For a long long time, one of my favourite things to do is whip up a tasty collection of nibbles to feast on. Back in August 2014, there was only one thing I wanted to do to celebrate my Birthday… create a 3m cheese board!
What is the one thing that will always bring people together? FOOD!!!
With grazing platters, stations and deliveries expected to be consumed numerous times this season, here is your ultimate guide for those special occasions, unexpected guest or when you just want a bit of everything for dinner! In the words of Antionio Carluccio, “minimum fuss, maximum flavour”
Watch a step by step video tutorial here!
Let’s Feast!
Share Boards
Various kinds, various themes!
There are a number of different themes and styles you can accommodate this easy process to creating the ultimate display. Common themes include Christmas, savoury / sweet, healthy, full meal, finger foods, specific cuisines or my favourite the what’s in the fridge that I can put together board!
Share Meals; Think of it like a “build your own” kind of arrangement, mini buffet to feed a crowd. This is the modern aperivito hour style of eating.
Grazing platters; A collection of small nibbles or as us wogs call it, an antipasto platter!
The Board
Selecting the right board depending on how much food you are wanting to present is key. We don’t like wasted food and you can always top it up as it is consumed. Consider how many people you are serving and the space you have to serve it.
For example, the image to the right shows a full table used for a crowd of 60 guests where as the round board in the centre of the table could be used for a share meal for 4-5 people or a grazing for up to 10!
Placement of the board is also vital to the enjoyment of the arrangement! My mother always taught me through her catering days that you should never have a table up against a wall and she couldn’t be more right! Having the ability for your guests to access the food from around all sides of the table creates a very different setting.
Other things to consider when selecting your base is will there be other food served? We don’t want everyone filling up on cheese when there is a 5 course meal to come!
The Food Selection
There are 4 aspects that you always need to consider when compiling your list of yummy goodies;
Dairy; the variety of cheeses will depend on how many guests you are serving. These can range from hard, soft or smelly, variety is always a good thing. There are also various dips that are always crowd favourites.
Protein; sliced cold cuts, skewers of marinated meats or seafood that are easy to pick up and eat as well as mixed nuts and seeds
Carbs; What is cheese without bread?! Mixtures of toasted and fresh breads, biscuits, crackers and pretzels
Fresh Produce; Every board needs a fresh element. This can range from grapes and strawberries to carrots and celery sticks to dried fruits – whatever is in season is best. Don’t forget your marinated olives, capsicum, artichokes etc
Find a number of tasty tapas & finger foods here!
Arrangement
Remember anything that goes on the platter should be easily eaten! Yes, half an orange may look pretty but may be very awkward to eat at the dinner party!
Now for the fun part! Let yourself be creative with this one. Start with any crockery you are wanting to use such as ramekin bowls and any base greens such as lettuce leaf cups. Next is your large dairy items placed in separate sections.
Large fresh produce [such as bunches of grapes] are placed on followed by rolled / folded proteins. Fill in sections with your carbs and finally smaller fresh produce such as cherry tomatoes. As the saying goes, we eat with our eyes! Don’t forget colour, something green or red to contrast with the cheese for example creates a visual appeal.
Remember that whatever is centre of the board must be easy to quickly grab, knife work to the outer.
Share Meals
These boards are not that different from your grazing arrangements. Always consider your food choices, what you will be using to best serve them to your guests and presenting them in the most delicious appealing way possible!
Here we can see a roast platter put together across a few boards. Other share meal boards I have created include Mexican, Asian, burgers, wrap and sandwiches, pastries and breads, desserts, Easter and my favourite Christmas!
So many themes and arrangements to make your own.
Some board inspiration for you all! I had a lot of hungry fun creating these! From giant feasts, dinner for 1, gift boards, kitchen teas to the best camping cheese platter you ever did see!
Chanel's Tapas Bar 