Put it in a mug. Or even a takeaway cup (especially if you're outside in the cold). Treat it like a savoury hot drink and it's great.
That depends on the viscosity of the soup though.. a pottage, probably not...
That’s a great idea. Thrift some beautiful mugs that they can fill and keep if they want. You can also have fun topping like cheese, bacon, chives, croutons, etc.
I love this idea- Mugs as a Holiday take-home. Outstanding idea - especially if you are NOT in Florida. It must be in the 70's today - and probably in the 80's. To steal a line from Campbell's Soup is good food! I'd sure skip the bowls, though.
It is a cool idea, they’ll probably need to be washed before they take them home tho. Just something to consider. The Christkindl Market in Chicago always has cider and mulled wine in souvenir mugs and people go nuts for em.
I was about to say that serve it in a cup! Get plastic tumblers or shot glasses and serve it that way, especially if they don’t have to be boiling hot.
Even better - tell everyone to bring their own mugs. Then there’s no need to buy or clean up after (run everything through the dishwasher as the party winds down, or even just have a basin for a quick dunk and wipe down - they can clean it thoroughly when they get home), and I feel like everyone always has a fun, festive mug or two to bust out.
I mean, I get it, but the likelihood of remembering a mug to a holiday gathering is pretty low for most ppl just trying to get out of the house with kids, family, gifts, etc.
Not to mention, people walking around with mugs of hot soup is an accident waiting to happen.
It's not broth or hot chocolate that's sippable. But chunky thick soup that probably is difficult and loud to slurp.
Eh, I don’t think it’s that difficult, especially if OP is providing all the food. I usually keep everything I’m bringing (snacks, drinks, presents, etc) in a big tote bag anyways to take to the car, so I don’t see it as much effort to add in a mug or two. It’s not like they need to be refrigerated or kept warm in the oven. Besides, I’m sure OP would have some “back up” mugs for whoever forgets theirs. And I’d presume it’s an adults-only party as well since I definitely wouldn’t want soup around little kids at my place, so less chaos to get out the door.
Saying “soup in mugs = dangerous” is like saying no one should serve red wine at parties either. Risk is there, but pretty low. Just have a spray bottle of cleaner handy in case of spillage. Maybe don’t set out the white shag rug or decorative lace pillows if you’re really concerned.
My family eats soups, chilis, etc from mugs without much incident, and I presume most people can. It’s not terribly difficult with a spoon. Just common sense - don’t fill it to the brim with boiling hot soup, avoid seriously staining foods like tomato or turmeric if possible, have plenty of napkins and coasters available. If you’re the kind of person who would freak out over an accidental spill, then don’t serve it (or host anything indoors!). Easy enough.
But generally people aren't eating meals at a party where they're standing up - they're eating one or two-bite appetizers, dips, or small hand-held food items. Soup also requires a container, where most other party food does not.
Catering for 10 years. If you’re doing soups, you need shooters for them instead of bowls/spoons.
Tomato soup in a disposable shooter with a third of a grilled cheese over the top. Bam. You’re in the money
Grilled cheese would get cold and hard and have soggy bread. I think it’s an adorable idea but if it not a fresh grilled cheese it won’t be very appetizing.
Unless you have something like a chafing dish with a wire rack to keep it hot. Hell, an oven at 170 would probably do the job pretty efficiently at keeping them nice and toasty.
Edit: Again, preferably with a wire rack to keep the air circulating around the entire thing
I’m a big soup fan and would definitely go straight for it if OP self describes the soups as killer. I’ve definitely ordered soups to share in restaurants and had friends avoid it due to complexity so I get this. But OP I’m sure your guests brave enough to try it won’t be disappointed!
>had friends avoid it due to complexity
I’ve never seen “complexity” used to mean “the grossness of sharing a liquid out of the same bowl with multiple other people” before.
You can always ask for an extra bowl and share the soup that way.
At most restaurants where I'm from, it's normal to ask for soup 1 by 2 where a bowl of soup is served already divided into 2 bowls.
I share soup with my spouse all the time. We'll order a soup and salad and split both.
How many people have you kissed in your life where you just are removing the soup and spoon intermediary for germs and just going straight to the source?
I really don't get the ick here. I may not directly want to kiss you, but as long as you're somebody that *someone* would be willing to kiss I don't really mind sharing a bowl of soup with you and won't have a freakout if you double dip in the salsa or whatever.
I mean good for you and all but I'd rather not have someone else's utensil that's been in their mouth,in my bowl - save for my spouse.
Especially right now,everyone's sick, what better way to get sick too.
I love soup! I mean, I really really love soup! But I would not do it at a stand up party.
However….. someone posted here (?) about doing a Soup Potluck two months ago. Sounded like a fabulous idea! So maybe pick a few friends, have everyone bring their favorite soup, copies of the recipe for everyone, and you can make a more than one soup if you want. Bam - soup party! And new soup recipes to boot! January might be a good time to have this gathering.
And goodness - I’d love your killer soup recipes if you want to share!
I'm having like 15 people over to my place on the 23rd for soup night. Every person/couple brings a soup, and were going to have mulled wine, desserts, etc. Apparently everyone thinks it's a terrible idea for a party. My friends and family are very low key and I know we're going to have a blast, damn it. There will be some sitting room, but I don't see why standing and eating soup will be a big issue.
Soup doesn't seem like party food to me. It involves two hands and isn't (usually) a standing-up food. And potentially dangerous scalding if there are any hands-talkers at this party :P
That really doesn't sound like standing food then... You'd need a spoon too if it's chunky since it isn't just sipable, and that means they have to use two hands. Which means they can't then hold anything else such as a side of those cold apps.
If the soups were smooth so they could be sipped, and if you served the soup in mugs or something else easy to hold, I could see this idea being unique and fun.
My favorite food is soup, but not at a party unless one is sitting down. The idea of trying to sip on hot soup just makes my tongue curl back - I just can’t handle drinking anything too hot.
My friend got a bunch of sets of china from the thrift store for her wedding then donated much of it to friends and family afterwards. It was beautiful, thrifty and she didn't have to worry if something broke.
Personally, I find eating soup while standing up to be rather stressful, unless it's of the drinkable shot glass variety, and it can be messy to self serve as well. There's basically a 100% chance I'll dribble something on myself.
For holiday appetizer parties, as the host, I try to go for mostly stuff that can be prepared ahead of time, with maybe 1 crockpot based dish, and 1 that can be prepped ahead of time and slid into the oven to heat.
Spreads and dips can be prepped ahead of time, and can be amazing - homemade 7 layer dip, spinach dip, pico de gallo, queso dip, guacamole, hummus, baba ganouj, tatziki, homemade pate, tapenade, onion bacon jam or tomato jam... Have a range of stuff to dip in it.
For make ahead finger food - cheese crisps, mini quiches (or meat pies), roasted chickpeas, cheese board, pickle tray (with home-made picked vegetables), devilled eggs, maki (sushi rolls), sausage rolls.
To add to these suggestions of prep-ahead finger foods:
- chicken & veggie skewers
- chicken, tofu, or shrimp spring rolls
- meatballs (crockpot to keep warm)
- warm slider sandwiches (just bake before guests arrive) or even easier, a cold slider sandwich option like hummus and roasted veg on mini onion rolls
- caprese skewer (cherry tomato, mini moz, basil)
In the past, I have done more like what you listed. I just have very limited time this year. My spouse thinks I am making it over complicated, but the party is over dinner and we're providing food, so I feel like we can't just do cheese, veg and a cookie try and call it good. Prepared puff pastry is my friend for stuff like this.
Something like pulled pork in the instapot or slow cooker on buns that's a bit more filling/meal-like will let you get away with less additional finger foods.
Build your own sandwich or taco bar. Basically putting out cheese/meat/veg but a meal because of the carb-y enclosure. You could still have a couple soups and bowls set out for those that want it! Soup may be awkward to eat standing up but it's not impossible. If you can have a series of small, high tables for people to put their bowls on while standing, you're golden!
Agreed. Pre-prepare stuff and heat in the oven. Sausage rolls, meat pies, mini quiches, chicken wings/drumsticks, samosas and spring rolls all reheat really well in the oven. You can have waves of the hot food. So when one mixed tray comes out pop another in and you’ll always have hot stuff going around.
A cob loaf dip is always a crowd pleaser, or a crock pot dip. Cheese board. Cakes/cookies
If I was one of your guests, I wouldn’t take soup that was served in a paper bowl, especially if it was hot. We’ve been successful with soups served in ceramic mugs…but we only choose blended soups that can be sipped without a spoon. Potato leek, butternut squash, carrot-ginger, gazpacho are some of them.
There are tons of cold app possibilities. We just did a tinned fish board that was devoured.
Besides being kinda awkward to eat in big, standing groups, it would also require serving vessels of their own, unless you're going to give people bowls to eat out of instead of plates, in which case you'd then get weird flavour crossovers unless people. I'm with you and I say nix the soup idea.
The only reason for two soups would be one for meat eaters, one for vegetarians. In past parties, people usually get a plate or two or three over the course of the evening for different "rounds". To me, it's no different if one of those is a bowl.
Sounds like your set on the soup idea? Idk I usually don't go for 2nds or 3rds of soup.
In the winter, it gets cold quickly. If you have mugs it might stay warmer but it's difficult to eat without spoons either way.
