If you’re an active Instagram user, I can guarantee you’ve seen the latest ‘grazing plate’ antipasto trend floating around. If there’s anything all millennial women can agree on, its their appreciation for a good cheese platter. And men, i’m sure you can agree on your love of eating a good cheese platter.
There are a few different services across our major cities that deliver the goods to your doorstep, but these come with a ridiculously hefty price tag.
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However do not fear, you can easily make your own grazing table, for a birthday party, engagement, or, whatever the occasion may be, for a fraction of the cost of hiring a catering company. Here’s how…
The Basics
First things first, you need to find a base. You can use any old chopping board you have at home, or if you want to be extra artsy, pick up a cheap, repurposed wood slice from a craft store.
Next you need to decide on a theme. You can either go with a design where all colours are separated from each other, like this one:
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Or go for a more rustic look, where everything is spread across the platter randomly, like this one:
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The Ingredients
There are a few key ingredients that are necessary to any good grazing platter.
- Cold Meats: while the super bougie platters you see on Instagram are stacked with fancy Italian cold-cuts, deli meats aren’t always the most budget-friendly option. For a cheaper platter, we recommend mortadella, salami, ham or cabanossi.
- Cheese: you can usually suss out cheap cheese deals at your local supermarket and find cheddars and bries at a reasonable price. Typically, avoid blues and hard cheeses if you’re trying to save money.
- Fruit: fruit is essential on your platter but can rapidly drive up the shopping bill. While raspberries and blueberries look fabulous, they aren’t budget friendly. Opt for oranges, apples, grapes and whatever is in season, as it will usually be cheaper.
- Crackers: thankfully, cheap crackers are easy to find. Pick up a box of crackers, some pretzels and / or breadsticks.
- Extras: dried fruit, nuts and olives can be used to scatter in any gaps that are appear.
The Assembly
The way in which the platter is assembled is probably the most important part of the process.
- Start with the cheeses and any dips or bulky items as they will take up the most room.
- Then scatter the crackers around the cheeses, ensuring there is enough to go around.
- Neatly roll up the cuts of cold meat and strategically place them around the board.
- Add the pieces of fruit evenly around the board, where colour is needed.
- Then, fill in the gaps with the extras.
- Complete the platter with a selection of flowers, here and there.
- And wolllaaaahhh, your grazing plate is Insta-ready! Prepare yourself for an influx of likes and heart-eyes emojis!
Image Sources: GIPHY, Instagram, Unsplash (@Marcus_Wallis)
