Graze away!
Spring entertaining doesn’t need to be difficult – especially in prime picnic season!
And while we’re a little limited with who we can picnic with right now, you just can’t beat a beautiful grazing platter loaded with delicious Market produce, enjoyed at your nearest park.
Not only will a grazing platter keep you satisfied for hours, but it can look pretty amazing when it’s done the right way. We’ve put together a trusty ‘how-to’ below, so the next time you decide to entertain, you’ll know exactly how to make your platter stand out from the rest!
Your grazing platter shopping list:
- Cheese – because what’s a grazing platter without gourmet cheese? Head to our deli arcade to pick out a minimum of 3 cheeses. We recommend a brie (or any soft cheese), a blue and a hard cheese, possibly a cheddar.
- Next you’ll need a fruit paste. We love quince paste because it pairs so beautifully with blue cheese, but there are stacks of pastes to choose from including fig, cherry, plum and more.
- Lavosh or crackers and/or bread. This is the vehicle to get the cheese into your mouth as quickly as possible but it should taste great too! For gourmet lavosh, head over to The Essential Ingredient or any of our delis. They also have a large selection of crackers too. If you want something a little more filling, some nice crusty bread alongside some beautiful olive oil will do the trick!
- We suggest getting two dips to share between four people. Think colourful, like beetroot or pumpkin dip. Bright colours really pop on a platter like this.
- We love anything colourful and juicy – pomegranate, strawberries, blueberries, mango, grapes, raspberries – get as much as you like!
- Our delis have a great selection of cold meats such as prosciutto, salami, turkey, ham – these are all great accompaniments for the cheese and of course, the bread
- We also love the addition of olives, sundried tomatoes, roast pumpkin, nuts and some dark chocolate for something extra decadent!
Step-by-step process to arranging your grazing platter
- Arrange a mix of crackers and lavosh onto your cheese board by swirling them through the middle of your platter.
- Grab your three cheeses and get creative with placement and shapes. We recommend cutting your cheese into one wedge, one log and one round piece, then spacing them out on the board however you like.
- Spoon your beautiful dips into small different shaped bowls. If you plan to have bread, add a small olive oil dish as well. Place all three wherever you like on the board, playing with space. If you’re serving bread, arrange it next to the platter on another board.
- Cut your quince paste in half or in whatever shape you prefer and add both pieces to the board but in close proximity to the cheese.
- Then add the bigger items, starting with your cut fruit and cold meats. We suggest keeping all the fruit together in one area and all the charcuterie in another area. Fold over the salami, roll the prosciutto or create a stacking effect with both! Slice your pomegranate in half and place it ‘seed up’ on the board. Depending on the size of your board, half may be enough.
- Now it’s time to fill in any gaps with raspberries and blueberries, nuts and chocolate. This is what really gives your grazing platter a plentiful, abundant look that really pops!
- You’re done, now pour the wine!
Oh and make sure you take a snap and upload it to Instagram!