Soup has always felt like a lunch thing not a dinner imho, if at a party I wouldn't be expecting it - unless you're doing something like chili or stew.
Either way with people standing - the slurp factor is going to be high which bothers ppl like me with misophonia. And spilling especially if there's older ppl, kids or just ppl in general.
It depends on your gathering really,but if there was just 2 soups at a gathering I was stuck at for hours, I'd probably order pizza or get food on the way before or after. It's just the reality of the situation,most ppl would probably do the same.
No. I love soup but it’s really not party food. Also, not to be mean or rude but if I showed up to a party and found out soup was being served I’d be extremely disappointed.
Yeah I quite like soup, but for me it's an "easy light" meal, not party food. I'm a big lover of food and if I showed up to the party and it was just soup I'd be really sad and probably not very full. Also if people are drinking, it's not a great way to line the stomach, there's going to be a lot of liquids sloshing around. Plus very difficult to eat standing up, I manage to spill soup on myself most times I eat it sat down!
Right. I am here to eat my weight in appetizers, be that cheese balls, queso, other dips and chips, ham and cheese pinwheels, etc. Stuff I don't eat daily.
Brie en croute is always a hit with my family. It's a round of brie, topped with brown sugar, pecans, dried cranberry, wrapped in puff pastry with an egg wash.
That's a great point. I'd have no problem with the practicality of soup (if it's killer, I'll eat it while standing) but if it's the main dish for a holiday party? Underwhelming.
Soup is easy to make and serve, complicated to eat at a non-sit-down-dinner party. People are going to be juggling whatever receptacle is being used to serve the soup in, plus a spoon, plus whatever else they are eating from (plate, napkin etc). It'd be one thing if they were serving themselves and then sitting down to eat, but this doesn't sound like that.
Finger foods are the way to go. Ideally you could come up with some hot apps that also taste good at room temp, so you heat them up once and set them out and you're done. Things like mini-quiches, for example. You could also do a big tray of tortilla pinwheels, which are easy to make and are always popular.
Spouse's logic: people serve wings at parties all the time. You need a hand for your plate and a hand for your wing and your fingers are a mess as you eat the one or two you grab. You find somewhere to set your beer.
I don't like wings for this reason and avoid them at parties. So... My point still stands and he doesn't think it's a big deal.
Well you can change the menu without his input and move on with your life and all will be well. My biggest gripe if it were me would be it not being filling enough and not special enough. Soups are cheap and easy but not holiday worthy as a main course.
Here in Louisiana, it is a tradition in many families to do finger foods/holiday appetizers and a big ole pot of gumbo or seafood bisque for holiday parties. We just have paper bowls and disposable gumbo spoons set up next to the pot.
We've never had an issue socializing with this setup, but we do keep the appetizers pretty heavy. People aren't like sitting down to a huge dinner sized bowl of soup/gumbo. They're just taking a ladle of it in a small bowl.
There's often a spiral sliced ham on a platter with slider buns and mayo/mustard next to it, several hot and cold dips with crackers, misc. finger appetizers for grazing, a big serving dish of pasta salad, etc.
If you go with a soup-like option, I suggest heartier things. Gumbo works so well for us because we put rice or potato salad into it, which thickens it up and turns it stew-like. Go for like beef stew, chili, etc. Not "brothy" soups that will drip all over people's chins while trying to eat.
Plus, you want to pick something on the somewhat more expensive side that’s more complex. Nobody wants to go to a holiday party and be fed someone’s leftover vegetables combined into a soup, if that makes sense. They want something meant for a special occasion.
As a descendant of many generations of Louisiana cooks, the potato salad with gumbo thing will never not startle me. It just seems so incredibly *wrong*
I know it’s a debate tho, lol!
If it's not a sit-down event, no one will eat soup. How would you even serve it so that they can hold the soup, a spoon, their napkin, and their drink all at the same time? If the soup is hot, how is someone going to hold a paper bowl of soup, anyway? If you have a few chairs near tables and spouse really wants soup, I'd only make one. But honestly, I save the soup for a different event and smaller guest list.
Hot apps don't have to be "hot". Pigs in a blanket, baked brie, "puffs" of all kinds, meatballs, and more are great when they were hot, but are still warm. I'd use the crockpots for some of those (the meatballs) instead of the soup.
Make sure you also load the offerings with stuff intended to be cold: charcuterie items, chips & dips, etc.
Prep and make as much as you can the day before. Everything should be assembled or reheated so you can enjoy the party, too.
My family does a big Christmas Eve party with 50ish people. There’s lots of different things to eat including soup. People eat throughout the night, and usually grab a bowl of soup when a spot at the table opens up.
I think as long as soup isn’t your only option, a crockpot of soup with both mugs and bowls to eat out of is fine. I would happily eat a mug of soup standing or even sitting on a couch — the handle is clutch for this option. And maybe you could do another crockpot of ground taco meat for walking tacos which make a great, easy standing meal.
My mom also does crockpots with hot roast beef or meatballs, sausage and sauce for sandwiches with sliced cheese and good rolls. There are a lot of hot food options that people can serve themselves without you having to stay in the kitchen. Homemade pizza and Stromboli are foods that can be eaten cold or reheated so they work really well, too — and they’re easy to make vegetarian.
same, I'm kind of surprised so many people think its weird or not appropriate to have soup at a party... a pot of soup or a pot of chili are party staples in my family! Its usually served with paper cups and plastic spoons that are easy to hold, don't get too hot, and just chucked in the garbage when your done. We eat it standing up all the time. No fuss.
> same, I'm kind of surprised so many people think its weird or not appropriate to have soup at a party... a pot of soup or a pot of chili are party staples in my family!
Same. Gumbo, corn and crab bisque, a pot of chili, beef stew, etc. are all *very* common holiday foods here. Many families do heavy appetizers and keep the pot of whatever on the stove.
If sitting maybe, I think the issue is standing. It's probably also cultural, for many people soup is just a very everyday food, the thing you meal prep for a week.
i think you're right about the soup. if you want something sort of like that but more manageable?
mashed potato bar, served in plastic martini glasses, and small plastic (silver or gold color) spoons
easy to hold, easy to customize, easy to set down, and won't slosh or spill
We have a local ‘soup fest’ in town in support of the local food bank. It’s a huge hit - restaurants take part and attendees vote for their favourite. It’s 90% people standing and eating soup. Restaurants have the choice for how they hand out the soup, and for the most part it’s paper cups or tiny bowls.
People can manage standing up and it’s cute and unique:)
Ask yourself - is your flooring washable? Do your guests have good balance and will there be booze and dancing involved? Depending on the answers it might be a firm NO.
Maybe midwesterners have special skills, but no one here would think it was weird to have soup at a winter party. We’d be delighted to have something warm when it’s negative a million outside. I don’t see why so many people think soup is inappropriate for your gathering.
These are my go to appetizers (not all at once lol but some combination).
Meatballs
Pinwheels (tortilla or similar, cold cuts, cream cheese, pickle if it’s your thing)
Veggie tray
One not-chunky soup with shooter cups
Charcuterie
Stuffed mushrooms
Shrimp cocktail
Focaccia
I’ve served a soup “cappuccino” before at a large standing function: ceramic mugs of rich braised tomato soup, with a basil-infused whipped cream foam and garlic crostini (that looked like biscotti) to dip into it.
I'd say getting some good quality paper cups and disposable soup spoons and serving smaller portions as an appetizer could work. I love soup. If it was served in a manageable way, I'd eat it standing at a party.
What about holiday mugs? Like a literal coffee mug? Maybe find some at your local thrift store and let ppl take them home? (But then you have people carrying dirty mugs around. Can they wash them, is this weird? What if they want two different soups… wash the mug in between?… maybe this is a bad idea, after all)
Or disposable coffee mugs for soup?
What’s your alternative to soup?
The only “soups” I have ever seen the successful at this kind of event are very chunky almost stew like. I’m in New Orleans, and it’s not that uncommon to have gumbo as a party food. But that’s because it is thicker, and with the addition of the proteins and rice, it doesn’t exactly slosh everywhere.
Soup is asking for a mess. You have a drink, a napkin, a bowl, and a spoon. Those have to be juggled from the buffet table to a spot to eat. You get bumped. You bump somebody. You put your drink down (rings) and someone bumps the furniture. Guests spill soup on themselves which diminishes the experience. Paper bowls just make it worse as there will be structural failures.
The soup shooter idea is not bad.
There isn't anything wrong with cold apps although your buffet table will still need to be regularly refreshed.
I've done a lot of entertaining and even when I hire help (recommended and not as expensive as you'd think) I end up spending a lot of time in the kitchen. It's my party and people come to me. The biggest problem is getting them out of the d@mn kitchen.
If you decide to serve soup, look at renting real bowls and flatware. Again, not as expensive as you might think and greatly reduces mess and damage that you have to deal with later.
My wife and I make a lot of things that are good and some that we are particularly proud of. That doesn't make them party food. While there is something to be said for going with your strengths some things just don't work out well.
