Just when you thought you’d mastered the cheese platter, the grazing platter becomes a thing.
Is it a grazing platter or a grazing table?
I’m no expert when it comes to what it’s called – eating what’s on it is more my forte – but some call it a grazing platter, while others call it a grazing table.
Either way, this current catering trend comes with plenty of benefits:
- it’s easy to put together – I’ll show you how to make an epic grazing platter at home in a tick
- it looks impressive
- everything can be prepared ahead of time
- you won’t be stuck handing out trays of food all night
- it’s even easier to clean up!
When catering for our recent 20th Wedding Anniversary celebrations – read all the party details here – I decided a grazing table was the way to go.
It was so easy to do. Here’s how you can DIY a grazing table platter too.
How to make an epic grazing platter at home – what you will need
1. A table
My original place was to use a narrow hallway table and put the grazing table outside. However it was quite cold and windy when I began to prepare things, so I scrapped that idea and used our dining room table inside instead.
This turned out to be a good move as the wider width of the table caught all the spills and crumbs.
My advice? A wide table will make cleaning the floor afterwards a lot easier.
2. baking paper
This is what you will place all the food on. Run a strip of it down the length of your table.
3. platters
I went with a couple of wooden platters picked up on the cheap from Kmart.
4. an assortment of cheeses, breads, crackers, fruit, nuts, dips, meats, mustards etc
For 25 adults I purchased the following:
cheese:
1 gouda (pre-sliced)
1 round of brie
1 round of camembert
2 vintage cheddar
1 blue cheese
1 fancy slab I can’t remember the same of
= 7 cheeses in total
dips:
4 different dips
breads and crackers:
1 loaf of sour dough
2 packets bread sticks
1 packet pretzels
1 packet rice crackers
1 packet quinoa crackers
2 packets water crackers
meat:
500g ham off the bone
500g pastrami
250g salami
Condiments:
2 containers of quince paste
Dijon mustard
whole grain mustard
Miss Chardy’s Tomato Chutney
onion relish
fruit and nuts:
500g packet dried apricots
500g packet mixed nuts
punnet fresh strawberries
punnet fresh blueberries
500g grapes
packet of lindt mint chocolate
other:
200g stuffed olives
150g stuffed baby capsicum
packet of 50 white serviettes
3 packets of bamboo plates from Kmart
spoons, knives, forks, cheese knives
how to make your own grazing table
Ok, so now you’ve got your supplies sorted, it’s time to put together your grazing table.
Here’s how it’s done:
- Roll a strip of baking paper down the entire length of your table.
- Start placing items in the middle and work your way out.
- Begin with the big items first – platters, bowls, plates etc
- Then add the smaller items – cheeses, dips, fruit, nuts, chocolate etc
- The final step is to fill in the gaps with breads and crackers and you’re done!
FAQs
How much did the DIY grazing table cost?
I bought all the food from Coles and Woolworths. I spent around $300
Were you left with lots of food at the end of the night?
I was worried about wastage. To be honest, I was expecting a fair bit of food to be left over.
But I was very wrong! I topped the grazing table up three times throughout the evening.
By the end of the night, the only items left were some of the cheeses.
Was it a mess to clean up?
Not at all! It was so easy.
I grabbed the dustpan and broom, swept the leftovers into it, threw away the baking paper, wiped down the table and I was done!
Can you do a grazing table for my next party/event?
Sorry, I can’t. This blog, Skin Boss and my family keep me busy enough!
But I probably wouldn’t say no to attending a party or event if a grazing table was all set up and ready to go 😉
Is there anything you would’ve done differently?
I would’ve added more meat – that went fairly quickly.
Also, the yoghurt based dip didn’t get touched. So I’d give the healthy dip section a swerve next time I whip up a grazing platter.
Oh and I completely forgot to add fresh sprigs of rosemary from our garden to the table. I meant to scatter them in amongst everything, to fill the gaps even further. Next time!
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