Charcuterie boards have become a staple of modern entertaining, combining the relaxed pleasure of grazing with a visually stunning centrepiece. Whether you’re hosting friends for a casual Friday night, planning a cosy date at home, or putting together a Christmas charcuterie board for a bigger celebration, a well-curated platter looks impressive without being difficult to pull off.
In this guide, we’ll walk through how to make a charcuterie board from scratch – from choosing the best charcuterie board itself, to selecting meats, cheeses and accompaniments, and styling everything so it looks as good as it tastes. Along the way, we’ll highlight artisan charcuterie meats from Farm Fetch’s Shropshire Salumi range, plus beautiful wooden charcuterie boards you can find on Etsy.
What Is a Charcuterie Board?
A charcuterie board is essentially a curated selection of cured meats, cheeses and nibbles arranged on a platter or wooden board for sharing. Think paper-thin slices of salami and bresaola, wedges of farmhouse cheese, bowls of olives and nuts, and piles of crackers, breads and fruit.
At its best, a charcuterie board balances:
- Flavours – salty, smoky, spicy, tangy, sweet
- Textures – creamy, crunchy, chewy and crisp
- Colours – ruby reds, soft creams, deep greens, and glossy berries
The aim is to create a generous, inviting spread that encourages people to pick, mix and match.
Choosing the Best Charcuterie Board
Before you think about ingredients, decide what you’ll serve them on. The right platter instantly makes everything feel more special.
1. Classic Wooden Charcuterie Boards
A large wooden serving board is the most versatile option. Look for:
- Olive wood boards with beautiful swirling grain – perfect for rustic, Mediterranean-inspired spreads.
- Long grazing platters you can run down the centre of the table for larger groups.
- Handled serving boards that are easy to carry from kitchen to table.
Etsy is a brilliant place to find handmade charcuterie boards – from chunky, live-edge slabs to sleek, minimalist designs engraved with initials or house names. Choose one statement board for everyday use, then add a longer grazing platter or two if you entertain often.
2. Slate and Marble Platters
Slate or marble charcuterie platters feel more contemporary and help keep cheeses cool. Mix them with wooden boards for contrast – wood for breads and crackers, marble for cheeses and fruit, and slate for rich, dark charcuterie meats.
3. Seasonal and Christmas Tree Charcuterie Boards
For the festive season, a Christmas tree charcuterie board is wonderfully eye-catching. You can either:
- Arrange meats, cheeses and grapes into a tree shape on a regular board, or
- Use a tree-shaped wooden or slate board (again, Etsy is full of options) as the base for your Christmas charcuterie board ideas.
What to Put on a Charcuterie Board
A good rule of thumb for a medium board (serving 4–6 people):
- 3–4 charcuterie meats
- 3 cheeses – a soft, a hard and a blue or washed rind
- 2–3 types of crackers or bread
- At least 3 “extras” – olives, nuts, fruit, pickles, chutneys, honey or mustards
From there you can scale up or down depending on how many you’re feeding.
Cheese: Building a Balanced Line-up
No charcuterie platter is complete without a well-chosen cheese selection. Aim for three contrasting styles:
- Soft and creamy – Brie, Camembert or a British soft cheese like Tunworth or Baron Bigod.
- Firm and nutty – Aged Cheddar, Gruyère, Comté or Manchego.
- Blue or bold – Stilton, Gorgonzola, Roquefort or a punchy blue from a local producer.
Arrange cheeses in different shapes – a wedge, a round, a block cut into rustic chunks – to keep the board visually interesting.
Charcuterie Board Ingredients and Accompaniments
Once your charcuterie meats and cheeses are in place, fill the gaps with bright, contrasting extras. These little details are often what turn an ordinary board into the best charcuterie board your guests have seen.
Consider adding:
- Crackers & breads – seeded crackers, sourdough slices, mini breadsticks, focaccia, or thinly sliced baguette.
- Pickles & preserves – cornichons, pickled onions, marinated artichokes, chutney, fig jam or onion marmalade.
- Olives & antipasti – a mix of green and black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, roasted peppers.
- Fresh fruit – grapes, figs, pear slices, apple wedges, berries.
- Nuts – walnuts, almonds or pistachios for crunch.
- Something sweet – a drizzle of honey over blue cheese, or a small dish of quince paste.
Think about colour and texture as you choose. A handful of ruby-red grapes, a scattering of bright green cornichons and a few sprigs of rosemary can transform an easy charcuterie board into a real show-stopper.
How to Make a Charcuterie Board: Step-by-Step
If you’re new to it, here’s a simple method that works every time.
