Eid Food Ideas: How We Feed 30 People, Keep Everyone Happy and Still Have Energy for the Bouncy Castle
Eid is my absolute favourite time of year.
Well twice lol. cos we’re bougie like that…
The outfits
The kids running wild
The adults pretending they’re too grown for limbo (they’re not)
And the food…oh, the food.
I’m Shaz, mum of four from East London, Bengali heritage, Muslim and firmly of the belief that Eid without a ridiculous amount of food is just a regular Tuesday.
We’re talking biryani. Samosas. A full dessert table. A chocolate fountain.
One legendary year, my sister hired sumo suits and my niece and little sister absolutely battered each other in the garden while the rest of us nearly choked laughing.
Peak Eid energy.
If you’re hosting Eid this year, or just trying to figure out what to cook or order, this is the guide I wish I’d had.
Whether you’re feeding 10 or 30, I’ve got you bro!
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How We Do Eid: The Big Picture
First things first, we take turns hosting Eid in our family.
Four married sisters, one rotation. That means I host roughly once every two years which is honestly the perfect arrangement.
Enough time to recover from the last one before it’s your turn again.
This year it’s my turn and we’re expecting around 20-30 people including kids.
In previous years my mum hosted every single time because that’s what mums do but we finally put a stop to that. She deserves to show up, eat and enjoy like everyone else.
The day itself runs like this:
Wake up. Pray together as a family. The boys head to the mosque for Eid prayers. Everyone gets dressed, hair, makeup, the works.
Photos taken immediately after getting dressed because I learned the hard way that if you leave it until the end of the day, everyone looks absolutely feral and you get nothing usable.
Ask me how I know.
Then we pick up the food, set everything out, and the chaos begins. Beautifully, wonderfully chaotic.
The Eid Food Menu: What We’re Serving This Year
This year we’re ordering in rather than cooking everything from scratch and I have absolutely zero guilt about that.
There are some incredible halal small businesses in East London doing catering and honestly the food is better than anything I could produce while also doing hair and makeup and wrangling four kids.
I found our caterer through Facebook, a local small business offering full Eid catering packages.
If you’re in East London just search your local community Facebook groups. You’ll find someone brilliant within minutes.
Support small businesses where you can. 🤍
The Savoury Spread
Here’s what’s on the menu this year:
Chicken Biryani and Meat Biryani The non-negotiables.
You cannot have Eid without biryani. It’s basically written somewhere. Fragrant, spiced, layered rice, I’m getting emotional just thinking about it.
Samosas…Chicken and Meat Perfect for grazing, perfect for the kids, perfect for sneaking three before anyone notices.
Tandoori Chicken Smoky, charred, spiced. Goes with everything. Disappears within minutes.
Bengali Style Roast Chicken Not your English Sunday roast, this is roast chicken Bengali style. Spiced, deeply flavoured and absolutely nothing like what you get at a carvery.
My family would disown me if I served anything else.
Chana Chaat The underrated hero of any South Asian spread. Chickpeas, tamarind, spices, fresh herbs. Light enough to balance out the heaviness of the biryani. Also absolutely delicious.
Fresh Salad Because we do make at least a token gesture toward vegetables. 😄
Dips with Breadsticks, Cucumber Sticks and Carrots For the kids mainly. And for adults who need something to do with their hands while the main food is being set up.
The Dessert Table: The Real Star of the Show
The dessert table.
This is where I put my whole heart and soul.
We don’t do a small plate of biscuits and call it dessert in this family. We do a full dessert table and we go in.
The Eid Mubarak Cake A big fresh cream red velvet cake with Eid Mubarak written on it.
Ordered from a local halal baker. It’s the centrepiece of the whole dessert table and it photographs beautifully.
Firni A traditional South Asian rice pudding dessert, delicately spiced with cardamom and rose water.
Served in individual clay pots if you want to be fancy about it. Creamy, fragrant and one of those desserts that just tastes like home.
Cupcakes Decorated with Eid themed toppers. The kids go absolutely feral for these.
Brownies Rich, fudgy, non-negotiable.
Jelly Pots Individual little jelly cups for the kids. Easy, fun and they keep the little ones occupied while the adults have their dessert in peace.
Milk Cake If you know, you know. Dense, sweet, crumbly South Asian milk cake. One small piece and you need a lie down. Worth it every time.
Baklava Because we’re celebrating and baklava is basically edible art. Flaky, honeyed, pistachio filled perfection.
The Chocolate Fountain: Yes, Really! Truely!
Every year we do a chocolate fountain with fruit and marshmallows and every year it is an absolute hit with kids and adults alike.
Strawberries, grapes, pineapple chunks, marshmallows all on little skewers ready to dip. The kids lose their minds. The adults pretend they’re only doing it for the kids and then go back four times.
If you don’t have a chocolate fountain, get one. They’re relatively inexpensive and the impact is enormous.
