A Sustainable18th Party?

Yesterday, my seventeen year old and her friend (French exchange student) helped me with cooking for her party.  She will turn eighteen this Saturday!  I can't believe it!  Anyway, we will be celebrating with lots of family and friends.  I have decided it should be possible to cater for forty or fifty people without buying pre-prepared or packaged food.  Now I am in the process of proving it!

We made a massive batch of chow mein, which is now in the freezer, heaps of little quiches and lots of mini pizzas.  I will be making more pizzas and a lentil stew during the week.

For nibbles I will be buying sliced french sticks, coating lightly with oil and baking until crisp.  I will also crisp up some flat bread in the oven.  These will be to use with some tzatziki and a cream cheese dip.

I will scour the op shops this week for dinner plates and glasses.  I'm happy to wash dishes for the sake of creating no rubbish.  I am going to buy paper napkins but I hope to compost them.  I'll take a bucket and label it scraps and napkins. 

I have all my brilliant ideas late in the piece, but I would like to buy some glass paint and turn the op shop glasses into keepsakes.  I thought, if I have time, I could write "18" and my daughters name on each of them.  What a unique party favour when they come in all different shapes and sizes!!!

I am really looking forward to this party now that we have begun to prepare.  At first I was nervous of the workload involved in doing an earth friendly party but, with a bit a planning behind us, I don't think it will be too hard!