2019-08-01_Red_UK

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August 2019 | REDONLINE.CO.UK

Think of it as a super-sized sharing

platter – a grazing table is the cool

take on summer entertaining. The experts

at Grape & Fig reveal how it’s done

O

ld-fashioned buffets

laden with uninspiring

beige food have had

their day. Type

#grazingtables into

Instagram and you’ll be dazzled by

colourful, mouthwatering spreads.

Grape & Fig, the UK’s first grazing

table caterer, is one of the companies

proving that buffets can actually

be works of art, and it’s giving the

humble spread a modern makeover.

The company’s founder, Toria

Smith, created her first grazing table

for her own wedding three years ago,

but has since catered for Tom Hardy,

Davina McCall and Damian Lewis.

She says that, while the display may

look luxurious, it isn’t about ‘caviar

and foie gras’, but just simple,

high-quality food. All of Grape

& Fig’s creations, from sharing

platters to six-metre-long grazing

tables, are created from locally

sourced produce, including

speciality cheeses, artisan-cured

meats, quiches, antipasti and freshly

baked bread. The company has even

branched out into dessert tables.

As impressive as these look, you

can easily recreate them at home.

‘Grazing platters can reflect your

personality and suit your budget

and, because they become the

main decorative feature of the

table, there’s no need for a separate,

expensive flower display either,’

says Smith. Genius!

Smith (left) with her sister

and business partner,

Catherine Callaghan

for the

eyes