my suggestions would be my lovely broccoli salad, or potato salad (very similar approaches for these two) - I often curse myself for not leaving them a bit longer, because that’s when they really soak up all the lovely liquids. And I have had an insane amount of compliments about them when bringing them to potlucks or barbecues! An absolute winner. If you really want to score points you can make one vegan friendly batch too, all you need to do is make sure your mayonnaise is vegan for one of them (homemade or store bought).
Other things to consider are things that are easy to just grab a few of on your plate and eat with your fingers. Often at a picnic or similar it can be hard to properly sit down and eat with cutlery - there may not be enough, or all you’ve got is a bendy paper plate. People will really love little bite size, “dry” things, like cheese balls, cookies or maybe some super energy nut balls! If you have a little bit of time on the same day but not tons, you can make the dough for something the night before, like cinnamon swirls for example, and only leave the cooking to the day of the party! This way, the dough gets a great opportunity to rise for a long time, and you can serve up super soft, fresh and delicious pastry.
Today I have also shared my mini quiche recipe, and this is a tried and tested, and very successful potluck addition. Again, these are very easy to make different variations of without too much fuss, so perfect if people have different preferences or dietary restrictions.
Trust yourself and your skills, someone will love what you brought along!
What do you bring to a potluck - and what do you call a potluck where you come from? Post on Instagram and tag me @TheFromScratchBody and use the hashtag #TheFromScratchBody so I don’t miss it!
