Hello friends, this weekend I made my very first charcuterie board. I must admit, I was a littttle intimidated at first. I’ve seen so many beautiful, elegant pictures of charcuterie boards and wasn’t sure if I could form one myself. While I love styling and arranging home décor I’ve never tried “styling” food. Let me tell you… styling food is not easy, especially when you’re an organizational perfectionist (is that even a term?) whatever we’ll roll with it! To be completely honest, I spend quite a lot of time on Pinterest to get inspiration for home decor/food ideas and this was no exception. I have Pinterest to thank for making me want to put together my first charcuterie board.
And don’t worry…. I washed my grapes after taking these photos!
So, how the heck do you make one of these things?!
First, breathe!
It’s not as hard as one would think, or as expensive either.
At first I truly believed this little art project of mine was going to cost me a pretty penny. But let me tell you a little secret: you can build a board on a budget! AND no one is going to care where you got your cheese/meats from, they’ll just eat whatever is in front of them.
Lets start with the very basics:
What you will need:
Super simple to start! I have two boards here, one from Tj Maxx and the other was a set of four I purchased on Amazon. You can find beautiful cutting boards in all shapes/materials at your nearest Tj Maxx and Marshalls. I’ve spotted many cheese knives at HomeGoods as well – they’re very inexpensive!
Now, let’s get into the goods. First, you need to take into consideration how many people will be snacking. Is it just you and a spouse? A crowd? You must determine how much food to buy – this is crucial. There are so many helpful guides located all over the web and Pinterest for how much to buy for X amount of people. I highly recommend looking into this before stepping foot in the store. You don’t want to become overwhelmed! To make shopping as easy and effortless as possible, put together a list so you know exactly what you’re shopping for!
This is the fun step! There is no “how to” guide here. You just have to experiment and put it all together. You can arrange your board however you would like! I had two boards, because I ran out of room – which is totally okay. You can put like items together, or mix it all together – to each their own! Put some music on, experiment, and have fun!
There are SO many ways to make an affordable charcuterie board on a budget! Most of the items here you may even have in your fridge already! It’s so important to look through your pantry and fridge first before going out and buying your items. You might be able to substitute your ingredients with what you already have! There are also so many different types of charcuterie boards you could make: brunch/dessert/kid-friendly options. I have yet to try a fun dessert board – but maybe for Christmas!! Whatever you’re doing this holiday season, whether you are home alone, with your significant other of just immediate family – try to make the most of it!
Have you made a charcuterie board before? What cheeses do you use? Share with me in the comments!
