16ozcheeseI recommend choosing 4 varieties for 8 people; see notes for ideas
16ozcold cutsI recommend choosing 4 varieties for 8 people; see notes for ideas
4types ofspreadfilled into small bowls; see notes for ideas
16small servingsof fruitI recommend choosing 4 varieties for 8 people; see notes for ideas
4types of nibblesnuts, dried fruit, olives, pickles...; see notes for ideas
32ozcrackers and breadI recommend choosing 4 varieties for 8 people; see notes for ideas
Instructions
Arrange everything on a large wooden board in the order given (see post for tips), making sure to leave as little gaps as possible.
Keep well chilled for up to 6 hours before serving. I like to put out the board 10-15 minutes before serving to allow the meats and cheeses to come to room temperature. Serve with spoons, knives and small forks.
Video
Notes
To serve more or less people
1 person: 1 or 2 types of each food group; if 2 then very small amounts
2 people: 2 of each food group, but small amounts
3 people: 2 of each food group, but decent amounts
4-6 people: 3 of each food group
6-8 people: 4 of each food group with moderate amounts
more than 8 people: 4 of each food group with generous amounts
Rules of thumb for food quantities if serving more or less people
3-4oz cheese and meat combined per person, as an appetizer
OR 6-8oz cheese and meat combined per person as a meal
2-3 pieces of fruit per person
3-8 oz bread/crackers per person (3-4 as an appetizer, 6-8 as a meal)
Enough nibbles so each person can eat from each. For dried fruit, I like to put 2 pieces per person. For things like nuts and olives, a small handful per person.
Make sure to adjust the amounts to suit the people you're serving! Bigger eaters will need more than small eaters/young children. Also, it's always better to have leftovers vs hungry people at a party!
Cheese
I like to pick a variety of cheeses. When I serve 4 types of cheese, I choose a hard, semi-hard, soft and spreadable cheese.Hard cheeses
Parmesan
Pecorino Romano
Vintage Gouda
Asiago
Comté
Semi-hard cheeses
Cheddar
young Gouda
young Manchego
Gruyère
Havarti
Soft cheeses
Brie
Camembert
Roquefort
Gorgonzola
Mozzarella
Feta
Fresh/spreadable cheeses
Ricotta
soft goat’s cheese (Chèvre)
Neufchatel
Farmer’s cheese
Cold cuts
I don’t have much to say about the cold cuts – pick 4 you enjoy, and make sure you don’t buy all the same type; eg. make sure you don’t pick all dry cured ones or all cooked ones (here, the Prosciutto Cotto is a cooked product (the light pink one in the photo) and the other three are cured.I often pick a cold cut party platter at the grocery store so I already have a selection made for me.
Spreads
I like to serve a choice of sweet and savory spreads.Sweet spreads
any fruit preserve, jam or jelly
a runny honey
any fruit chutney
any sweet relish
cranberry sauce
Savory spreads
honey mustard
smooth mustard
whole grain mustard
any savory relish
pesto
sun-dried tomato paste
aioli or other mayo-based dips
Fruit
I try to strike a balance between sweet fruit and more acidic fruit, so there’s something for everyone. I also try to avoid fruit that’s difficult to eat/fruit that doesn’t keep well when sliced.Sweet fruit
Grapes
Figs
Pineapple (sliced)
Blueberries
Strawberries
Acidic fruit
Kiwi fruit (peeled and sliced – I totally forgot to peel for the photos!)
Raspberries
Blackberries
Oranges (segmented)
Mandarin oranges (they can also be sweet depending on the exact type!)
The nibbles
Dried cranberries or raisins
Other dried fruit, such as mango, pineapple, apricots or dates
Any kind of olives, I strongly suggest using pitted olives!
Favorite nuts: Roasted/salted pistachios, walnuts, pecans (both either roasted or raw) or smoked almonds.
The carbs
I like to provide a variety of more seasoned and less seasoned crackers, and a bread.
Ritz crackers
Cream crackers
Goldfish – if you’re serving kids! They love it.
Wasa Thins
Fruity crisps
Olive crackers
Cheesy crackers
The board
Start by choosing your board. If you want to serve a group of 8+, you’ll need a pretty substantial board! The right size is pretty essential, if it’s too small it will look like too little food with all the gaps. If it’s too big, you’ll have an overflowing board and things will fall off when people try to serve themselves.Mine in the photos is 20 x 16 inches and it’s pretty big. Perfect for a cheeseboard to serve 8 people.When I make one for just 2-3 people, I use a round board with a diameter of 12 inches.
Leftovers
If your guests are civil eaters (ahem, mine mostly aren’t when it comes to party platters and charcuterie boards…), you can easily pack up and store the leftover cheese and cold cuts in the fridge for 3-5 days, providing they didn’t sit out in the warmth for more than an hour or so. If they were out at room temperature for a long time, I make sure to eat leftovers the next day.If you’re very uncertain about how much your people are going to eat, put out half the amount and then re-fill as needed.Sliced fruit should be eaten on the same day, or kept in the fridge for up to a day.Crackers can be stored in the fridge for up to a day. They usually touch hands, cold cuts etc on the board, so please do not put them back in their box to store in the cupboard. The same goes for nuts and dried fruit you put directly on the board.Pickles, olives etc in their own bowl can easily go back in the fridge for a week.For the spreads, I don’t store leftovers. I prefer using small bowls and re-filling as needed.