A healthy entertaining platter that is bound to wow at any celebration

The basics of making an entertaining grazing platter that works year-round

The idea of a grazing platter like this is that it displays a lovely mix of little bites of food, like cheeses, dips, fruit, crackers and meat, all laid out that look so inviting you’re not sure what to try first!

You don’t need to go out and buy lots of expensive meats and cheeses either! To make an impressive platter, you just need the right mix of colours, textures and tastes presented in the right way.

Here are some tips on how to pull it all together.

1. What platter to use?

Don’t despair if you don’t have a super long wooden board just for entertaining! There are plenty of other things you can use as a platter.

A large breadboard or chopping board work well, or even a cookie or baking tray. Trays with sides are particularly good if you want to pre-assemble your platter to take to a party.

2. Include bowls for dips and things

Not only do little bowls break up the healthy grazing board, but they also offer a practical way to store dips and things. They don’t need to be matching either. Just use a mix of bowls or ramekins or even small glasses.

3. What to include on the platter

The key is getting the right mix of things to include. This platter from the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge will comfortably serve 10 and comes in at around 400 calories per person.

What food to put on a grazing board

• 4 medium Carrots cut into sticks
• 1 large Cucumber cut into sticks
• 6 x Gherkins 180g
• 200 grams Tasty cheese, cubed
• 1 tub Hummus
• 450g green Grapes
• Half a packet of Water Crackers
• Half a packet of rice crackers
• 75g Pitted Olives
• 1 x punnet of Strawberries – (melt 1/3 block dark choc and do half dipped in choc.
• 50g Pretzels
• 100 grams of Ham sliced and rolled
• 250g Cherry tomatoes
• 4 x Celery sticks
• 1/2 block dark chocolate
• 8g plain salted popcorn
• 250g blueberries
• 6 choc protein balls 

4. How to Assemble the Platter

This is the fun bit! Once you have all of the prepared items on your kitchen bench and you have chosen the appropriately sized platter:-

1. Start by laying your cubed cheese across the bench.
2. Then space out your bowls and fill them with hummus, gherkins and olives.
3. Lay down the bigger items like grapes and tomatoes.
4. Next, add the rolled-up ham and veggie sticks.
5. Add the crackers in groups, spacing them out.
6. Fill in the gaps on your board with the little bits of fruit, chocolate, popcorn and pretzels.

5. Make a list, and check it twice!

With so many items included on this platter, it’s not a bad idea to have a list of all your ingredients so you don’t miss something or leave it in the fridge.

6. Last little bits

Seeing as you’ve already cubed the cheese for your guests, you won’t need to supply an array of cheese knives, but it’s a good idea to have some toothpicks or cocktail forks for some of the smaller items.

You should also provide a couple of little bowls for things like the strawberry tops  And last but not least, don’t forget the serviettes.

Now, relax and have a great time!

For more healthy GRAZING PLATE ideas – have a look here