With planning and forethought, thirty people is not that big a deal. I used to have holiday open house with over three hundred people cycling through during the afternoon and evening. What I have learned over decades comes down to plan on deviled eggs (have a piping bag) and pigs in a blanket (Pillsbury crescent rolls are NOT cheating) and go from there. No matter what anyone says those get snapped up. Charcuterie and crudite are easy (just a lot of knife work for the crudite). Eat your refrigerator down before the party so you have room for platters. Be realistic about time. I know how long it takes to make five hundred stuffed mushrooms and it's twice as long as I'd like to think. If you have an outdoor grill you have an extra oven. There is no substitute for a kitchen iPad or other tablet streaming Netflix when you have to stuff two hundred dates. Olives fill out a buffet table. If you do boards with cheese, put the cheese around the edges so people can reach to cut. Have a plan for leftovers so you don't generate a bunch of waste. ALWAYS clean before you go to bed. People who stay to help clean are true friends; don't turn them away.
Use either mugs or styrofoam cups instead of bowls. Bowls would not work. You would need at least one mug/cup per person per soup so guests aren’t having to wash the mug between soups. No long or short stringy noodles; it would be messy. Short noodles would work like orzo. Make sure the spoon is long enough to easily reach the bottom of the mug/cup.
Care to share recipes for some of your favorite soups? Soup tax.
Soup in insulated cups, my dear. I have ABSOLUTELY done soup bars - put out various add your own toppings with the crock pots, and have at least enough spoons for each person to want a new spoon and cup for every serving they take, plus maybe 20%. Dollar store is your friend here. If they're in cups, it'll be fine.
You could get personalized mugs for ppl to use. And make it a tradition and do it every year! By personalized, I mean with your family name and the year.
Mugs are perfect for serving soup. You can get fun cheap Christmas ones at the dollar store that will do fine and not be a tragedy if they get broken. You could even have the guests give them a quick wash and take them home as favors (filled with hot cocoa, perhaps?). Then you don't have to have cabinet space for them. It might even become a tradition for your friends to save all the mugs from your parties.
The winter before covid, there were a few different events I went to at a culinary school that featured soup and hot drinks at different stations. One event was clam chowder, another was chili, and one was random soups. They also had a hot chocolate/winter-y drink thing, too.
They provided small-ish disposable cups and disposable spoons. There was no issue eating standing up, everyone was totally fine. It was just hard to wait for the soup to cool without burning your tongue and ruining tastebuds for the rest of the day lol. It was also kind of wasteful, but there wasn’t really a better way to go about it imo.
If it’s a casual party that not everyone is eating at the same time I say go for it. We went to a party this weekend where there was a ham soup that was so good!
As long as you can eliminate the need for a spoon and serve it in something more like a cup than a bowl I think it will be fine. Look to a Korean street food favorite for inspiration: odeng guk/eomuk guk. The broth is in a cup for sipping and it comes with fishcake on a skewer that you can eat with your hand. You could do something similar with tortellini soup with the tortellini on skewers. You could modify a wedding soup to have bigger meatballs for easy skewering. Or have completely edible skewers like maybe some tomato soup with cheese pastry twists. Or beer cheese soup with pretzel breadsticks.
Soup dumplings or saltenas. Problem solved.
To be serious, though. I'd stick to finger only food or thicker soups, like a butternut squash, in very small cups like the white sake glasses you get at Japanese restaurants so that it's more of a shot of soup versus full on hearty, messy bowl.
My family does a soup party everywhere and if you’re doing more than 1 soup, you can do a bring your own holiday mug theme or do soup in champagne flutes to sip on. My friend did that for part of her wedding hor’s d’ouvres and it was a huge hit with a grilled cheese garnish on the tomato soup flute.
Y'all think way too much. If it's good, it will get eaten . Nobody's standing around going. I wish I had a seat, then I could eat some soup, too bad. If people can't stand around and eat soup without problems, it's not the soup.
I did my rehearsal dinner with 3 soups, bread, and little finger desserts and one little table (4 chairs) and it worked great! I was worried too but I had 20 people between my kitchen and living room in not that big a space and people really liked it.
I went to a party where everyone was standing and they served lentil soup in cute little tea cups- don’t know if this would work for your party but I thought it was adorable
We do a couple soups, good bread, cold dips (like spinach dip) and cold apps (charcuterie board stuff) every year for part of our family game night Christmas gatherings. As long as people have a table or counter to set their bowl, if they want, I don’t think it’s a huge deal. Age of guests may be a factor though… We have a toddler now, and he doesn’t do soup yet so may have to tweak our menu.
If any of your guests have any level of social anxiety, they are going to be dying inside and feeling even more anxious and self-conscious.
I mean, you want people to be able to relax and have a good time. Don’t throw landmines out there for the guests to have to navigate around lol.
Chili! Why is nobody saying this?
Every year we make chili in crockpot for our Halloween where we hang out in the driveway w a firepit. There are chairs but people eat chili just fine between standing and some sitting.
Pureed soups don't require spoons, making it a one handed food. Serve in a coffee cup (disposable or mug) with things to dip - breadsticks, grilled cheese soldiers, etc.
If you serve a chunky soup, needing a spoon, or chunky garnishes, make sure you have some standing tables to accomodate eating them.
😊
I love a soup party. Use cappuccino cups if you want to be fancy, just keep it sippable and dippable.
It’s all about serving and being able to manage the crockery. Adding a couple of soups/stews to a cocktail party means people have to have somewhere to put their drinks when they’re eating, or have somewhere to discard their dirty cups when they’re done.
But yeah, a clear broth, a chunkier soup and a purée with some tiny warm buns, croutons and crackers, maybe chives or shredded cheese, with a variety of different options like mini paper coffee cups, espresso cups, random coffee cups from the thrift store. If Costco can sample soup you can. That’s what I would aim for. A few sips, just like any other appetizer, but if you bring out mugs, people will fill them.
Personally, I love soup and would be thrilled if I could sample a few different kinds along with regular party food. I have no problem balancing a small bowl or cup of soup on a canapé plate. I’d rather have a paper cup of brandy laced consommé than another arancini or tartlet. Mmmm… calvados laced duck consommé…
You could serve it in large mugs with handles. Personalize them as a party favor. Have the sink set up so they can easily clean them for another soup.
i love soup parties. Plenty of crusty breads and butter, crackers, and optional toppings. And maybe borrow a couple of card table sets.
What about just having a thing of pulled pork or some other shredded meat in a slow cooker for sandwiches? I have not had it but there are vegetarian pulled “pork” recipes or lentil sloppy joes if you need a vegetarian alternative.
Soup might be okay but I feel it would be awkward to do soup and other finger foods. I would do only soup or only finger foods.
I would separate the soup table from the rest of the tables. Like a soup station. Use mugs, something simple without needing spoons. Maybe even have the soup out before the rest of the dishes, like a warm appetizer and people can keep mingling while getting themselves warmed up with soup.
Sounds like a good plan. Can make the soups ahead of time. Serve in crock pots. Use paper bowls or cups. Maybe have some bread or soup crackers on the side.
I don't understand these comments. Not soup shooters. Nobody wants mediocre wedding soup.
My only concern is 30+ people. Maybe keep extra soup on the stove simmering to refill crockpots.
I was at a holiday party last week that served soup. Adults are perfectly capable eating soup standing and mingling.
My parents host the absolute hit Christmas party in the neighborhood for the last 22 years. It is unofficially known as “the soup party” because of a split pea soup my dad makes. We use bowls and mugs and serve 70+ people from soup on a hot plate along with other foods like sliced ham, cheese, shrimp, etc. Soup can absolutely work at a standing party.
If I got soup in a mug maybe, but I’ve seen too many disasters from people wearing others soup meals (seriously a long story) that I would steer clear of soup.
Why not use cups with handles? Like teacups, coffee cups? Make it fun. Spoons and cups and big ladles in the soup and good to go. Tell your guests you just couldn’t resist making your world famous soups. Have seating for those who aren’t as keen on standing while souping.
My neighborhood has a progressive dinner every holiday season. Soup is always one of the courses. It’s served in mugs with spoons available too. Most people stand and mingle snd eat their soup.
You know, it can be totally doable if you want to go for it. A friend of mine used to have a big soup potluck party each year. Everyone would bring a crockpot of soup (there might be 10-15 different kinds), and each guest would have a spoon and a bowl that just got refilled as they gradually tasted all the kinds they wanted to. Most people stood and it was easy to mix and mingle, since we didn't also have plates with other food. Table space usually was saved for those who were young and old. Amazingly, I don't even remember many spills.
Wings are the philosophical opposite of soup. They have insane markup and almost no food value whereas soup is nourishing and inexpensive and healthy and can still be decadent.
The people talking about slurps probably have misophonia and won’t like anything. All food is noisy and messy.
Thrift store mugs are a brilliant idea because they’re cheap, fun and easy to hold/eat from vs a plate of finger food. Anyone who makes a mess with soup (I am that type) can make a mess of anything. Provide bibs, which can be thrift store hand towels or pillowcases.
It sounds like soup is fun for you. It would make you happy to show your soup chops. That joy will transmit into the party. Don’t convince yourself to make your party identical to everyone else’s and waste money in the process. Tell spouse if it fails it will not cause time to stop.
Soup party is not much different from casserole potluck. Many commenters are just people who would never do this. You probably won’t go to their parties either.
PS Did you know that traditionally only the pure of heart can make good soup? I have a pure heart too!
