A good charcuterie board is three or four cured meats, three cheeses, something crunchy, something sweet and something sharp, laid out so every bite is a little different. That’s the whole secret. This guide covers what to buy, how much you need per person, and how to put it together so it looks like it took far longer than it did.
Strictly speaking, charcuterie means the cured meats, and the cheese is the other half of the board. In practice almost everyone wants both, and the two make each other better: the salt and fat in the meat, the creaminess and tang in the cheese.
What Goes on a Charcuterie Board
The Meats
Pick meats with different textures. A silky, thinly sliced ham like prosciutto, a salami you can cut thick, and something richer like coppa covers it. The easy way is a ready-made selection: our Italian 3 Meat Selection is salami, prosciutto and coppa, and the Spanish 3 Meat Selection is Serrano ham, salchichón and chorizo. For something to slice yourself, Great Glen Venison Salami from the Scottish Highlands is gently peppery and always gets asked about.
The Cheeses
Three cheeses is plenty: one hard, one soft and one blue. A firm, nutty cheese like Manchego Curado or Parmigiano Reggiano holds its own next to salami. A soft one like Baron Bigod or Taleggio brings the creaminess. A blue gives the board its punch, and the salt of cured meat is lovely against it.
The Extras
- Something crunchy: two kinds of crackers, say a plain one like Fine Cheese Co Rosemary and a fruity Toasts for Cheese, plus a sliced baguette.
- Something sweet: a slice or two of Fig Ball, a spoon of fig chutney, dried apricots or fresh figs.
- Something sharp: cornichons, pickled onions or a good chutney to cut through the richness.
- Something very Yorkshire: a pork pie cut into wedges.
- Something green or salty: olives, a handful of almonds, or sprigs of rosemary to fill gaps.
- Butter: optional, but Bungay Butter on bread with a slice of salami is hard to beat.
How Much per Person?
For a starter or grazing with drinks, allow about 50g of meat and 100g of cheese per person. If the board is the meal, double it. A 100g pack of sliced meats goes further than it looks, so for four people grazing, two packs of meat and around 400g of cheese is about right.
| People | Meat (grazing) | Cheese (grazing) | As a main meal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 100g | 200g | 200g meat, 400g cheese |
| 4 | 200g | 400g | 400g meat, 800g cheese |
| 6 | 300g | 600g | 600g meat, 1.2kg cheese |
| 10 | 500g | 1kg | 1kg meat, 2kg cheese |
How to Lay Out a Charcuterie Board
- Start with the cheese. Put the three cheeses down first, spaced well apart, so nobody has to reach across one to get to another. Cut a wedge or two from each to get people started.
- Add anything in a bowl. Chutney, olives and pickles go in small bowls next, so they don’t run into everything else.
- Fold in the meat. Loosely fold or ruffle the sliced meats rather than laying them flat, and tuck them between the cheeses. Fan out slices of salami in a line.
- Fill the gaps. Crackers in overlapping rows, then fig, fruit and nuts in the spaces that are left. A full board looks generous; a sparse one looks like you ran out.
- Give each cheese its own knife so the blue doesn’t end up in the Brie.
Three Boards to Try
Spanish: the Spanish 3 Meat Selection, Manchego Curado, Mahón and La Peral, with Fig Ball, almonds and a bottle of Marcelino Rioja Crianza.
Italian: the Italian 3 Meat Selection, Parmigiano Reggiano, Taleggio and Gorgonzola Piccante, with olives and a glass of Raboso Frizzante.
British: Great Glen Venison Salami, Montgomery’s Cheddar, Baron Bigod and Colston Bassett Stilton, with Old Yorkshire Chutney and Bungay Butter on good bread.
Charcuterie Board FAQs
How far ahead can I make a charcuterie board?
An hour or two. Lay out everything except the crackers, cover it and keep it in the fridge. Take it out 30 minutes to an hour before serving so the meat and cheese come up to room temperature, then add the crackers so they stay crisp.
What board should I use?
Anything flat and food safe: a wooden chopping board, a slate or a large platter. For a crowd, lay greaseproof paper down the middle of the table and build straight onto it.
What’s the difference between a charcuterie board and a grazing board?
Mostly size. A charcuterie board is a board; a grazing board or table is the same idea spread out for a crowd, usually with more bread, fruit and dips.
Can I order the meat and cheese together?
Yes. Everything on our charcuterie page travels in the same chilled box as your cheese, with free UK mainland delivery on orders over £55.
Do you make boards for parties and events?
We do, in and around York. Get in touch with your date and numbers. If it’s a wedding, have a look at our cheese wedding cakes too.
Ready to build one? Everything you need is on our charcuterie page, and the cheese counter on Gillygate is open Tuesday to Saturday if you’d rather taste first.
