Alright, so I got this wild hair the other day – an 80s party. Seemed like a good idea at the time. And you know, if you’re gonna do an 80s party, you can’t skimp on the food. The food is, like, half the experience. Maybe more.
Getting Started: The “Brilliant” Idea
First thing, I had to remember what we actually ate back then. It’s not like today with your avocado toast and quinoa salads. Nope. We’re talking a different level of culinary… adventure. I spent a good while just thinking, trying to dredge up memories. Then, of course, I did a bit of digging online, just to make sure I wasn’t completely misremembering things. Turns out, my memory was pretty spot on. Lots of beige, lots of things on sticks.
The Menu Plan: A Trip Down Memory Lane
So, I landed on a few classics. You absolutely have to have certain things, or it’s not an 80s party. My list started forming:
- Sausage Rolls. Or pigs in a blanket, whatever you wanna call ’em. Essential.
- Cheese and Pineapple Hedgehogs. Yes, seriously. A grapefruit, covered in foil, with cheese and pineapple cubes on cocktail sticks. Peak 80s.
- Deviled Eggs. My mom used to make these for every single gathering.
- Vol-au-vents. Those little puff pastry shells. Filling them was the next challenge.
- And of course, some kind of ridiculously bright, probably Jell-O based dessert.
Seemed manageable. Famous last words, right?
The Shopping Saga
Off to the supermarket I went. You’d think these ingredients would be simple. And mostly, they were. But finding decent, ready-to-roll puff pastry that wasn’t going to cost me an arm and a leg? That took a couple of tries. And cocktail sticks! I swear, they hide them in a different aisle every time I need them. And don’t even get me started on finding a grapefruit that was perfectly round enough to be a convincing hedgehog body. It’s the little things, you know?
Into the Kitchen: The Real Work Begins
Okay, game day. Kitchen time. This is where the real fun started. Or the real chaos, depending on your perspective.
First up, the sausage rolls. I cheated a bit, bought pre-made sausage meat. Sue me. Rolled out the pastry, cut it into strips, plopped the sausage meat on, rolled ’em up, bit of egg wash. Into the oven they went. Easy peasy, right? Well, mostly. I might have slightly scorched the bottoms of the first batch. Lesson learned: watch that oven like a hawk.
Then, the mighty Cheese and Pineapple Hedgehog. This was more assembly than cooking, but man, it was fiddly. Wrapping that grapefruit in foil without tearing it a million times? That took patience I didn’t know I had. Then cubing the cheese – cheddar, obviously – and the pineapple. Sticking them on those tiny little sticks, then jabbing them into the grapefruit. My fingers were sore by the end of it. But it looked… magnificent. In a very 80s way.
Deviled Eggs. Boiled the eggs. Easy. Peeled them. This is where it gets tricky. You always lose a few, they get all mangled. Managed to get enough decent ones. Halved them, scooped out the yolks. Mashed ’em up with mayo, mustard, a bit of paprika. Tried to pipe the filling back in nicely. Looked a bit rustic, let’s say. Authentically rustic.
Vol-au-vents. I bought the pre-made shells. No way was I making puff pastry from scratch for this. Not on a Tuesday. Whipped up a quick creamy chicken and mushroom filling. Spooned it in. These were actually pretty straightforward. A little sprinkle of parsley on top to make ’em look fancy.
For the dessert, I wimped out a bit and went for a Trifle. Layers of sponge fingers, jelly (or Jell-O for my American friends), fruit cocktail (yes, from a tin!), custard, and topped with whipped cream and sprinkles. It’s a classic for a reason. Even if it does involve a lot of waiting for things to set.
The Grand Unveiling
So, after a few hours of what felt like culinary acrobatics, it was all ready. Spread it all out on the table. It looked… intensely 80s. Like a photo from one of those old cookbooks. When the guests arrived, the reaction was pretty much what I hoped for. A lot of “Oh my god, I haven’t seen one of these in years!” and “Wow, you actually made a cheese hedgehog!”
Everything got eaten, which is always a good sign. The sausage rolls vanished first, no surprise there. Even the hedgehog was eventually dismantled, skewer by skewer. It was a blast, honestly. The food wasn’t gourmet, not by a long shot. But it was fun. It was nostalgic. It was exactly what the party needed.
So yeah, that was my adventure into 80s party food. A bit of work, a few minor kitchen dramas, but totally worth it to see people light up with those food memories. Would I do it all again next week? Probably not. My kitchen still smells faintly of baked cheese and pineapple. But for a special occasion? You bet.