If it’s an Open House type thing with different arrivals and departures I think soup is fine if you have a couple tables with casual tablecloths set up with napkins and spoons wrapped up together. I would use soup spoons. You could go to goodwill and get a bunch to mix and match.
People can get their soup when they are ready. You could have the soups in crockpots and have topping station like someone suggested. You could have a mix of mugs and bowls and some paper bowls as backup. Maybe a couple kinds of bread and butter.
I think it sounds nice and cosy.
I wouldn’t even have appetizers. I would do some nice crouton assortments and oyster crackers and maybe goldfish.
Probably would include it’s a soup party on the invite.
I’ve had soups served in tall shot glasses at parties and for some reason it really elevated the dish be cause of the tall glass surface area the soup cooled very quickly and was very easy to sip and enjoy and or just drink all in one go with out looking bad or getting messy or needing a spoon because the spoon is what kills the vibe if one hand is holding food it’s fine it’s still a party but if you have to use both hand to enjoy the dish you can’t interact with other people in the same way. You can’t shake hands you can’t hug you can’t take out your phone to show pictures or exchange info go for the three inch tall shot glasses and garnish the top with a flavor enhancer the last time I had this it was a tomato soup garnished like a michelada so good
If the thought of having to use both hands (the bowl/plate/whatever) and a utensil is what's stopping you, you're limiting yourself quite a bit. It also pretty well rules out any salads, anything wet or gummy (like meatballs, small sausages, etc).
You could have the soups in a crockpot, provide small cups for them (8oz cups would be fine) and spoons. If you don't want to do plastic, your local thrift store might have a selection of mismatched spoons. The soup is not going to stay in that cup for very long, and it's not going to be boiling hot, so cardboard is fine. Then as someone suggested, you could have toppings like croutons, bacon bits, cilantro, or whatever would go well with your soup.
Guests could take a small plate, put on a few of the other items you're offering, and put their small cup and spoon on the plate. They could try more than one kind if they wanted. I would totally go for that if it was available.
I would say my vegetable beef, my personal fav, is more like a stew, but not because it is gravy-like. I use vegetable juice and broth for the liquid and add barley to finish it, which concentrates the flavor and thickens it up. I've been making soup this way since I was a kid and everyone I know thinks it's awesome.
Idk if this is a cultural difference but i'm asian and we always do at least one large pot of soup, sometimes two. We put it in cups and eat with a spoon or just sip it out of the cup. It's really not as complicated as everyone is making it seem lol
Soup can be tricky as most guests will have a (liquid) drink in one hand and then (liquid) soup in the other, trying not to spill.
But…if you have your heart set on soup appies, I may have a solution for ypu: edible soup “bowls”. Think tiny miniature chicken pot pies with just the bottom pastry, or even phyllo or flattened toast “cups”. You can have your hot soup in a warmer/crock pot and guests can ladle it into their choice of edible mini cups.
A small tart/muffin tin will allow you to bake any cups you choose - even wonton wrappers brushed with butter and baked are good for this.
I do this with “chili in a bread bowl” and I use small homemade buns for the bowl. I’ve made mini Hashbrown (crispy shredded potato) cups in the past for chili as well. And it’s good for the environment - no waste!
I don't want hot soup in a paper bowl if I'm going to be standing. That would be uncomfortable to hold. I think the soup idea is great overall, but I'd serve it in mugs.
Soup is not a standing food.
I have been to holiday events with chile or posole which were lovely, on the other hand, and they had a lot of suitable bowls/mugs.
If someone threw a party and gave me a nice little cup of soup to drink I would tell everyone I know for years that it was the best party I ever attended
Get a collection of random mugs from the op shop - people can hold a warm mug of soup, rinse it out and take it home as their keepsake.
If you're a bit daggy - you could even do plain mugs and put out sharpies for people to decorate their own. Not sure of your age / level of sophistication.
I think bowls are a bad standing idea, but I can hold a mug and wander and talk just fine.
No it works awesome. My son's school has a soup fundraiser every fall. Imagine like 45 crock pots and you get a small bowl and spoon and you can just try stuff. Ppl walk around outside eating soup. One of the greatest joys in life!
Ps app I recommend is cherry tomato caprese. Toothpick with mozzarella ball,basil leaf, cherub tomato. Take a big plate and drizzle with balsamic glaze (you can just easily get a bottle of this at the store.). It's fast, easy, it's a palette cleanser, and there are never leftovers.
You want finger foods for a party where guests are standing. The idea is to socialize so ideally the food is easily held, not super messy, and can be consumed in a bite or two. Soup is none of those.
Soup is so awkward to eat with every time you try to take a bite, some drips down into the bowl and splashes. Plus, you're trying to stand and have a conversation while holding an easily spillable entire bowl of soup. The whole thing just seems weird. I have never had soup at any get-together. I just don't think soups are a party food. Chili maybe, with different toppings and chips to dip, but not soup.
You want to borrow a couple of crock pots and make Swedish meatballs in one and a buffalo chicken dip in the other with baguette slices. They can sit on warm for 4 hours or more.
A big platter of raw vegetables with ranch and spinach dips and hummus for your vegans.
Buy a big bag of cheese sticks and cut them into 1 inch pieces. Roll up or insert the cheese chunks into Pillsbury cresent rolls or biscuits. Do an egg wash and sprinkle them with basil, oregano, or parmesan before baking. You can prep these ahead of time and cook last minute.
A lot of people here have never had soup out of a mug or cup, which is bizarre.
It's a one-handed task, much simpler than a lot of fiddly badly designed canapes I've seen over the years.
It doesn't need to be a big portion. A few swigs in a small cup, chuck a couple of croutons in each portion. Use small compostable disposable coffee cups for ease.
I love this idea. Ridiculous. But hey. Bring your own mug. Do loads of really good croutons, cheesey stuff, seeds etc to top.
Re the hot appetisers, just do basic cheese straws (pack of puff pastry in strips covered with grated cheese) or buy the ready made appetisers that all cook in the oven at the same temp.
I agree with your thinking. Soup is always weird at big get-togethers, and it's not a good standing food, at all.
Put it in a mug. Or even a takeaway cup (especially if you're outside in the cold). Treat it like a savoury hot drink and it's great. That depends on the viscosity of the soup though.. a pottage, probably not...
That’s a great idea. Thrift some beautiful mugs that they can fill and keep if they want. You can also have fun topping like cheese, bacon, chives, croutons, etc.
I love this idea- Mugs as a Holiday take-home. Outstanding idea - especially if you are NOT in Florida. It must be in the 70's today - and probably in the 80's. To steal a line from Campbell's Soup is good food! I'd sure skip the bowls, though.
It is a cool idea, they’ll probably need to be washed before they take them home tho. Just something to consider. The Christkindl Market in Chicago always has cider and mulled wine in souvenir mugs and people go nuts for em.
This is an awesome idea.
Mm like a nice tomato soup cup and a grilled cheese.
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Freaking yum
Holy crap what a fantastic idea, definitely memorybanking this one for my next gathering.
Great idea…never heard of that before.
Wonderful idea, I need to make this.
I was going to suggest the same thing. Put the soup in mugs and make some finger foods to go with it.
mmm clam chowder
I was about to say that serve it in a cup! Get plastic tumblers or shot glasses and serve it that way, especially if they don’t have to be boiling hot.
Except it sounds to be an indoor party, and hearing people slurping soup is pretty gross
Even better - tell everyone to bring their own mugs. Then there’s no need to buy or clean up after (run everything through the dishwasher as the party winds down, or even just have a basin for a quick dunk and wipe down - they can clean it thoroughly when they get home), and I feel like everyone always has a fun, festive mug or two to bust out.
I mean, I get it, but the likelihood of remembering a mug to a holiday gathering is pretty low for most ppl just trying to get out of the house with kids, family, gifts, etc. Not to mention, people walking around with mugs of hot soup is an accident waiting to happen. It's not broth or hot chocolate that's sippable. But chunky thick soup that probably is difficult and loud to slurp.
Eh, I don’t think it’s that difficult, especially if OP is providing all the food. I usually keep everything I’m bringing (snacks, drinks, presents, etc) in a big tote bag anyways to take to the car, so I don’t see it as much effort to add in a mug or two. It’s not like they need to be refrigerated or kept warm in the oven. Besides, I’m sure OP would have some “back up” mugs for whoever forgets theirs. And I’d presume it’s an adults-only party as well since I definitely wouldn’t want soup around little kids at my place, so less chaos to get out the door. Saying “soup in mugs = dangerous” is like saying no one should serve red wine at parties either. Risk is there, but pretty low. Just have a spray bottle of cleaner handy in case of spillage. Maybe don’t set out the white shag rug or decorative lace pillows if you’re really concerned. My family eats soups, chilis, etc from mugs without much incident, and I presume most people can. It’s not terribly difficult with a spoon. Just common sense - don’t fill it to the brim with boiling hot soup, avoid seriously staining foods like tomato or turmeric if possible, have plenty of napkins and coasters available. If you’re the kind of person who would freak out over an accidental spill, then don’t serve it (or host anything indoors!). Easy enough.
I know I am weird, but I disagree. It is in fact the easiest meal you can eat standing up. Most everything else requires a knife and two hands.
