With the weather starting to heat up and a long bank-holiday coming up in June, chances are there will be a few barbecues and picnics coming your way soon.
So I feel like I’ve mentioned it before but I’m saying it again. I have a love/hate relationship with cooking. I love good food, but I don’t always enjoy being in the kitchen. Being a mum and wife, home-cooking is an essential part of my life so I’m always looking for easy ways to hack a good meal.
If you’re not a great cook or you’re short on time, snacks and appetiser platters are a great way to still contribute to a potluck meal without doing too much.
Why a Charcuterie board?
Putting together a cheese board or Charcuterie board is a sure way to wow your guests or impress your host. It looks like a lot of work but it really isn’t. Anyone can do it.
Jump to RecipeA true feast for the eyes and mouths, a cheese board can be customised in so many different ways. You can keep it super healthy with a range of bite sized veg, fruits, low calorie dips, rice cakes, olives etc. Or, you can make it super indulgent (and traditional) with a variety of cheeses, cold cuts, crackers, jams, dips, fruits and honey.
How to do it
Kind of like styling a flatlay photograph scene, a cheese-board basically requires you to stylishly place an assortment of fruits, cheese, cold meats, nuts and dips on a wooden board.
For this one, I just went hunting in my fridge for the items I had in there. I only had to buy the Jacobs Crackers and Red Leicester cheese.
Styling and Flavour Tips:
- Buy your cheese in block form so you can cut it up into bite-sized cute little cubes.
- Make sure to include some type of runny honey in your platter; Mild Red Leicester cheese dipped in honey is 😋😋 gorgeous! The creaminess and saltiness of the cheese mixed with the sweetness of the honey is a match made in foodie heaven.
- Provide your guests with little cocktail sticks to pick up the nibbles, and napkins to collect any drips and crumbs ☺️
- A traditional charcuterie board should contain a variety of hard and soft cheeses but if you’re not a cheese-lover, then stick to the ones you know. Soft cheeses can be strong-smelling and an acquired taste for someone who is new to cheese.
- Final tip: A cheese-board is fun, versatile and very customisable so don’t feel hamstrung by tradition. Being a Muslim, I wanted to bring my Islamic identity to my cheeseboard so I included dates in my platter. Dates are well documented as something that the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) used to love to eat.
- Just remember that whatever your put on your board should contain a mix of contrasting textures and flavour profiles. This makes for a better dining experience.
So what are you waiting for? Call up some friends, pick a beautiful spot on a riverside park and show up with your impressive cheese board.
Cheeseboard
Equipment
- 1 Wooden chopping board or tray
Instructions
- Wash all fruits and vegetables that will go on the board
- Pour your honey and jam into the small dip bowls
- Place the dip bowls right at the center of the board to create a focal point
- Think of your board as a set of concentric circles and work your way slowly from the outside to the center of the board.
- Start placing your nibbles by framing the board with pretty salad leaves like rocket, cress and curly lettuce. You can break this up by adding stacks of crackers and bits of grapes (still on the vine). Mix your grapes up by using black, red and green ones.
- Next up is folding or swirling your cold meats (deli style meats) and dotting them around the board, leaving some gaps in between. (I got mine from our local Halal shop)
- Cut up the block of cheese into tiny bite-sized pieces and fill up the spaces next to the meats with your cubed cheese. ( If you have triangular shaped cheese, place it closer to the edge of the board)
- Now that you have the most important items on your board, you can fill up any spaces left with fruits, nuts, salad leaves, wedges of cheese and anything else you fancy. I brought a bit of Sunnah to mine and included dates on my cheeseboard.
Notes
Wow it looks really great!
Thanks Pooja! It tasted great too! I appreciate your leaving me a comment! x