Whether you're hosting a party or going on a picnic this summer, the trending ‘grazing board’ holds a lot of appeal: it’s simple (zero cooking required), beautiful and offers enough assortment to make sure that even your fussiest friend will find something to nibble on.
Cheesemonger Cathryn Pickei, who serves up some seriously chic food platters, shares with The Style Sheet that the key to a well-crafted spread comes down to variety. ‘The aim is to create a board that will serve any sort of craving — whether you're craving something sweet or salty, there should be something that will satisfy it. On any given board I make sure to have something bright and fresh, something crunchy, something savoury, and something to spread or dip into. For cheeses, opt for a variety of milk types, textures, and styles to keep it fun. At the end of the day though there shouldn't be any “rules” that you think you need to follow; cater to your cravings and what you like.’
Taking Cathryn’s advice onboard, The Style Sheet hits the foodie wonderland that is Great Food Hall to source the ingredients to create our own version — with a fresh, Asian-inspired twist.
1. Lay Out the Cheese
While there’s a lot more to a grazing board than cheese, the ingredient does serve as the foundation. On a wooden board, ceramic platter or a piece of slate or marble, place the cheeses around the board as key pillars, making sure there’s space between each. If any of the hard cheeses are too large, cut them into blocks first. As for which cheeses, for a well-balanced board, Cathryn suggests ‘one soft cheese, one goat's milk cheese, a washed rind cheese, and at least one hard cheese, such as an Alpine cheese’