The Games Because Eid Isn’t Just About Food
Food is one thing.
But Eid in our family is a full event.
We play pass the parcel, musical statues, pin the tail (or piñata, always a highlight), limbo and whatever other chaos the kids come up with.
And I mean adults play too. Full participation required. No sitting on the side pretending you’re too dignified for statues.
My sister once hired sumo suits for the garden and I genuinely cannot overstate how funny it was watching my niece and little sister squared up in giant padded suits trying to push each other over.
My son and daughter also had a go. The amount of crying from laughing that day was absolutely priceless.
This year my sister is hosting so the bouncy castle is happening, she has a big garden which makes all the difference. If you have the space, a bouncy castle is one of the best investments for an Eid with kids.
They’ll be on it for hours and you’ll actually get to eat your biryani while it’s still warm.
🛍️ Amazon bouncy castle – Aesthetic and white! Perfect for Eid!
The Night Before, Decor and Prep
One golden rule, decor goes up the night before.
Not the morning of.
Not while you’re simultaneously trying to get dressed, do your makeup and coordinate a biryani collection.
The night before Eid I get the decorations sorted.
Eid Mubarak banner, balloons, table settings, dessert table layout.
Everything is ready so that on the morning all I have to do is get the family looking presentable and pick up the food.
This also means you actually enjoy the decorations rather than rushing past them in a panic.
Tips for Hosting Eid for 20-30 People Without Losing Your Mind
After years of hosting and attending Eid gatherings, here’s what actually works:
Order rather than cook everything.
Seriously.
Find a local halal caterer, Facebook community groups are your best friend. Your mental health will thank you.
You can still add homemade touches like the dessert table.
Take photos immediately.
The moment everyone is dressed and looking their best, photos first, food after.
I cannot stress this enough. By 6pm everyone has biryani on their outfit and the kids look like they’ve been dragged through a hedge.
Get the photos early.
Set up a kids table. Separate from the adults. With their own snacks, their own cups and their own space.
Game changer.
Prep the dessert table the night before. Everything that can be set up in advance, do it. Less stress on the day.
Accept that it will be chaotic. And that’s completely fine.
The chaos is the point. The noise, the kids, the adults in sumo suits, the chocolate fountain carnage, that’s what makes it Eid.
Where to Find Halal Catering in East London
East London is genuinely one of the best places in the UK to be a Muslim hosting a big celebration. The halal food options are endless, small businesses, caterers, bakers, sweet shops… all local, all brilliant.
My top tips for finding halal catering:
Facebook community groups, search your borough name plus “halal catering” or “Eid catering.”
Small businesses post there regularly and you get genuine reviews from local people.
Asian sweet centres – for your milk cake, baklava and traditional sweets. Every area in East London has at least one.
Local halal bakeries – for your Eid cake and cupcakes. Search Instagram for your area, the cakes people are making are stunning.
Word of mouth – ask your mum, your aunties, your neighbours. Someone always knows someone.
FAQ: Eid Food Questions Answered
How much food do I need for 20-30 people at Eid?
For biryani, roughly 1kg of rice per 6-8 people as a guide. For mixed dishes plan for generous portions as people tend to eat more at celebrations. Always over-order slightly, leftovers are never a problem at Eid.
What are traditional Eid foods in the UK?
For South Asian Muslim families, biryani, korma, samosas, tandoori dishes and chana chaat are staples.
Sweets like firni, gulab jamun, milk cake and baklava are popular for dessert.
How do I find halal catering near me?
Facebook community groups for your local area are the best starting point. Also try Instagram, local WhatsApp community groups and word of mouth from family and friends.
Can I prepare Eid food in advance?
Yes – most curries and rice dishes taste even better the next day. Desserts like firni and jelly pots can be made the day before. Freshly fried samosas are best on the day if possible.
What games are good for Eid with kids and adults?
Pass the parcel, musical statues, limbo, piñata and musical chairs are all crowd pleasers. If you have outdoor space, a bouncy castle, water games in summer and sparklers in the evening are always a hit.
Make Eid the Big Deal It Deserves to Be
Eid comes once… twice actually, Eid ul Fitr and Eid ul Adha but you know what I mean. It’s a day to celebrate, to be grateful, to stuff your face with biryani and watch your family make absolute fools of themselves in sumo suits.
Don’t downsize it.
Don’t stress yourself out trying to do everything alone. Order the food. Buy the cake. Set up the chocolate fountain. Hire the bouncy castle if you can.
Make it a memory your kids talk about for years.
Eid Mubarak to you and yours. 🌙✨
Loved this post? Save it for next Eid and share it with whoever is hosting this year. And if you want more Eid inspiration check out my Eid decoration guide and Eid gift ideas post here:
Drop a comment below — what’s on your Eid menu this year? I’d love to know! 🌙
Shaz x
