Each platter should be unique and beautiful, just like you!!!

Things to remember:
-Don’t be afraid to get creative with color's, using heights, introducing native or edible florals and giving your cheese space to let it shine.
- It doesn’t have to be symmetrical!!!
- Placing your dips, olives, pate etc in ramekins and not in their plastic containers takes a platter from mediocre to beautiful straight away.
- Your soft cheeses should be eaten at room temperature and your hard and semi hard cold.

Building your platter:
- Lay your main items first - cheese, crackers (keep in plastic till service), ramekins for dip and olives & grapes.
- Then place your barrier fruits or vegetables (cucumber, capsicum, carrot, rockmelon around the edge/outside.
(Your ramekins can be used around the barrier too)
- Fold your meats, do your salami rose and place around your cheeses.
- Then fill spaces on the platter with all the yummies.. nuts, berries sweets etc

Try to think about the practicality of the grazing board, where there is cheese there should be crackers, cured meats, condiment and where there is dip there should be vegetables, crackers or bread.

Cheese and Charcuterie Tips
Ways to present the cheese:
- You don’t have to place as it is packaged, break the cheese - If circular, cut a wedge out and place on top to give height. - Pre crumble the cheddar, slice, plait, spike the Manchego or gouda.
- Layer the cheeses like a tower by cutting in half and stacking.

Charcuterie: 
- Fold the prosciutto back and forth to make a ribbon, starting at the top and folding it back and grab with other fingers and repeat.. (see video demonstration)
- Folding the salami in half then quarter and place pointy end at the bottom.
- Salami rose - take your champagne glass and put pieces of salami around the edges until you can no longer see the bottom of the glass, push the top of the glass with the palm of your hand and then flip over and you will see a rose. its it beautiful.

Fruit:

-Just your large fruits as a barrier around your grazing board to contain the cheeky things that like to roll away eg berries and nuts.

-Cutting the fruit half moon in slices or using a pairing knife (round fruits)

-Strawberry fan or in half.

 

Sweets:

-Allens snakes tied in a knot 

- Lindt mint (perfect for after the garlicy salami) Break the chocolate in half especially if it’s got almond or coconut etc through it to really bring out the colour and add texture.

 

Garnish:

- Drizzle honey on cheese (brie and blue) before you add your edible flowers/garnish so they can stick to it and not be flattened by the honey.

You can sprinkle some dried flowers

• cornflower

• Rose petals

• Lavender ( small amount as quite strong)

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