HelloFreshIconChevronRightSmallFood BoxIconChevronRightSmallMake Your Own Charcuterie Board

How to Make The Perfect Charcuterie Board

Whether you’re entertaining guests or elevating your date night, prepare to become the best charcuterie board maker with this guide to creating the perfect charcuterie board. Food box company HelloFresh have revealed the UK's favourite charcuterie board toppings and how to position and style them so that you can impress your guests.
Whether you’re entertaining guests or elevating your date night, prepare to become the best charcuterie board maker with this guide to creating the perfect charcuterie board. Food box company HelloFresh have revealed the UK's favourite charcuterie board toppings and how to position and style them so that you can impress your guests.

What is a Charcuterie Board?

The term “charcuterie” refers to the preparation of cured meats such as prosciutto, salami and ham, but in the last few years this term has been taken one step further to create a fun, creative board of cured meats, cheeses, fruit, antipasti and crackers. No matter whether you stick to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/charcuterie">traditional charcuterie board</a> of meats, or opt for something a little different for your <a href="https://www.hellofresh.co.uk/food-box/party-foods">party food</a>, such as even a dessert charcuterie board, the possibilities are endless. Perfect as a brunch board, or post-dinner nibbles, charcuterie boards can be altered and enhanced depending on the season or event.

What Are The UK's Favourite Charcuterie Board Toppings?

Take a look below for some popular charcuterie board ingredient ideas. The average number of monthly searches for the UK’s favourite cured meats, cheeses, fruits and antipasti reveals these charcuterie board toppings will most likely please your guests' taste buds. Which charcuterie board topping will you choose?

Top 5 Cured Meats:

1. Chorizo - 33k
2. Bacon - 26k
3. Prosciutto - 21k
4. Pastrami - 16k
5. Salami - 14k

Top 5 Cheeses:

1. Halloumi - 76k
2. Mozzarella - 29k
3. Mascarpone - 28k
4. Camembert - 23k
5. Ricotta - 18k

Top 5 Fruits:

1. Apples - 411k
2. Watermelon - 44k
3. Grapes - 23k
4. Blueberries - 16k
5. Bananas - 11k

Top 5 Antipasti Foods:

1. Artichoke - 56k
2. Capers - 45k
3. Cucumber - 35k
4. Anchovies - 20k
5. Olives - 16k

Top 5 Cured Meats:

1. Chorizo - 33k
2. Bacon - 26k
3. Prosciutto - 21k
4. Pastrami - 16k
5. Salami - 14k

Top 5 Cheeses:

1. Halloumi - 76k
2. Mozzarella - 29k
3. Mascarpone - 28k
4. Camembert - 23k
5. Ricotta - 18k

Top 5 Fruits:

1. Apples - 411k
2. Watermelon - 44k
3. Grapes - 23k
4. Blueberries - 16k
5. Bananas - 11k

Top 5 Antipasti Foods:

1. Artichoke - 56k
2. Capers - 45k
3. Cucumber - 35k
4. Anchovies - 20k
5. Olives - 16k

How to Create Your Own Charcuterie Board?

How to Create Your Own Charcuterie Board?

Step one: Fill small dishes with your dips, spreads and smaller items and place them onto your board to create structure.

Step two: Add your cheese, placing them evenly around the board with space around each for slicing. Then add your meats, folding them in any way you’d like and placing them around the board.

Step three: Place your crackers on the board. Laying them so that they’re overlapping usually works best as it allows your guests to easily grab them from the board.

Step four: Fill in the rest of the gaps on the board with fruit, vegetables, antipasti and more. This step is important as it really brings your board together. Making these boards look visually appealing is a great way to get children to eat more vegetables and experiment with new foods too.

HelloFresh Expert Charcuterie Board Ideas & Styling Tips

Recipe Development Manager, Mimi Morley, shares her expert charcuterie board ideas and styling tips for a show-stopping foodie centrepiece.

1. Meat Roses

Social media is a great place to start for charcuterie board ideas. Meat roses started from a TikTok trend during the pandemic. Now, with over 12.5M views, #meatrose has become a popular way to style your cured meats for your charcuterie board.
To create your own meat rose grab yourself a wine glass and a pack of round cured meat such as salami. First, place one slice of meat on the rim of the glass and fold and keep doing this around the rim of the glass allowing them to overlap but only just.
Then on your second layer you will do the same but bring the meat slices closer together, bringing them closer with each layer you add. How many slices of meat you use will depend on your glass. Once you’re done, place the glass against your board and pull away from the meat.

2. Fun Shaped Cheeses

This creative way of dressing cheese works best on cheeses with a sturdy structure such as cheddar, gouda and manchego.
In fact, experimenting with cheeses is a great way to flesh out a vegetarian charcuterie board. Simply grab yourself a mixture of shape cutters and cut your favourite shapes into your cheese, whether that be stars, hearts of flowers. For best results, cut your cheese into 1 inch slices before you cut your shapes out, this way, you’ll have delicious bite size cheese shapes for your charcuterie board.

3. Create Trails With Your Crackers

Styling your crackers can be tricky. Unlike cured meats and cheeses that have a bit of room to bend and shape, crackers need to remain intact. However, using your crackers to create a trail around your charcuterie can be a creative way of leading one's eye to the other things on offer such as meats and antipasti.
Lay your crackers on your charcuterie board and direct them in any direction depending on how you plan to style your board, allowing them to lay on top of one another like a fallen trail of dominoes.

How to Put a Brunch Twist on a Classic Charcuterie Board with HelloFresh

Charcuterie boards are perfect for every season and lots of different events. Here at HelloFresh, we're a big fan of a brunch version of a simple charcuterie board. With avocado, scrambled eggs, bacon and toast, a brunch board is great for special occasions like birthdays, bridal showers, baby showers and more!

1. Avocado: Slice, dice or smash some avocado to add to your brunch charcuterie board. To season, add a few ramekins of salt, pepper and chilli flakes so that people can pick and choose!

2. Bacon: Bacon is the perfect meat for a brunch charcuterie board. Add as many rashes as you'd like alongside your avocado and toast for a delicious brunch.

3. Scrambled eggs: Another brunch favourite, scrambled egg fits nicely alongside the bacon and avocado to give your guests a great selection to choose from.

Try our smashed avocado and bacon on toasted sourdough recipe on your next charcuterie brunch board!

4. Pancakes: Pancakes are one of the most popular brunch recipes, whether you serve them sweet or savoury, you can't go wrong with including them on your brunch board. To make them brunch-board friendly, simply make mini versions of your pancakes so that they're a snack size piece.

5. Maple Syrup: Just like olive oil or chutney on a classic charcuterie board, maple syrup can be included in small ramekins to serve alongside your pancakes.

6. Fruit: Fruit is an essential for brunch, whether that be the UK's favourite, apples, or second favourite, watermelon. You can also include berries, such as blueberries or strawberries, on your brunch board to accompany your pancakes! Fruit is the perfect, colourful addition to a vegan charcuterie board.

Our fig and pancakes recipe will help you create sweet and indulgent additions to your brunch board.

Make home cooking easy with HelloFresh

Not sure what to make for dinner? Receive the most delicious, easy-to-cook meals at your door every week. Packed to stay fresh, our meal kits fit perfectly into your fridge and come with super easy recipes that turn out amazing every time.
Not sure what to make for dinner? Receive the most delicious, easy-to-cook meals at your door every week. Packed to stay fresh, our meal kits fit perfectly into your fridge and come with super easy recipes that turn out amazing every time.