How To Put Together & Style Grazing Boards

How to put together and style grazing boards for a party. Grazing boards are a perfect way to elegantly feed a crowd and keep yourself out of the kitchen. If you're a host, maximize time with your guests by creating a beautiful sharing board and letting everyone serve themselves.

Whilst you might know what to buy for a grazing board, making it look good is a bit harder. Styling grazing boards can seem daunting, but it's easy with these top tips. Get your cheese knives ready!

Jump to:

• 1. Start with cheese
• 2. Use bowls for dips and oily foods
• 3. Arrange cured and smoked meats and fish for texture
• 4. Add fruit and veg
• 5. Fill gaps with nuts and crisps
• 6. Garnish the board
• 🍷 Wine pairing for grazing boards
• 🍽 Other grazing board ideas
• ❓Grazing board FAQ
• 👩🏼‍🍳 Related recipes
• 💬 Comments

1. Start with cheese

Pick 3-6 varieties of cheese and place them on your grazing board first. Leave soft cheeses like camembert whole, and cut hard cheeses like Manchego or Cheddar into slices.

Fan the slices of cheese and some crackers out in an arc that mirrors the round shape of the hard cheeses and any bowls. It will draw the eye around the board, and link everything together. Be mindful of dietary restrictions - I always include oat cakes for anyone gluten free.

2. Use bowls for dips and oily foods

Dips (like beetroot hummus) or anything greasy, like olives or sundried tomatoes, should go in small bowls, which also add visual interest to grazing boards. You can add a little pot of cocktail sticks, too. Place chutneys into bowls, or leave them in the jars with small spoons.

Try this smoked salmon dip which is super easy and tastes delicious on a seafood grazing board.

3. Arrange cured and smoked meats and fish for texture

Roll slices of charcuterie like prosciutto and other hams into roses and place them around the cheeses and bowls on the board. Ruffle slices of salami, chorizo, and other cured sausages to create texture and height on the grazing board. Cured fish like gravadlax are harder to shape, so just overlap the slices flat on the board.

4. Add fruit and veg

Crunchy fresh veggies and fresh fruits are the perfect addition and a great way to add taste, texture, and color to beautiful grazing boards. Sliced apples, pears, bell pepper, grapes, figs, celery sticks, and carrot sticks are my go-to fruits and vegetables for homemade grazing boards.

5. Fill gaps with nuts and crisps

Fill gaps on grazing platters with walnuts, pecans, pretzels, and crisps or potato chips. They create additional visual interest as well as tasty snacks.

6. Garnish the board

Fresh herbs, edible flowers, a sprinkle of pine nuts, and a drizzle of honey can really lift a homemade grazing board and make it look really pro.

🍷 Wine pairing for grazing boards

Serve a crisp and acidic white wine with grazing boards, like a Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc. Alternatively, a light and fruity Pinot Noir is a good red wine to serve with grazing platters.

🍽 Other grazing board ideas

Grazing boards work well for all occasions and types of food. You could make a breakfast grazing board, like this delicious bagel board which would also be excellent for a brunch board.

You can also make a board of fresh and seasonal fruits as a refreshing finisher, like this fruit charcuterie board.

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❓Grazing board FAQ

👩🏼‍🍳 Related recipes