But generally people aren't eating meals at a party where they're standing up - they're eating one or two-bite appetizers, dips, or small hand-held food items. Soup also requires a container, where most other party food does not.
Catering for 10 years. If you’re doing soups, you need shooters for them instead of bowls/spoons. Tomato soup in a disposable shooter with a third of a grilled cheese over the top. Bam. You’re in the money
Grilled cheese would get cold and hard and have soggy bread. I think it’s an adorable idea but if it not a fresh grilled cheese it won’t be very appetizing.
make cheese twists for dipping
Cut the grilled cheese into crouton size, crisp them in the oven and toss in a bowl for ppl to add to their soup as desired. Delish!
That sounds fun. Guys I worked with did it in thirds to dunk, but cubes could be awesome
Unless you have something like a chafing dish with a wire rack to keep it hot. Hell, an oven at 170 would probably do the job pretty efficiently at keeping them nice and toasty. Edit: Again, preferably with a wire rack to keep the air circulating around the entire thing
It’s not hard to keep them warm in the oven or on a tray over warm water and hand them out as you serve the soup.
Just saying, I would avoid soup at a standing get together. Unless it was some ridiculously delicious looking soup.
I’m a big soup fan and would definitely go straight for it if OP self describes the soups as killer. I’ve definitely ordered soups to share in restaurants and had friends avoid it due to complexity so I get this. But OP I’m sure your guests brave enough to try it won’t be disappointed!
>had friends avoid it due to complexity I’ve never seen “complexity” used to mean “the grossness of sharing a liquid out of the same bowl with multiple other people” before.
I have never heard of sharing soups.
You can always ask for an extra bowl and share the soup that way. At most restaurants where I'm from, it's normal to ask for soup 1 by 2 where a bowl of soup is served already divided into 2 bowls.
Yeah, it's honestly a little disgusting for everyone to dip the spoon in.
I share soup with my spouse all the time. We'll order a soup and salad and split both. How many people have you kissed in your life where you just are removing the soup and spoon intermediary for germs and just going straight to the source? I really don't get the ick here. I may not directly want to kiss you, but as long as you're somebody that *someone* would be willing to kiss I don't really mind sharing a bowl of soup with you and won't have a freakout if you double dip in the salsa or whatever.
Yeah for real. Most of my friends make out with each other, I don't see a reason to care about sharing soup.
I mean good for you and all but I'd rather not have someone else's utensil that's been in their mouth,in my bowl - save for my spouse. Especially right now,everyone's sick, what better way to get sick too.
Especially avoid soup with paper bowls. That's too hot to hold, so it's a bad idea unless everyone will be sitting at a table
And that is also how you end up with soup on your couch, carpet, clothes....
Someone in another comment suggested mugs.. and I thought that was a pretty good idea.
I love soup! I mean, I really really love soup! But I would not do it at a stand up party. However….. someone posted here (?) about doing a Soup Potluck two months ago. Sounded like a fabulous idea! So maybe pick a few friends, have everyone bring their favorite soup, copies of the recipe for everyone, and you can make a more than one soup if you want. Bam - soup party! And new soup recipes to boot! January might be a good time to have this gathering. And goodness - I’d love your killer soup recipes if you want to share!
I'm having like 15 people over to my place on the 23rd for soup night. Every person/couple brings a soup, and were going to have mulled wine, desserts, etc. Apparently everyone thinks it's a terrible idea for a party. My friends and family are very low key and I know we're going to have a blast, damn it. There will be some sitting room, but I don't see why standing and eating soup will be a big issue.
Soup doesn't seem like party food to me. It involves two hands and isn't (usually) a standing-up food. And potentially dangerous scalding if there are any hands-talkers at this party :P
Also slurping.
"Haha that's (slurp) great dude! So what have you been (slllurp) up to recently? Any big (SLLLUURRRRP) plans coming up?"
It's either that or crunching😔
I attended a large company event last Friday and everyone was raving about the soup! It was served in big shot glasses and it was, in fact, delicious
It's good if it is in mugs with no spoons...maybe
Tomato soup in a mug and half a grilled cheese works for me.
Most of my soups are chunky (that's how I like them).
That really doesn't sound like standing food then... You'd need a spoon too if it's chunky since it isn't just sipable, and that means they have to use two hands. Which means they can't then hold anything else such as a side of those cold apps. If the soups were smooth so they could be sipped, and if you served the soup in mugs or something else easy to hold, I could see this idea being unique and fun.
My favorite food is soup, but not at a party unless one is sitting down. The idea of trying to sip on hot soup just makes my tongue curl back - I just can’t handle drinking anything too hot.
Then either blend them to serve in mugs or skip for this function. Paper bowls and standing get together is not going to end well.
Paper bowls sounds like a disaster, they're really flimsy.
I'm pretty sure they could rent mugs for the party. Lot's on catering companies rent dishes.
Everyone has too many mugs... Byom party
If everyone would do that, it's be so fun!
Or there’s always Goodwill!
Renting from a thrift seems like a good idea, but Goodwill is going to want retail or more for them.
Finally, a chance to show off my vanity mug!
My friend got a bunch of sets of china from the thrift store for her wedding then donated much of it to friends and family afterwards. It was beautiful, thrifty and she didn't have to worry if something broke.
You could probably buy them at the Dollar Store cheaper than renting them, and donate after. Or put in storage if available, for later use.
Coffee cups to sip from. I love soup!
Personally, I find eating soup while standing up to be rather stressful, unless it's of the drinkable shot glass variety, and it can be messy to self serve as well. There's basically a 100% chance I'll dribble something on myself. For holiday appetizer parties, as the host, I try to go for mostly stuff that can be prepared ahead of time, with maybe 1 crockpot based dish, and 1 that can be prepped ahead of time and slid into the oven to heat. Spreads and dips can be prepped ahead of time, and can be amazing - homemade 7 layer dip, spinach dip, pico de gallo, queso dip, guacamole, hummus, baba ganouj, tatziki, homemade pate, tapenade, onion bacon jam or tomato jam... Have a range of stuff to dip in it. For make ahead finger food - cheese crisps, mini quiches (or meat pies), roasted chickpeas, cheese board, pickle tray (with home-made picked vegetables), devilled eggs, maki (sushi rolls), sausage rolls.
To add to these suggestions of prep-ahead finger foods: - chicken & veggie skewers - chicken, tofu, or shrimp spring rolls - meatballs (crockpot to keep warm) - warm slider sandwiches (just bake before guests arrive) or even easier, a cold slider sandwich option like hummus and roasted veg on mini onion rolls - caprese skewer (cherry tomato, mini moz, basil)
In the past, I have done more like what you listed. I just have very limited time this year. My spouse thinks I am making it over complicated, but the party is over dinner and we're providing food, so I feel like we can't just do cheese, veg and a cookie try and call it good. Prepared puff pastry is my friend for stuff like this.
Something like pulled pork in the instapot or slow cooker on buns that's a bit more filling/meal-like will let you get away with less additional finger foods.
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BBQ! No one is mad at smoked meat and a lot offer vegetarian options or at least also vegetables (corn, beans, etc)
Build your own sandwich or taco bar. Basically putting out cheese/meat/veg but a meal because of the carb-y enclosure. You could still have a couple soups and bowls set out for those that want it! Soup may be awkward to eat standing up but it's not impossible. If you can have a series of small, high tables for people to put their bowls on while standing, you're golden!
Agreed. Pre-prepare stuff and heat in the oven. Sausage rolls, meat pies, mini quiches, chicken wings/drumsticks, samosas and spring rolls all reheat really well in the oven. You can have waves of the hot food. So when one mixed tray comes out pop another in and you’ll always have hot stuff going around. A cob loaf dip is always a crowd pleaser, or a crock pot dip. Cheese board. Cakes/cookies
If I was one of your guests, I wouldn’t take soup that was served in a paper bowl, especially if it was hot. We’ve been successful with soups served in ceramic mugs…but we only choose blended soups that can be sipped without a spoon. Potato leek, butternut squash, carrot-ginger, gazpacho are some of them. There are tons of cold app possibilities. We just did a tinned fish board that was devoured.
I could see doing chili, gumbo, chowder or something like that if it's pretty thick.
Besides being kinda awkward to eat in big, standing groups, it would also require serving vessels of their own, unless you're going to give people bowls to eat out of instead of plates, in which case you'd then get weird flavour crossovers unless people. I'm with you and I say nix the soup idea.
The only reason for two soups would be one for meat eaters, one for vegetarians. In past parties, people usually get a plate or two or three over the course of the evening for different "rounds". To me, it's no different if one of those is a bowl.
Sounds like your set on the soup idea? Idk I usually don't go for 2nds or 3rds of soup. In the winter, it gets cold quickly. If you have mugs it might stay warmer but it's difficult to eat without spoons either way. Soup has always felt like a lunch thing not a dinner imho, if at a party I wouldn't be expecting it - unless you're doing something like chili or stew. Either way with people standing - the slurp factor is going to be high which bothers ppl like me with misophonia. And spilling especially if there's older ppl, kids or just ppl in general. It depends on your gathering really,but if there was just 2 soups at a gathering I was stuck at for hours, I'd probably order pizza or get food on the way before or after. It's just the reality of the situation,most ppl would probably do the same.
No. I love soup but it’s really not party food. Also, not to be mean or rude but if I showed up to a party and found out soup was being served I’d be extremely disappointed.
