A gorgeous cheese board like the one above looks daunting, but let me tell you: it doesn’t have to be. You can find lengthy guides to putting together cheese and charcuterie boards online, but you don’t really need all that. Let’s discuss:

1. Find a Board to Copy

Yes, really. Personally, I know what looks good when I see it, but I have trouble coming up with my own ideas when I start with a blank slate. So I’ll just Google “charcuterie board” or “cheese board” and look at the image results to find a board I want to emulate. EASY.

2. Leave No Empty Spaces

A good charcuterie board gives you a look of abundance. Filling every single empty space is how professionals do it, and it doesn’t have to be with anything big. Add sprigs of herbs or a small bunch of grapes to any gap.

3. Variety Is the Spice of Life (and a Cheese Board)

When you only include hard cheeses, or cheese cut into tidy little squares, your board will lack interest, both from a visual and a taste perspective. I like to add some cheeses as whole wedges, others cut into pieces or crumbled, and items like olives and pickles in small bowls. A cheesemonger can help you choose varieties of cheese to include, or pick up a copy of The New Rules of Cheese for a primer.

4. Don’t Be Afraid to Start Over

The beauty of a cheese or charcuterie board is if you put it all together and it looks terrible, you can take everything off and try again!

Photo by Anto Meneghini on Unsplash