A charcuterie board traditionally refers to a platter of cured and prepared meats — 'charcuterie' is the French term for such products, like salami, prosciutto and pâté. In everyday use, the term has broadened, and a grazing board is the wider, popular idea: a generous platter combining cheeses, meats, fruit, crackers, nuts and extras for people to graze on.
Place the cheeses and any small bowls (for olives, dips or honey) first, then fill the gaps generously with everything else so the board looks abundant rather than sparse. Aim for variety of colour, texture and flavour, and let cheeses come to room temperature for the best taste. As a rough guide, plan around 100–150g of food per person as a nibble.
Grazing boards are a brilliant, low-stress way to feed a crowd or start a dinner party, since they're assembled rather than cooked. Our free grazing board planner and cheese board guide walk you through it, and our hosting guide has more entertaining tips.