I was so intimidated by the thought of making a charcuterie board that I almost said, “screw it.” Instagram and Pinterest make them look wildly intense, super beautiful and honestly…expensive. Every example I found had a list of 20+ things to buy and I wasn’t willing to spend the time or money to make one that involved. Are you with me? Instead of shying away, I decided to own the affordable aspect and create a board that was simple and sensible! So here we have it, an easy little guide to a charcuterie board that feeds 6-8 people and costs about $35. I said what I said.
Quick Notes: I purchased all of these items at Sam’s Club so the portions are big and perfect for a party! You can sign up for a Sam’s Membership here. Shop wherever your heart desires, but know that the portion sizes will be different based on where you go!
Typical cheese boards consist of aged, soft, firm and blue cheeses. For the sake of ease of cost, we are throwing formal rules out the window. 🙂 If you want to get really involved, this post has great tips for a traditional board.
The images only show HALF of the food I had. You would need to refresh the board as things are eaten. I could not fit everything from Sam’s onto two boards, so keep that in mind! There is a LOT leftover that is not pictured and that is why you could feed up to 8, even though my images don’t show that. You trackin’? Good.
Now, let’s get down to biz.
For the board:
- Green grapes
- Mixed nuts
- Variety pack of meat
- Variety pack of jack cheese
- 2 pack of French baguettes
- Olive oil or balsamic (not included in price – assuming you have these on hand!)
- Salt and pepper (same note as above)
Fun extras:
- Your favorite wine – I love this white and this red
- A beautiful cheese board – This one is similar to the marble and wood one pictured below.
- Sassy wine glasses – Love a pretty gold rim or a unique shape
- Fun cocktail napkins – I love these Rifle Paper Co. ones for a girl’s night
- A spicy/sweet jam or jelly – Peach sounds yummy!
- A chill playlist – This one has been on repeat at our house
Pointers for making the board pretty:
- Fold the meats in half once or twice to create texture
- Cut the cheese but leave a large portion of the block on the board
- Use the cheese and bread as buffers to hold your meat in place and keep it folded
- Let bread lay at an angle
- Leave the grapes on the vine so they sit pretty and don’t roll around
- Add dimension with ramekins for dip, oil, nuts or jellies, here’s a pack of 6 on Amazon
- Layer things on top of each other like cheese, bread and meat
- Don’t worry about making it perfect
- Try to have different colors of meats, cheeses and fruits to add variety
- Have fun!
To see me put this board together in real time, check out my highlight on Instagram! Caution: amateur at work 🙂
Cheers to the weekend, snacks and time with the people you love!
Have questions or suggestions? Email me! payton@paytonreed.com. Always thrilled to hear from you!
Xo, Payton