How to make the perfect Christmas cheese platter
This post is brought to you by Woolworths
I’m a big believer in keeping things simple, and that includes entertaining guests. One of the best ways to feed hungry guests is to put together a delicious cheese platter, with a bit of everything to suit everyone’s tastes.
If there is ever a time to make things a little simpler, it’s Christmas. There is enough to do without spending hours in the kitchen.
This Christmas cheese platter is perfect to serve to guests on Christmas day, but is also perfect to take when invited to get-togethers throughout the festive season.
People just love a cheese platter. There is something about having a range of different foods to graze from as you catch up with friends or family.
All it takes is a little planning to keep organised when it comes to Christmas, and food is no exception. When you write your Christmas grocery shopping list, be sure to add a range of items that work perfectly in a cheese platter, and you won’t have to stress about last minute BBQ invites or unexpected guests.
While a cheese platter can really include any items you like, there are some things that go so well in a cheese platter. We share with you the perfect cheese platter items below, but if you’re not feeling particularly creative, we have also included a done-for-you shopping list including everything you need to create our exact Christmas cheese platter.
Before you put together your Christmas cheese platter
You will need something to create the cheese platter on. I used a piece of plywood that I had sanded and thoroughly cleaned, but a large serving platter or tray works just as well. Obviously the more people you are feeding, the bigger the platter will need to be.
When it comes to the food, if you have time in the lead up to Christmas, keep an eye for the Woolworths catalogues, and grab any items when they are on sale.
If you are short on time, a great way to save money is to shop online. I bought the items for my cheese platter through Woolworths online, which means I could easily see what items were on sale, and the total price of my shopping cart before I went through the checkout process.
Not only does online shopping save money, but how convenient is it having your grocery shopping delivered straight to your door?!
What to include in the perfect cheese platter
It’s a given that a cheese platter should include cheese. I like to include a range of different cheeses, since everyone tends to like something different. A soft cheese, sweet chilli cream cheese and a hard cheddar cheese are perfect to cover all bases.
Next, you will need a range of crackers. To keep it easy, I grabbed a Woolworths cracker selection box, which includes 6 different types of crackers. It saves buying multiple packets of different crackers. Bruschette Chips are also always great for something a little different.
A dip or two is always an essential platter edition. I love different varieties of hummus, but any dip will do. A sweet quince or fig paste is perfect to balance out the cheese.
Once the cheese, crackers and dip are sorted, add in a few extras. Choose bite sized fruits like blueberries, grapes or strawberries, vegetables like cherry tomatoes or carrot sticks, and of course some olives.
To finish off my cheese platter, I also added some slices of the Gold Jewelled Fruit and Nut cake, just for something a little different (and Christmassy). Any rich fruit cake will do.
My perfect Christmas cheese platter shopping list
If you love the look of my cheese platter, these are the exact items I used, and all are available from Woolworths:
- Tasmanian Heritage Double Brie Cheese
- South Cape Vintage Smoked Cheddar Cheese
- Woolworths Select Sweet Chilli Cream Cheese
- Maggie Beer Fig and Walnut Paste
- Woolworths Pitted Kalamata Olives in Balsamic
- Punnet of cherry tomatoes
- Punnet of blueberries
- San Marino Platter Antipasto
- Woolworths dried apricots
- Maretti Bruschette Chips
- Woolworths cracker Selection
- Obela Hommus Garnished with Roasted Pine Nut
Putting your perfect cheese platter together
Now that you have your ingredients ready to go, it’s time to put together your perfect Christmas cheese platter. You can either group similar items together, for example cheese together and crackers together, or you can do as I have done and spread them out randomly over the platter.
You can give your cheese platter that extra Christmasy touch by placing the ingredients on the platter in the shape of a Christmas tree just like I have done. Finish off your cheese platter Christmas tree by surrounding it with a few Christmas decorations.