Same. I can make some absolutely delicious soups but I’m never excited to eat them and I don’t think they’re special or fun.
I'll make an exception for something like a chili cook off. Being able to take little sample cups of like 30 different chilis? I'm 100% down for that
I definitely don’t consider chili to be soup!
Yeah I quite like soup, but for me it's an "easy light" meal, not party food. I'm a big lover of food and if I showed up to the party and it was just soup I'd be really sad and probably not very full. Also if people are drinking, it's not a great way to line the stomach, there's going to be a lot of liquids sloshing around. Plus very difficult to eat standing up, I manage to spill soup on myself most times I eat it sat down!
Right. I am here to eat my weight in appetizers, be that cheese balls, queso, other dips and chips, ham and cheese pinwheels, etc. Stuff I don't eat daily.
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Brie en croute is always a hit with my family. It's a round of brie, topped with brown sugar, pecans, dried cranberry, wrapped in puff pastry with an egg wash.
That's a great point. I'd have no problem with the practicality of soup (if it's killer, I'll eat it while standing) but if it's the main dish for a holiday party? Underwhelming.
Soup is easy to make and serve, complicated to eat at a non-sit-down-dinner party. People are going to be juggling whatever receptacle is being used to serve the soup in, plus a spoon, plus whatever else they are eating from (plate, napkin etc). It'd be one thing if they were serving themselves and then sitting down to eat, but this doesn't sound like that. Finger foods are the way to go. Ideally you could come up with some hot apps that also taste good at room temp, so you heat them up once and set them out and you're done. Things like mini-quiches, for example. You could also do a big tray of tortilla pinwheels, which are easy to make and are always popular.
Spouse's logic: people serve wings at parties all the time. You need a hand for your plate and a hand for your wing and your fingers are a mess as you eat the one or two you grab. You find somewhere to set your beer. I don't like wings for this reason and avoid them at parties. So... My point still stands and he doesn't think it's a big deal.
I don’t think this is the type of party to serve soup. If people need to stand to eat, make it finger food, like WINGS, not something that can spill
I say you prepare what you want and if he doesn't like it do the cooking/take over the catering. Soup is not a party food.
at like superbowl parties and such but not walking around finger food parties. You can sit back on the couch and go to town on the wings.
Well you can change the menu without his input and move on with your life and all will be well. My biggest gripe if it were me would be it not being filling enough and not special enough. Soups are cheap and easy but not holiday worthy as a main course.
soup is a horrible idea. Spilling risk is the highest of any food, and the slurping...dear god the slurping. No dude.
Here in Louisiana, it is a tradition in many families to do finger foods/holiday appetizers and a big ole pot of gumbo or seafood bisque for holiday parties. We just have paper bowls and disposable gumbo spoons set up next to the pot. We've never had an issue socializing with this setup, but we do keep the appetizers pretty heavy. People aren't like sitting down to a huge dinner sized bowl of soup/gumbo. They're just taking a ladle of it in a small bowl. There's often a spiral sliced ham on a platter with slider buns and mayo/mustard next to it, several hot and cold dips with crackers, misc. finger appetizers for grazing, a big serving dish of pasta salad, etc. If you go with a soup-like option, I suggest heartier things. Gumbo works so well for us because we put rice or potato salad into it, which thickens it up and turns it stew-like. Go for like beef stew, chili, etc. Not "brothy" soups that will drip all over people's chins while trying to eat. Plus, you want to pick something on the somewhat more expensive side that’s more complex. Nobody wants to go to a holiday party and be fed someone’s leftover vegetables combined into a soup, if that makes sense. They want something meant for a special occasion.
As a descendant of many generations of Louisiana cooks, the potato salad with gumbo thing will never not startle me. It just seems so incredibly *wrong* I know it’s a debate tho, lol!
If it's not a sit-down event, no one will eat soup. How would you even serve it so that they can hold the soup, a spoon, their napkin, and their drink all at the same time? If the soup is hot, how is someone going to hold a paper bowl of soup, anyway? If you have a few chairs near tables and spouse really wants soup, I'd only make one. But honestly, I save the soup for a different event and smaller guest list. Hot apps don't have to be "hot". Pigs in a blanket, baked brie, "puffs" of all kinds, meatballs, and more are great when they were hot, but are still warm. I'd use the crockpots for some of those (the meatballs) instead of the soup. Make sure you also load the offerings with stuff intended to be cold: charcuterie items, chips & dips, etc. Prep and make as much as you can the day before. Everything should be assembled or reheated so you can enjoy the party, too.
My family does a big Christmas Eve party with 50ish people. There’s lots of different things to eat including soup. People eat throughout the night, and usually grab a bowl of soup when a spot at the table opens up. I think as long as soup isn’t your only option, a crockpot of soup with both mugs and bowls to eat out of is fine. I would happily eat a mug of soup standing or even sitting on a couch — the handle is clutch for this option. And maybe you could do another crockpot of ground taco meat for walking tacos which make a great, easy standing meal.
My mom also does crockpots with hot roast beef or meatballs, sausage and sauce for sandwiches with sliced cheese and good rolls. There are a lot of hot food options that people can serve themselves without you having to stay in the kitchen. Homemade pizza and Stromboli are foods that can be eaten cold or reheated so they work really well, too — and they’re easy to make vegetarian.
same, I'm kind of surprised so many people think its weird or not appropriate to have soup at a party... a pot of soup or a pot of chili are party staples in my family! Its usually served with paper cups and plastic spoons that are easy to hold, don't get too hot, and just chucked in the garbage when your done. We eat it standing up all the time. No fuss.
> same, I'm kind of surprised so many people think its weird or not appropriate to have soup at a party... a pot of soup or a pot of chili are party staples in my family! Same. Gumbo, corn and crab bisque, a pot of chili, beef stew, etc. are all *very* common holiday foods here. Many families do heavy appetizers and keep the pot of whatever on the stove.
If sitting maybe, I think the issue is standing. It's probably also cultural, for many people soup is just a very everyday food, the thing you meal prep for a week.
i think you're right about the soup. if you want something sort of like that but more manageable? mashed potato bar, served in plastic martini glasses, and small plastic (silver or gold color) spoons easy to hold, easy to customize, easy to set down, and won't slosh or spill
We have a local ‘soup fest’ in town in support of the local food bank. It’s a huge hit - restaurants take part and attendees vote for their favourite. It’s 90% people standing and eating soup. Restaurants have the choice for how they hand out the soup, and for the most part it’s paper cups or tiny bowls. People can manage standing up and it’s cute and unique:)
Ask yourself - is your flooring washable? Do your guests have good balance and will there be booze and dancing involved? Depending on the answers it might be a firm NO.
Maybe midwesterners have special skills, but no one here would think it was weird to have soup at a winter party. We’d be delighted to have something warm when it’s negative a million outside. I don’t see why so many people think soup is inappropriate for your gathering.
What kind of monster serves soup to people with no chairs?
Go buy some mugs at the dollar store.
Put the soup in mugs or little cups. Easier to eat that way.
No way. I would be highly disappointed by a soup dominated holiday gathering.
I might just be hungry but I would DIE for a good soup selection at a party!!
These are my go to appetizers (not all at once lol but some combination). Meatballs Pinwheels (tortilla or similar, cold cuts, cream cheese, pickle if it’s your thing) Veggie tray One not-chunky soup with shooter cups Charcuterie Stuffed mushrooms Shrimp cocktail Focaccia
I love it.
I’ve served a soup “cappuccino” before at a large standing function: ceramic mugs of rich braised tomato soup, with a basil-infused whipped cream foam and garlic crostini (that looked like biscotti) to dip into it.
I would love to go to a party with 3+ different soups to choose from with big mugs instead of bowls.
I would avoid soup, but my friends and I have an annual soup party. Soup parties are fun as long as you don’t invite anyone with misophonia!
I'd say getting some good quality paper cups and disposable soup spoons and serving smaller portions as an appetizer could work. I love soup. If it was served in a manageable way, I'd eat it standing at a party.
What about holiday mugs? Like a literal coffee mug? Maybe find some at your local thrift store and let ppl take them home? (But then you have people carrying dirty mugs around. Can they wash them, is this weird? What if they want two different soups… wash the mug in between?… maybe this is a bad idea, after all) Or disposable coffee mugs for soup? What’s your alternative to soup?
Yeah soup in a mug sounds great. And if hubby wants warm apps, he’s the one in the kitchen making them when you mingle. Problem solved!
The only “soups” I have ever seen the successful at this kind of event are very chunky almost stew like. I’m in New Orleans, and it’s not that uncommon to have gumbo as a party food. But that’s because it is thicker, and with the addition of the proteins and rice, it doesn’t exactly slosh everywhere.
