Charcuterie

by Metropol | November 12, 2025 8:30 am

Warm weather and a drink and nibble in the sun. Bliss. A grazing platter, or charcuterie board, is the ideal appetiser for relaxing or entertaining. Here’s your guide to the perfect platter – the five key elements to effortlessly assemble and arrange yours.

The beauty of platters is that they are fully customisable to you and your guests, there truly are no rules. This makes charcuterie or grazing boards the ideal way to accommodate dietary needs and groups big or small.

1. Cheese: start with a variety of hard and soft cheeses to anchor your board. Include classics like brie, and make it interesting with cheese from different animals like goat’s milk feta.
2. Meat: next add cured meats. Think prosciutto, salami, smoky chorizo or pâté. Soft meats can be folded into ribbons or even crafted into a salami rose.
3. Sweet: add pops of colour and flavour with fresh and dried fruit. Fruit preserves, chocolate covered nuts, or even a piece of honeycomb are great additions.
4. Savoury: dips like basil pesto or a beetroot hummus work a treat – literally. Consider adding other elements like nuts, stuffed olives or fresh vegetables including carrots, cucumber or celery.
5. Crunch: finally, fill any remaining gaps on your board with a range of crackers, breadsticks and sliced baguette. A seed-based cracker can be a great gluten-free option. Top this up if it runs low throughout the night.

Top tips:

• Adding small dishes like ramekins easily separates dips or condiments while giving your platter interest and structure.
• Try cut fruit or arrange meat in a way that will be easy to pick up, or provide toothpicks.
• Elevate your brie by drizzling with honey and baking for ten minutes, or until soft.

Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/charcuterie/

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