Every December 1st, our family has a cherished tradition of decorating the Christmas tree. I prepare a large sharing platter of cheeses and charcuterie, complete with dips, pâtés, fruit, nuts, crackers, and sourdough bread. We spend the afternoon grazing on this feast while a mix of golden oldies and the latest Christmas hits play in the background. We joke about the ‘ugly’ angel one of the children made when they were in pre-primary, sitting proudly at the top of the tree, and share memories of Christmases past and about where each bauble was bought or gifted from.
This year, I’ve decided that the sharing board will be my go-to for every Christmas occasion in the run-up to the main event! It’s simple to create, rewarding, and caters to a wide variety of tastes. Whether you’re a ‘Cheddar only’ enthusiast or a ‘the stinkier, the better’ aficionado, you can build a sharing board to suit all preferences.
Here are some of my top tips for creating a sharing board this festive season.
Enjoy the Process: The best thing about a charcuterie and cheese sharing platter is its versatility. Have fun creating and sharing your masterpiece. Use a mix of colours, textures, and flavours to ensure a good balance. Place items in groups rather than spreading them out to make the board look abundant and inviting. Garnish with fresh herbs, edible flowers, fruit or baby vegetables.
Support Local Suppliers: There are so many award-winning cheeses, charcuterie, chutneys, and crackers to choose from in here in the South West. A good place to go looking for some quality products across all the categories is through the Taste of the West website.
Meats: A charcuterie platter typically includes a variety of cured meats. Aim for at least three different types to provide a range of flavours and textures. This year, I’ll be stocking up on cured meats from our local award-winning supplier, Somerset Charcuterie. Their Xalapa Coppa pairs beautifully with a strong cheddar like Quicke’s Clothbound Mature, cutting through the creaminess of the coppa and complementing the slight bite of the chilli blend. Their seasonal Mulled Wine Salami, with its unique, slightly sweet flavour, is best enjoyed with a goat cheese like Homewood Fresh Ewes Cheese or Whitelake Rachael Reserva. I’ll also include some Somerset Culatello and will make a smooth chicken and liver parfait, scented with sherry to round it all off.
Cheeses: To finish off the cheese selection, I’ll add in some Cornish Blue from The Cornish Cheese Co and a Sharpham Camembert.
Extras: I like adding little bowls of the Slow Roasted Garlic Chutney from Waterhouse Fayre along with some Hot & Sticky Plum Chutney from Bumblebee’s Preserves to compliment the cheeses and to add some variety and texture, Lemon & Oregano Olives from Mr Filberts along with their French Rosemary Almonds. I also make my own hummus, punchy with lemon, garlic, and cumin, to dip fresh veggies and sourdough bread sticks or baguette slices into. Fresh figs, dried apricots and dates and even a clementine or two, always look fantastic on a festive board. And finally, for those who don’t eat gluten (and even those who do!), I make a gorgeous seeds-only cracker that pairs incredibly well with the cheeses and cold cuts.
Here’s a quick recipe for the seed crackers:
- 100g sunflower seeds
- 100g pumpkin seeds
- 60g flaxseeds
- 100g sesame seeds
- 3 tbsp psyllium husks
- 400ml water
- 1tsp salt
- 1tsp seeds (like cumin or caraway) OR some finely chopped fresh Rosemary and a grinding of black pepper OR some finely grated fresh parmesan cheese (play around with flavours here!)
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 140°C. If you have a fan oven, make sure the fan is on.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients and leave the mixture to stand until it is thick and pliable, about 10 or 15 minutes.
- Measure out 15ml mix per cracker and place on a baking paper lined baking tray.
- Flatten the mix in a round as much as you can with the back of a teaspoon and space the crackers 1cm apart. You will probably need 2 trays.
- Place the trays in the oven and bake for an hour, checking them every 15 minutes. You may need to rotate them away from the hot spots in the oven.
- The crackers usually take about 1 hour 30 minutes to cook. Once they are lightly browned and very crisp take them out of the oven and leave them to cool.
- Once cooled, store in an airtight container.
Hopefully, this gives you a few ideas to create your own masterpieces. Tag our Instagram in when you post your images, I’d love to see what you do ,and don’t forget to follow us.
May you have a joyous and festive Christmas and New Year – with a well deserved rest while everyone grazes on the sharing platter!
