Style guide
“Choose a colour palette for your platter so you have a clear direction before you get started. If the food you choose is naturally colourful, like the vegetarian platter here, then opt for classic, or neutral shades for the serveware.”

Vegetarian

Colourful crudités give vegetarian spreads instant zest. Add a molten brie topped with a drizzle of honey as rich, luscious extras, as well as other easy additions like store-bought hummus.

What you need 

• Polenta chips (available from good grocers)

• Cultured butter, scattered with salt flakes

• Brie, or vacherin (a washed rind cheese) baked in the oven at 200°C for 10 minutes and topped with runny honey and rosemary leaves

• Hummus with chickpeas and extra virgin olive oil

• Store-bought falafel

• A selection of small, bite-sized vegetables such as radishes, carrots, wedges of radicchio, small cucumbers

• Walnuts

• Dolmades

• Crostini

• Purple sauerkraut

• Zaatar or dukkah, to scatter

Seafood

This seafood-focused platter incorporates oysters and prawns, alongside cured and pickled items such as mussels, octopus and rillettes, that can be purchased from good delis. Finishing touches could include a good wedge of feta drizzled in oil and topped with herbs, a vinaigrette made with a few simple ingredients, and grilled sourdough.

What you need: 

• Store-bought rice paper rolls

• Cooked prawns

• Ocean trout rillettes

• Whipped double cream with salmon roe, served with blinis

• Marinated smoked mussels and baby octopus (from good grocers and delis)

• Green olives

• Oysters with apple and cucumber dressing (combine 1 tbs each finely chopped apple cucumber and eschalot with 1/4 cup white wine vinegar)

• Cherry tomatoes on the vine

• Wedge of feta drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and scattered with lemon thyme

• Micro herbs (shiso and red vein sorrel)

• Slices of grilled baguette

Style tip:
“Adding height to your table allows you to layer plates and platters, and helps to create more space on the table. A pizza stand, for instance, is great for additional serving space. You could also place long bread sticks and crackers in vases to create height. Consider serving some sides in glass jars – it’s a great way to break up all of the bowls and boards, plus guests can see the beautiful colours and shapes of what’s on offer” – Emmaly Stewart.

Charcuterie

This platter uses cold meats as the starting point, bringing in other ingredients such as a beautiful aged Parmigiano (you can use cheddar, or another hard cheese, too) alongside fresh fruit and greens, pickled ingredients and store-bought arancini to make the platter more substantial.

What you need: 

• Mixed charcuterie (we used prosciutto, saucisson, salami and smoked cabanossi)

• Aged Parmigiano-Reggiano

• Store-bought arancini and aioli (from good grocers and delis)

• Buffalo mozzarella

• Pickled onion

• Green pear

• Muscatels

• Black grapes

• Pickled yellow peppers

• Chicken liver pâté

• Cornichons

• Best-quality anchovies (we used Ortiz)

• Grissini and crisp flatbreads

• Fresh rocket leaves

Tip:
Slice some of your cured meats, cheeses and garnishes for a rustic feel – your guests will feel more at ease digging in if you do!

“Balance is important on a grazing board. Salty cured meats and tinned fish need accompaniments that are fresh, sweet and tangy. Here, we use fresh green pears and black grapes to cut through the fattiness of the meat, mild and creamy buffalo mozzarella to temper the saltiness, and pickled peppers, onions and cornichons for a sour kick. Texture is a key factor too,and store-bought arancini  are a quick and clever addition for a crunchy, carby bite” – Phoebe Wood.