Here's how to make the perfect charcuterie board this festive season

Festive party season is the perfect time to create a charcuterie board

Top charcuterie tips

With the festive party season just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to create a charcuterie board.

Accompany your favourite cheeses with sweet or savoury treats to maximise flavour and aesthetic.

Over the past 12 months, search terms for ‘charcuterie board ideas’ have seen an increase of 222 per cent and with the festive season just around the corner, what better way is there to impress your guests than with a mouth-watering food board?

Experts at VonHaus have shared their tips on how to make the perfect charcuterie board, complete with which chutneys, wines and accompaniments.

What you need for a charcuterie board

1 - A serving board, tray or slates

2 - Plenty of knives for cutting the cheeses

3 - Small serving or dipping bowls for chutneys and jams

4 - Small plates for guests to use

5 - How to make a charcuterie board

Building your board is fun and there is no wrong way to display your food art.

Try top tips for making the perfect charcuterie board

For a fun festive activity, include the entire family when creating your board to make sure everyone’s favourite cheeses and snacks are featured. Here are VonHaus’ top tips for making the perfect board:

Cheese – Start with the cheeses as the foundation of your board, laying them out alongside knives for slicing or spreading.

Chutneys – For your jams, chutneys and tapenades, place the jars or little bowls close to the cheese they best pair with. For honey, place it in one corner with a serving spoon to help prevent it from getting drizzled across everything.

Meats – Meats should be easily folded and arranged to save space. Try folding your meats into triangles or get creative making flowers and roses for cute features.

Olives – Place all the olives into a bowl with toothpicks for easy serving and snacking.

Accompaniments – For bread and crackers, create little rivers or paths across the board to separate different

cheeses and sections. Then use anything else like nuts, fruit and veg to fill gaps and add colour and decoration.

Wine – Let your guests serve their own wine, but you could make little labels to suggest pairings. You can also make an array of mocktails which align with the palette of your cheeses.

What to pair with soft cheeses:

Brie

Brie is a firm favourite and it’s easy to understand why. The creamy cheese is best paired with sweeter flavours such as jam or honey. Spread this cheese and other softer cheeses onto a thick, crusty bread for the best bite.

Chutneys – Cranberry jam, honey, fig

Accompaniments – Candied nuts, fresh fruit like apples or figs

Wine – Chardonnay, or a crisp fruity white wine

Camembert

Like brie, this soft cheese is perfectly matched with sweeter flavours. The taste of camembert is enhanced when baked and adds variation in temperature and texture.