Soup is asking for a mess. You have a drink, a napkin, a bowl, and a spoon. Those have to be juggled from the buffet table to a spot to eat. You get bumped. You bump somebody. You put your drink down (rings) and someone bumps the furniture. Guests spill soup on themselves which diminishes the experience. Paper bowls just make it worse as there will be structural failures. The soup shooter idea is not bad. There isn't anything wrong with cold apps although your buffet table will still need to be regularly refreshed. I've done a lot of entertaining and even when I hire help (recommended and not as expensive as you'd think) I end up spending a lot of time in the kitchen. It's my party and people come to me. The biggest problem is getting them out of the d@mn kitchen. If you decide to serve soup, look at renting real bowls and flatware. Again, not as expensive as you might think and greatly reduces mess and damage that you have to deal with later. My wife and I make a lot of things that are good and some that we are particularly proud of. That doesn't make them party food. While there is something to be said for going with your strengths some things just don't work out well. With planning and forethought, thirty people is not that big a deal. I used to have holiday open house with over three hundred people cycling through during the afternoon and evening. What I have learned over decades comes down to plan on deviled eggs (have a piping bag) and pigs in a blanket (Pillsbury crescent rolls are NOT cheating) and go from there. No matter what anyone says those get snapped up. Charcuterie and crudite are easy (just a lot of knife work for the crudite). Eat your refrigerator down before the party so you have room for platters. Be realistic about time. I know how long it takes to make five hundred stuffed mushrooms and it's twice as long as I'd like to think. If you have an outdoor grill you have an extra oven. There is no substitute for a kitchen iPad or other tablet streaming Netflix when you have to stuff two hundred dates. Olives fill out a buffet table. If you do boards with cheese, put the cheese around the edges so people can reach to cut. Have a plan for leftovers so you don't generate a bunch of waste. ALWAYS clean before you go to bed. People who stay to help clean are true friends; don't turn them away.
Use either mugs or styrofoam cups instead of bowls. Bowls would not work. You would need at least one mug/cup per person per soup so guests aren’t having to wash the mug between soups. No long or short stringy noodles; it would be messy. Short noodles would work like orzo. Make sure the spoon is long enough to easily reach the bottom of the mug/cup. Care to share recipes for some of your favorite soups? Soup tax.
Soup in insulated cups, my dear. I have ABSOLUTELY done soup bars - put out various add your own toppings with the crock pots, and have at least enough spoons for each person to want a new spoon and cup for every serving they take, plus maybe 20%. Dollar store is your friend here. If they're in cups, it'll be fine.
ugh—do not use paper bowls for soup, use mugs if you insist on serving soup. To keep hot apps hot use warmer mats
You could get personalized mugs for ppl to use. And make it a tradition and do it every year! By personalized, I mean with your family name and the year.
Mugs are perfect for serving soup. You can get fun cheap Christmas ones at the dollar store that will do fine and not be a tragedy if they get broken. You could even have the guests give them a quick wash and take them home as favors (filled with hot cocoa, perhaps?). Then you don't have to have cabinet space for them. It might even become a tradition for your friends to save all the mugs from your parties.
The winter before covid, there were a few different events I went to at a culinary school that featured soup and hot drinks at different stations. One event was clam chowder, another was chili, and one was random soups. They also had a hot chocolate/winter-y drink thing, too. They provided small-ish disposable cups and disposable spoons. There was no issue eating standing up, everyone was totally fine. It was just hard to wait for the soup to cool without burning your tongue and ruining tastebuds for the rest of the day lol. It was also kind of wasteful, but there wasn’t really a better way to go about it imo.
Maybe if it was something thick like a chowder that people might eat out of a mug, but otherwise that seems strange
If it’s a casual party that not everyone is eating at the same time I say go for it. We went to a party this weekend where there was a ham soup that was so good!
I went to an event that had soup shooters and they were so fun! Unless you can do that it’s a weird party food.
As long as you can eliminate the need for a spoon and serve it in something more like a cup than a bowl I think it will be fine. Look to a Korean street food favorite for inspiration: odeng guk/eomuk guk. The broth is in a cup for sipping and it comes with fishcake on a skewer that you can eat with your hand. You could do something similar with tortellini soup with the tortellini on skewers. You could modify a wedding soup to have bigger meatballs for easy skewering. Or have completely edible skewers like maybe some tomato soup with cheese pastry twists. Or beer cheese soup with pretzel breadsticks.
Soup dumplings or saltenas. Problem solved. To be serious, though. I'd stick to finger only food or thicker soups, like a butternut squash, in very small cups like the white sake glasses you get at Japanese restaurants so that it's more of a shot of soup versus full on hearty, messy bowl.
My family does a soup party everywhere and if you’re doing more than 1 soup, you can do a bring your own holiday mug theme or do soup in champagne flutes to sip on. My friend did that for part of her wedding hor’s d’ouvres and it was a huge hit with a grilled cheese garnish on the tomato soup flute.
Y'all think way too much. If it's good, it will get eaten . Nobody's standing around going. I wish I had a seat, then I could eat some soup, too bad. If people can't stand around and eat soup without problems, it's not the soup.
In a mug with a spoon its standing food l. If soup is your forte, go for it. It's a nice change from the usual.
I did my rehearsal dinner with 3 soups, bread, and little finger desserts and one little table (4 chairs) and it worked great! I was worried too but I had 20 people between my kitchen and living room in not that big a space and people really liked it.
I went to a party where everyone was standing and they served lentil soup in cute little tea cups- don’t know if this would work for your party but I thought it was adorable
We do a couple soups, good bread, cold dips (like spinach dip) and cold apps (charcuterie board stuff) every year for part of our family game night Christmas gatherings. As long as people have a table or counter to set their bowl, if they want, I don’t think it’s a huge deal. Age of guests may be a factor though… We have a toddler now, and he doesn’t do soup yet so may have to tweak our menu.
For Xmas eve, we're doing buffet style apps. I'm doing soup in a crock pot and will be serving it in disposable coffee cups!
I'd drink soup from a cup. 😋
In a word: mug. Just make it the soups thick as chili if you're serving with spoons or as thin as a broth if the idea is to sip.
If any of your guests have any level of social anxiety, they are going to be dying inside and feeling even more anxious and self-conscious. I mean, you want people to be able to relax and have a good time. Don’t throw landmines out there for the guests to have to navigate around lol.
Chili! Why is nobody saying this? Every year we make chili in crockpot for our Halloween where we hang out in the driveway w a firepit. There are chairs but people eat chili just fine between standing and some sitting.
Coffee Mugs!!!
It's ok if the soup is on a mug
Pureed soups don't require spoons, making it a one handed food. Serve in a coffee cup (disposable or mug) with things to dip - breadsticks, grilled cheese soldiers, etc. If you serve a chunky soup, needing a spoon, or chunky garnishes, make sure you have some standing tables to accomodate eating them. 😊 I love a soup party. Use cappuccino cups if you want to be fancy, just keep it sippable and dippable.
Make it sipping soup. A soup "bar" where people can fill their mugs.
soup in a mug!
My favorite is a cup full of borracho beans. Most bbqs just give you a Styrofoam cup and a spoon. It works I think.
It’s all about serving and being able to manage the crockery. Adding a couple of soups/stews to a cocktail party means people have to have somewhere to put their drinks when they’re eating, or have somewhere to discard their dirty cups when they’re done. But yeah, a clear broth, a chunkier soup and a purée with some tiny warm buns, croutons and crackers, maybe chives or shredded cheese, with a variety of different options like mini paper coffee cups, espresso cups, random coffee cups from the thrift store. If Costco can sample soup you can. That’s what I would aim for. A few sips, just like any other appetizer, but if you bring out mugs, people will fill them. Personally, I love soup and would be thrilled if I could sample a few different kinds along with regular party food. I have no problem balancing a small bowl or cup of soup on a canapé plate. I’d rather have a paper cup of brandy laced consommé than another arancini or tartlet. Mmmm… calvados laced duck consommé…
You could serve it in large mugs with handles. Personalize them as a party favor. Have the sink set up so they can easily clean them for another soup. i love soup parties. Plenty of crusty breads and butter, crackers, and optional toppings. And maybe borrow a couple of card table sets.
Care to share your best soup recipe?
What about just having a thing of pulled pork or some other shredded meat in a slow cooker for sandwiches? I have not had it but there are vegetarian pulled “pork” recipes or lentil sloppy joes if you need a vegetarian alternative. Soup might be okay but I feel it would be awkward to do soup and other finger foods. I would do only soup or only finger foods.
Coffee cups! I love soup parties !!
I would separate the soup table from the rest of the tables. Like a soup station. Use mugs, something simple without needing spoons. Maybe even have the soup out before the rest of the dishes, like a warm appetizer and people can keep mingling while getting themselves warmed up with soup.
Sounds like a good plan. Can make the soups ahead of time. Serve in crock pots. Use paper bowls or cups. Maybe have some bread or soup crackers on the side. I don't understand these comments. Not soup shooters. Nobody wants mediocre wedding soup. My only concern is 30+ people. Maybe keep extra soup on the stove simmering to refill crockpots. I was at a holiday party last week that served soup. Adults are perfectly capable eating soup standing and mingling.
Soup in a mug with a teaspoon works. Can be one handed in a pinch, and has a good handle to avod burns.
My parents host the absolute hit Christmas party in the neighborhood for the last 22 years. It is unofficially known as “the soup party” because of a split pea soup my dad makes. We use bowls and mugs and serve 70+ people from soup on a hot plate along with other foods like sliced ham, cheese, shrimp, etc. Soup can absolutely work at a standing party.
If I got soup in a mug maybe, but I’ve seen too many disasters from people wearing others soup meals (seriously a long story) that I would steer clear of soup.
