“He said there’d be food, and plenty of it!”
The Unexpected Party menu differs somewhat from movie to book. In the book The Hobbit, it’s more of a substantial tea party, because it’s followed by supper.
In the movie An Unexpected Journey (the first of the three The Hobbit films), it’s all one huge feast that we see literally empty Mr. Baggins’ larder. It’s obviously meant to make a visual impact, as well as feed a lot of hungry dwarves!
The other major difference between the book’s party and the movie’s is that Thorin is present for the former, and arrives after the conclusion of the latter.
Based on images from the film, here is an approximate menu for the dwarves’ laden table:
- Ham
- Sausages
- Pork pie
- Roast chicken
- Leg of lamb
- Hard boiled eggs
- Soft white cheese
- Hard yellow cheese
- Blue cheese
- Various vegetables (zucchini, cauliflower, etc.), cooked and raw
- Roasted tomatoes and peppers
- Salad
- Yams
- Fresh tomatoes
- Carrots and parsnips
- Baked potatoes
- Cucumbers
- Pickles
- Whole fruit (apples, plums and pears)
- Strawberries
- Apricots
- Apple pie
- Raspberry tart
- White bread
- Jams
- Butter
- Chutneys
- Honey
- Mustard
- Red wine
- Ale
- Chamomile tea
Compare this to the tea party menu from the book, The Hobbit.
Image: Warner Brothers
Tea with Bilbo 