living
The Food
This sample shopping list should give you everything you need
for a gathering of 20 people, and includes a perfectly delicious
combination of sweet, salty and creamy flavours and textures.
The platter
Begin with the cheeses. Remove them from the
fridge now; by the time the platter is finished,
they’ll be the perfect temperature. Distribute evenly;
not positioned together in one area. Leave soft
cheeses whole, but slice hard cheeses into wedges.
Next, scatter ramekins, jam jars or pots around
the platter to fill with dips (hummus is essential) and
antipasti, such as stuffed olives, sun-dried tomatoes,
artichoke hearts and ricotta-stuffed peppers.
Stack the crackers. Tuck them between stable parts
of your platter, such as cheese blocks and ramekins,
to stop them toppling over. Keeping them in groups
or lines gives a great finish to the overall aesthetic.
There should be ‘pools’ of space around boards to
fill with remaining ingredients. Meats, fruits, nuts,
pretzels and a few sweet treats are perfect here, but
nothing that’s been cooked or should be kept hot.
This means there’s no stressful last-minute cooking
or reheating and everything will sit happily at
room temperature for the length of the party.
Think about texture, size and colour. Put creamy
dips next to crunchy crackers, piles of olives adjacent
to a loaf of bread and colourful sun-dried tomatoes
with pots of hummus. But don’t fret too much, it
should reflect your personality and feel relaxed.
Keep each ingredient together in one section for
a neat finish. For height, lay small cheeseboards (try
Ikea) on wooden boxes, then put hero ingredients on
top, such as a Brie wheel topped with honeycomb
and nuts. It draws the eye and adds variety.
At the last moment, put out meats straight from
the fridge and vary how you arrange them; scrunch
Parma ham into piles and layer sliced salami in lines
or fans. Add warm bread to the centre of the table.
Include surprising touches. Topping Brie with
honeycomb is simple yet special. A truffled salami
or cheese is a great addition, too, and you can find
these at supermarkets as well as specialist
cheesemongers. Halved figs and pomegranates
dotted around cheese provide a nice balance,
alongside the traditional accompaniment of grapes.
Lay serving spoons and knives next to ingredients,
where appropriate. Decorate the edges of the table
with stems of fresh eucalyptus for a final flourish.
Large sprigs of fresh woody herbs that won’t wilt,
such as rosemary, add a fragrant touch.
Guests can go back to graze time and again
during the event (we recommend a maximum
of four hours). Don’t worry about people getting
stuck in and spoiling the platters; they look more
beautiful as they’re enjoyed; keeping ingredients in
sections creates pockets of space rather than mess.- 1 French goat’s cheese
log (750g-1kg) - 1 whole baby Stilton
(750g-1kg) - 1 Normandy Brie wheel
(about 1kg) - 1 truckle strong Cheddar
(about 1kg) - 2 tubs hummus with
olive oil - 1 tub fresh basil pesto
- 1 tub each fresh Nocellara
olives and stuffed pepper olives - 1 pack sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 pack ricotta-stuffed peppers
- 1 jar cornichons
- 4 or 5 packs crackers,
assorted varieties - 2 packs cured meats
- 1 pack sweet potato pakora
(gluten-free)- 1 pack falafel balls
(gluten-free) - 1 pack dried apricots,
figs, prunes or apple
quarters - 1 punnet each fresh
grapes, figs, strawberries,
blueberries, raspberries
and blackberries. - 1 pomegranate
- 1 pack nuts, such as
walnuts or pistachios - 1 pack sweet treats,
such as chocolate brownies
(a nice surprise mixed in
with the savoury offerings) - 2-3 loaves freshly
baked bread - 1 piece pure honeycomb
- Butter
- Chutney
- 1 pack falafel balls
For more information, visit grapeandfig.com