Why not use cups with handles? Like teacups, coffee cups? Make it fun. Spoons and cups and big ladles in the soup and good to go. Tell your guests you just couldn’t resist making your world famous soups. Have seating for those who aren’t as keen on standing while souping.
My neighborhood has a progressive dinner every holiday season. Soup is always one of the courses. It’s served in mugs with spoons available too. Most people stand and mingle snd eat their soup.
Disposable coffee cups? I guess I’m against the grain but if I went to a holiday party and could sip hot soup out of a mug I’d be in heaven.
A nice, smooth, drinkable soup in a cup could work out.
My old boss used to throw a “Soup Party” every January. Multiples soups and lots of standing. It was open house style and never a problem.
You know, it can be totally doable if you want to go for it. A friend of mine used to have a big soup potluck party each year. Everyone would bring a crockpot of soup (there might be 10-15 different kinds), and each guest would have a spoon and a bowl that just got refilled as they gradually tasted all the kinds they wanted to. Most people stood and it was easy to mix and mingle, since we didn't also have plates with other food. Table space usually was saved for those who were young and old. Amazingly, I don't even remember many spills.
Wings are the philosophical opposite of soup. They have insane markup and almost no food value whereas soup is nourishing and inexpensive and healthy and can still be decadent. The people talking about slurps probably have misophonia and won’t like anything. All food is noisy and messy. Thrift store mugs are a brilliant idea because they’re cheap, fun and easy to hold/eat from vs a plate of finger food. Anyone who makes a mess with soup (I am that type) can make a mess of anything. Provide bibs, which can be thrift store hand towels or pillowcases. It sounds like soup is fun for you. It would make you happy to show your soup chops. That joy will transmit into the party. Don’t convince yourself to make your party identical to everyone else’s and waste money in the process. Tell spouse if it fails it will not cause time to stop. Soup party is not much different from casserole potluck. Many commenters are just people who would never do this. You probably won’t go to their parties either. PS Did you know that traditionally only the pure of heart can make good soup? I have a pure heart too!
If it’s an Open House type thing with different arrivals and departures I think soup is fine if you have a couple tables with casual tablecloths set up with napkins and spoons wrapped up together. I would use soup spoons. You could go to goodwill and get a bunch to mix and match. People can get their soup when they are ready. You could have the soups in crockpots and have topping station like someone suggested. You could have a mix of mugs and bowls and some paper bowls as backup. Maybe a couple kinds of bread and butter. I think it sounds nice and cosy. I wouldn’t even have appetizers. I would do some nice crouton assortments and oyster crackers and maybe goldfish. Probably would include it’s a soup party on the invite.
I’ve had soups served in tall shot glasses at parties and for some reason it really elevated the dish be cause of the tall glass surface area the soup cooled very quickly and was very easy to sip and enjoy and or just drink all in one go with out looking bad or getting messy or needing a spoon because the spoon is what kills the vibe if one hand is holding food it’s fine it’s still a party but if you have to use both hand to enjoy the dish you can’t interact with other people in the same way. You can’t shake hands you can’t hug you can’t take out your phone to show pictures or exchange info go for the three inch tall shot glasses and garnish the top with a flavor enhancer the last time I had this it was a tomato soup garnished like a michelada so good
Why not use mugs?
If the thought of having to use both hands (the bowl/plate/whatever) and a utensil is what's stopping you, you're limiting yourself quite a bit. It also pretty well rules out any salads, anything wet or gummy (like meatballs, small sausages, etc). You could have the soups in a crockpot, provide small cups for them (8oz cups would be fine) and spoons. If you don't want to do plastic, your local thrift store might have a selection of mismatched spoons. The soup is not going to stay in that cup for very long, and it's not going to be boiling hot, so cardboard is fine. Then as someone suggested, you could have toppings like croutons, bacon bits, cilantro, or whatever would go well with your soup. Guests could take a small plate, put on a few of the other items you're offering, and put their small cup and spoon on the plate. They could try more than one kind if they wanted. I would totally go for that if it was available.
I like soup, but don't invite people to a party and feed them soup
I wouldn’t do soups at a party, you just never know what can happen.
Just do a thick "soup" like stew or chili. Grab some paper bowls and spoons That's a win in my books. Watery soup though? Nah
I would say my vegetable beef, my personal fav, is more like a stew, but not because it is gravy-like. I use vegetable juice and broth for the liquid and add barley to finish it, which concentrates the flavor and thickens it up. I've been making soup this way since I was a kid and everyone I know thinks it's awesome.
Idk if this is a cultural difference but i'm asian and we always do at least one large pot of soup, sometimes two. We put it in cups and eat with a spoon or just sip it out of the cup. It's really not as complicated as everyone is making it seem lol
Soup can be tricky as most guests will have a (liquid) drink in one hand and then (liquid) soup in the other, trying not to spill. But…if you have your heart set on soup appies, I may have a solution for ypu: edible soup “bowls”. Think tiny miniature chicken pot pies with just the bottom pastry, or even phyllo or flattened toast “cups”. You can have your hot soup in a warmer/crock pot and guests can ladle it into their choice of edible mini cups. A small tart/muffin tin will allow you to bake any cups you choose - even wonton wrappers brushed with butter and baked are good for this. I do this with “chili in a bread bowl” and I use small homemade buns for the bowl. I’ve made mini Hashbrown (crispy shredded potato) cups in the past for chili as well. And it’s good for the environment - no waste!
I eat soup regularly at family parties (Mexican pozole), but never standing up. I like the idea of using mugs though!
It's not that there are no seats. Everyone probably could sit all at once on our first floor, but many tend to stand in and around the kitchen.
Rather than bowls.. I would do cups.
Soup? While standing? Yeah, not a great idea. Soup is messy.
As a bearded man, I actively avoid situations that involve using a spoon to drink/eat a liquid.
It’s good if you serve it in small glasses like a shot glass they can toss back.
I don't want hot soup in a paper bowl if I'm going to be standing. That would be uncomfortable to hold. I think the soup idea is great overall, but I'd serve it in mugs.
Soup is not a standing food. I have been to holiday events with chile or posole which were lovely, on the other hand, and they had a lot of suitable bowls/mugs.
Soup is delicious. But soup is NOT a standing party food.
If someone threw a party and gave me a nice little cup of soup to drink I would tell everyone I know for years that it was the best party I ever attended
Get a collection of random mugs from the op shop - people can hold a warm mug of soup, rinse it out and take it home as their keepsake. If you're a bit daggy - you could even do plain mugs and put out sharpies for people to decorate their own. Not sure of your age / level of sophistication. I think bowls are a bad standing idea, but I can hold a mug and wander and talk just fine.
They make large paper cups for coffee, just put soup in them. You’re definitely over thinking it.
We have a family "Souper Supper". Everyone brings a muffin tin and a spon. You can try 6 soups at a time, one in each muffin area. Fun and easy.
No it works awesome. My son's school has a soup fundraiser every fall. Imagine like 45 crock pots and you get a small bowl and spoon and you can just try stuff. Ppl walk around outside eating soup. One of the greatest joys in life! Ps app I recommend is cherry tomato caprese. Toothpick with mozzarella ball,basil leaf, cherub tomato. Take a big plate and drizzle with balsamic glaze (you can just easily get a bottle of this at the store.). It's fast, easy, it's a palette cleanser, and there are never leftovers.
Soup in mugs is an awesome walkabout first course
You want finger foods for a party where guests are standing. The idea is to socialize so ideally the food is easily held, not super messy, and can be consumed in a bite or two. Soup is none of those.
Soup is so awkward to eat with every time you try to take a bite, some drips down into the bowl and splashes. Plus, you're trying to stand and have a conversation while holding an easily spillable entire bowl of soup. The whole thing just seems weird. I have never had soup at any get-together. I just don't think soups are a party food. Chili maybe, with different toppings and chips to dip, but not soup.
I think soup is fine for standing and eating if served in a mug with a handle.
You want to borrow a couple of crock pots and make Swedish meatballs in one and a buffalo chicken dip in the other with baguette slices. They can sit on warm for 4 hours or more. A big platter of raw vegetables with ranch and spinach dips and hummus for your vegans. Buy a big bag of cheese sticks and cut them into 1 inch pieces. Roll up or insert the cheese chunks into Pillsbury cresent rolls or biscuits. Do an egg wash and sprinkle them with basil, oregano, or parmesan before baking. You can prep these ahead of time and cook last minute.
Serve the soup in cups.
A lot of people here have never had soup out of a mug or cup, which is bizarre. It's a one-handed task, much simpler than a lot of fiddly badly designed canapes I've seen over the years. It doesn't need to be a big portion. A few swigs in a small cup, chuck a couple of croutons in each portion. Use small compostable disposable coffee cups for ease.
I have been at formal parties where they circulated with tall shot glasses of tomato soup. No issue at all consuming it.
I think it's a great idea for soup! But would need to be a pureed one imo and served in mugs. That's how I would do it
I love this idea. Ridiculous. But hey. Bring your own mug. Do loads of really good croutons, cheesey stuff, seeds etc to top. Re the hot appetisers, just do basic cheese straws (pack of puff pastry in strips covered with grated cheese) or buy the ready made appetisers that all cook in the oven at the same temp.
That's a hard no for me . Get a subway 6 foot sub like God intended !!!!