As New Year's Eve approaches, the catering orders are inevitably piling up. While cheese & charcuterie platters provide an excellent opportunity for mongers to get creative and showcase their styling skills, it's important to remember these tips that will impress your customers and their party guests:
VARIETY: Choose a cheese lineup that encompasses multiple styles, ages, and milk types. Triple cream cheeses are a classic NYE pairing with bubbles like Champagne and Prosecco, while Alpine cheeses like Gruyere and Beaufort are iconic seasonal cheeses that will transport your customers to the high altitude chalets of the Swiss mountaintops. Aged chèvre is always a hit, and don't forget the farmhouse Manchego or crystalline goat Gouda!
ACCESSIBILITY: Make sure each cheese is cut into relatively bite-sized pieces that are easy to grab and go, making the board more approachable for guests. Soft cheeses don't always need to be portioned, but you should provide a knife or spreader of some kind. Check out our Catering Cut Guide video for more information and examples!
PRESENTATION: It's essential to make sure everything on the board is edible. Use lots of color and a variety of seasonally appropriate pairings, including dried or fresh fruit, candied or raw nuts, crackers or bread, jams or honey, sliced charcuterie or pate, or any other products you know your customers will love. Garnish with fresh herbs, or edible or dried flowers.
IDENTIFICATION: Using Formaticum Cheese Signs to label everything on the platter will help your guests identify what they're eating and make it easier to navigate the platter. (Pro tip: we can customize these signs with your logo and products, so you can save your hand from cramping and your Sharpie from running out of ink.)
Happy New Year, and here's to us all eating more cheese in 2024!