Since we are hosting Thanksgiving this year, I wanted to try something new-to-me and assemble a cheese board as part of our pre dinner apps. Everyone has likely seen all the inspiration pics you can find on Instagram and Pinterest. There are really so many ways you can go with a cheese board, which is why it can be so fun to do and a crowd pleaser.
While planning, it was very helpful to search for images of long cheese boards (since that is what I have), to get ideas on how they have been styled. I have found That Cheese Plate very helpful during this part of the process, especially for someone who was starting from scratch. The image below is from their Instagram @cheesebynumbers. My preference is when the board looks full with not much space left around each item. Below I’ll walk through how I plan to pull it all together.
First, the cheese board. I recently ordered one from Etsy that is 36in X 10in. I wanted one that was on the larger side that could fit enough food for a large group.
Next, the shopping list. Here are my selections for the cheese board. I aimed to have the following types of food available: Crackers, Meats, Cheeses, and Extras. I’m doing a separate crudite plate so I didn’t include veggies. I’ve seen a lot of different interpretations of cheese boards and I decided to lean more towards the savory side with the Extras.
Crackers: Almond Nut Thins, Mary’s Gone Crackers Real Thin Crackers, and Vans The Perfect 10
Meats: Salami and Prosciutto
Cheeses: Extra Sharp Cheddar, Triple Creme Brie, Mozzarella, Herbed Goat Cheese
Extras: Stuffed Green Olives, Kalamata Olives, Roasted Peppers, Mild Pepper Rings
Finally, the assembly. I’ll start with the cheese placement and do one type in each quarter of the board. Then, I’ll place in the meats and extras. Last, I’ll find spaces for the crackers (if necessary, I’ll put the crackers on a separate plate if there just isn’t enough room leftover for them).
A couple things to keep in mind:
– I played it safe with the types of cheeses I chose because I know that they will be universally enjoyed by my guests (kids and adults alike). You can certainly be more adventurous if it will please your guests!
– I bought 2-3 of everything on my shopping list. Running out of food always makes me nervous when I host, so I’d rather have lots of extras than the alternative.
– You can shop ahead of time for most of these ingredients which makes planning much easier.
– Each cheese needs its own knife!
I’ll share a follow up this week on Instagram Stories to show how it all came together (hopefully well!!) and if there are any more tips to share!