Bring a plate etiquette

[Rivlas]

We have just been to a function where it was bring a plate. I made some slices and just put a bit of each on the plate. When it was time to go there was only a couple of pieces left as they were tipped onto another plate and I took home a clean plate. I know the salads that were leftover the owners took them home also. I have noticed that if you make a salad and its in your bowl you will bring home the leftovers.
I have learnt over the years never to leave the bowl/plate behind as it sometimes takes forever to get it back, then find you need it the next week.

[2CheekyMonkeys]

i agree, dont expect to take any home. clear left overs off your plate to take plate home. take left over drinks if its BYO. something that annoys me is when you bring a plate and there is soooo much food that what you bought hardly gets touched, then they tell you to take it home. its annoying, cause i put thought, effort and money into bringing it so i may as well have not bothered, i'd rather they keep it.

[Glamourcide]

I tend to make sweet/dessert things to take to 'bring-a-plate' do's... I notice most other people make salads etc, and I fancy myself as a pretty good 'sweet' cook (all that practice I do feeding my sweet tooth lol) so I like to contribute to the dessert part of the meal...
I don't expect to bring any food home with me, if there are leftovers I just ask the host/ess to pop it into another container to keep in their fridge/share it around with everyone else to take home so I can get my plate back, that's all I worry about. It's a pain in the neck leaving plates at people's houses because inevitably it all gets jumbled up with their kitchen stuff and you never get it back, and I feel bad about leaving plates for someone else to wash up hahhaa

So yeah, if the host/ess says, 'Oh, there's some of this cake left, do you want to take it home with you?' I'm happy to do that, otherwise I just say, 'pop it on one of your plates and I'll take mine with me to save you the washing up'. If I want to get treats at home, I'll make up double batches of the slice/pie/cake/whatever and leave it at home for DH and DD to have the next day. I'd feel really rude about insisting on bringing any leftovers home with me, I leave it up to the host to offer.

[Astrid]

I have some cheaper plastic platters and bowls. So if I am concerned that I wont get my plate back, then I use one of those.

I prefer people to take their platter with them, as I always stress about their stuff in my cupboard and finding a chance to return it.

[Olive]

if i take food i always leave the leftovers there and just take the plate home!!
my family on other hand take whats left home, my mum did it to me yesterday when she bought over a coles mudcake, handed it to me and promptly said 'i'll take whats left home thankyou very much' thats very typical of my family which i find quiet sad

[tk1999]

Agree with many of the PPs - on the ettiquette (ie leave leftovers) and also the hassle of getting your plate back lol. If I were this woman I would just make two cakes... one for party and one for DD.

We have often done this because we end up wanting more of what we made the next day etc so it is just easier to make 2 batches.

[danniellabella]

The food stays unless the host asks you to take it. If you want your platter then ask the host before you leave if they have another dish that the food can be transferred into so you can take your platter/bowl etc home. This also gives the host the opportunity to tell you that you can take the left over food with you if you want.