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Weekend menu plan for a house full of friends

A weekend is six meals, and the one that gets forgotten is always breakfast. Plan them as meals with a cook against each one, then shop once. Quantities here are per person, so set the number and the list does the arithmetic with you.

46 items

Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.

The items

  1. Friday: something that survives people arriving lateA chilli, a big gratin, a soup. Anything that does not mind waiting an hour for the last car.
  2. The main dish, cooked ahead or brought ready
  3. Bread×2
  4. Something to open on arrival
  5. Saturday breakfast
  6. Bread or pastries×10
  7. CoffeeTwice what you think. A house of eight drinks the first pot before anyone has spoken.
  8. Tea
  9. Milk, in litres×3
  10. Butter and jam
  11. Fruit×8
  12. Eggs×12
  13. Saturday lunch: light, because dinner is the event
  14. Bread×3
  15. Cheese and charcuterie
  16. Salad, tomatoes, something raw
  17. Crisps or nuts for the table
  18. Saturday dinner: the meal of the weekend
  19. Name the two people cooking it
  20. The main dish, with a vegetarian version counted separately
  21. A side that can be made while the main cooks
  22. Dessert, or the thing somebody promised to bring
  23. Sunday breakfast, bigger than Saturday'sPeople leave from this meal, so it stands in for lunch for half the house.
  24. Bread or pastries×10
  25. Eggs and bacon, or the local equivalent
  26. Juice, in litres×2
  27. The between-meals, which is where the money goes
  28. Crisps, nuts, olives
  29. Chocolate or biscuits
  30. Fruit that survives a rucksack
  31. Drinks
  32. Wine, in bottles×8
  33. Beer×24
  34. Water, in litres×12
  35. Something good with no alcohol in itNot just water. Somebody is driving, pregnant, or simply not drinking, and deserves better than tap.
  36. Ice
  37. The things a rented kitchen never has
  38. Olive oil, salt, pepper
  39. Coffee filters, or the right pods
  40. Cling film and foil
  41. Bin bags×6
  42. Washing-up liquid and a sponge
  43. A sharp knifeThe one thing every holiday rental is missing, in every country.
  44. Collect the allergies and diets before shopping, not at the table
  45. Shop once, on the way, with a list split by aisle
  46. Keep the receipt for the kitty

Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.

Questions people ask

How much food does a weekend for eight need?
Per person and per day: about 150g of bread, 200g of meat or its equivalent across the day, a litre of drink, and more breakfast than anyone predicts. Buy for six meals, not for two dinners and a hope.
What is the meal everyone forgets?
Saturday breakfast, then Sunday breakfast. Eight people wake up hungry in a house with one loaf, and somebody drives twenty minutes for bread while the rest wait.
Should everyone cook together?
One pair per meal works better than eight people in one kitchen. Name the pair when you plan the meal, and the washing-up pair at the same time.