No holiday would be perfect without a festive, and picturesque feasts, and you can achieve that this year by hosting that perfect grazing table this Christmas! It involves little to no cooking, beautiful, and putting it altogether doesn’t cost much compared to the visual impact it brings
So What is a Grazing Table?
A grazing table is an unconventional yet visually captivating buffet, made up of mostly finger food that suits well in room temperature for a period of time. The food prepared are bite-sized or can be picked up with the hands, examples would be assorted cheeses of differing textures, charcuterie, an array of bread, dips, raw vegetables, fresh or dried fruits and nuts, pickles, and even sandwiches.
There’s no written rules in setting a grazing table however there are guidelines that you can follow in styling your tables, you can find below the general outlines
- Select a wide and large table, where guests can easily move along at once.
- The utensils, linens, napkins, and other decorations should have a consensual theme.
- You can always use different plating styles, don’t stick with just using plates, be creative and use some wood block paper, or pedestals to highlight some food items. You can vary the elevation of some of the dishes to give it some allure and make the table more visually appealing.
In placing bowls for dips, choose different colors, shapes, and sizes, as you spread around the food items without leaving any gaps or piling the dishes. You can use sprigs of herbs, nuts, berries and chopped vegetables around to give the table a complete look.
- Be generous and fill the entire table with food, leave no spaces in between even if it means repeating the sequences of the food you place on the table. In arranging the food, start with the bigger pieces such as meat, cheeses, and fruits. Meat should be thinly sliced and rolled. Arrange cheeses in either wedges or dices. While larger fruits can be pre-sliced into angular shapes. We want it all to appear symmetrical.
- Food choices should always consider the time you are serving and seasonal considerations. We want to ensure the freshness, and the seasonal availability of the produce. We always want to ensure that the food served can be sustained throughout the day without affecting its palatability. Avoid pre-packaged produce and meat when serving.
- Always consider food that can be kept well at room temperature for a day and prepare the food into bite-sized portions so guests can easily pick them up.
- When selecting the food, play around the color, texture, and even the aroma to create an engaging table presence.