- Place the cheeses first
Spread them out across the board, leaving space between each piece. - Add small bowls
Place little bowls or ramekins for olives, nuts, dips or chutneys. This helps create structure. - Layer in the charcuterie meats
Fold salami slices into loose “roses” or half-moons, drape bresaola in gentle ribbons and tuck beer sticks or chorizo between the cheeses and bowls. - Fill in with crackers and bread
Fan crackers out in little arcs, stack breadsticks at angles and slip slices of baguette along the edges. - Finish with fruit, pickles and herbs
Tuck grapes into gaps, add cornichons and pickled onions, then scatter fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary for fragrance and colour. - Check the balance
Step back and see if any area looks empty or too heavy. Add a few extra crackers or nuts where needed.
This process works for any style, from a casual Friday-night grazing platter to a more dramatic Christmas charcuterie board.
Easy Charcuterie Board Ideas for Different Occasions
1. Cosy Night In
Keep things relaxed and simple:
- One or two Shropshire Salumi meats
- A soft cheese and a crumbly Cheddar
- A bowl of olives, some grapes and a good chutney
- A rustic olive-wood charcuterie board from Etsy
Serve with a bottle of red wine and plenty of napkins.
2. Summer Garden Gathering
Lean into lighter, fresher flavours:
- Bresaola and a milder salami
- Soft goat’s cheese and a wedge of Manchego
- Cherry tomatoes, artichoke hearts, marinated peppers
- Crackers plus slices of ciabatta or focaccia
- A long grazing platter you can set down the centre of an outdoor table
3. Christmas Charcuterie Board
For December entertaining, a Christmas charcuterie board doubles as decoration and canapé tray.
- Use a tree-shaped board or arrange ingredients into a tree silhouette:
- A base of crackers or sliced baguette
- Layers of salami, Bresaola and cheese cubes
- Clusters of grapes and olives as “baubles”
- A star-shaped piece of cheese at the top
- Add rosemary sprigs for a “pine” effect and scatter pomegranate seeds or cranberries for festive colour.
This works beautifully as a centrepiece for a Christmas Eve drinks party or Boxing Day buffet.
Styling Your Board: Little Touches That Make It Look Professional
- Mix heights – tuck some bowls onto small wooden risers or overturned ramekins so everything isn’t on one flat level.
- Repeat colours – if you have red grapes at one end, add a few slices of red pepper or salami at the other, so the board feels cohesive.
- Use beautiful boards – this is where Etsy really shines. Pair a statement olive-wood charcuterie board with a sleek marble slab or a black slate board for contrast.
- Keep it generous – slight abundance is key. You can always top up crackers and fruit as people eat.
Statement Charcuterie Boards to Build Your Grazing Table Around
These two artisan serving boards are perfect centrepieces for a grazing table – one beautifully sculpted set of paddles for everyday entertaining, and one extra-long platter that’s made for sharing.
A parquet-pattern mango wood board that works beautifully for cheeses, crudités and canapés.
An elegant, extra-long oak platter designed for generous charcuterie spreads. Ideal for stretching down the centre of a dining table or using outdoors for relaxed, help-yourself entertaining.
Beautiful Charcuterie Boards to Elevate Your Spread
From sculptural olive wood to classic slate, these serving boards make a stylish foundation for any charcuterie board idea.
A sculptural olive wood board with incredible grain. Use it as a statement piece for a smaller selection of cheeses and antipasti.
Shop the Olive Wood Board
Rich-toned acacia with a sculpted wave edge gives this board a modern, design-led feel. Lovely for a curated selection of cheeses, grapes and crackers.
Shop the Acacia Board
A simple rectangular Welsh slate board that makes cheeses and charcuterie pop. Ideal if you like a clean, minimal backdrop.
Shop the Slate Cheese BoardMore Articles You Might Enjoy
FAQs
What is a charcuterie board, exactly?
A charcuterie board is a sharing platter featuring cured meats, cheeses and accompaniments such as crackers, bread, olives, nuts and fruit. It’s designed for grazing rather than formal courses.
What are the best meats for a charcuterie board?
Look for a mix of styles – for example, Bresaola, classic salami, a spicier salami such as Hunters Salami, and something fun like chilli & ale beer sticks. Combining lean, rich and mildly spicy meats keeps the board interesting.
How much charcuterie per person?
If your charcuterie platter is the main focus, allow roughly 75–100 g of meat and 75 g of cheese per person. For a light nibble alongside other dishes, you can halve that.
What cheese goes on a charcuterie board?
Include at least one soft cheese (Brie or Camembert), one firm cheese (Cheddar, Manchego, Comté) and one stronger or blue cheese (Stilton, Gorgonzola). This gives you a good range of flavours and textures.
How do I make a charcuterie board ahead of time?
You can arrange the cheeses, meats and bowls of olives or nuts a couple of hours in advance, cover the board tightly with cling film and keep it in the fridge. Add crackers, bread and any fresh herbs or delicate fruit just before serving so they stay crisp.
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