Step aside candy corn (does anyone really like that stuff anyway??). We’re tossing the candy this Halloween and opting for something the adults (and kids!) will want to dive into.
Let’s talk about charcuterie boards (because that’s what we do best!). And with Halloween creeping up on us, we’ve got all the inspiration you need to make your own spook-tacular charcuterie board.
We’ve sharing some quick tips to make sure your guests are raving about your charcuterie skills. Including some delicious options for local, Ontario meats and cheeses on your platter (because flavour matters!).
Keep on reading for some inspiring Halloween-themed charcuterie boards that range from elegant to fun.
Tips to Make A Charcuterie Board
Charcuterie boards have an element of creativity in their assembly that almost becomes a form of art. But don’t be intimated, they are simple to prepare and anyone can make a beautiful board. Here’s some tips to achieve that photo-worthy, palate-pleasing charcuterie board:
- use good quality meats and cheeses, your guests will taste the difference
- add in a mix of nuts, fruits, spreads, & crackers
- include sweet and savoury elements
- have a variety of textures like firm, crunchy, creamy and chewy
- for an aesthetically pleasing look, include odd numbers of both cheese and meat; either 1, 3 or 5
- use crackers, greens, herbs or even whole fruits or vegetables to fill in space or add pops of colour
Feature Local Meats & Cheeses
There’s no better chance to feature some of the flavours you can find close to home. For us, that means sourcing some of the amazing Ontario meats and cheeses we have from local producers. You can visit our full line of DIY Charcuterie Meats & Cheeses online.
Here’s some of our favourite Ontario meat and cheese producers:
Ontario Cheeses
- Stonetown Artisan Cheese (St. Mary’s, ON)
- Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese (Woodstock, ON)
- Thornloe Cheese (Thornloe, ON)
- Mountainoak Cheese (New Hamburg, ON)
- Cross Wind Farms (Keene, ON)
Ontario Meats
- Seed to Sausage (Ottawa, ON)
- Niagara Food Specialties (Niagara Falls, ON)
- Salumeria Il Tagliere (Caledon, ON)
Ontario Spreads & Honey
- Top Shelf Preserves (Gloucester, ON)
- Spade & Spoon (Ayton, ON)
- Provisions Food Company (Beamsville, ON)
- Wildly Delicious Preserve Co. Ltd. (Toronto, ON)
- Ontario Honey Creations (Mulmer, ON)
7 Inspirational Halloween-Themed Charcuterie Boards
First on our list of inspiration is this platter by tastefoodblog.com. We love the incorporation of natural, edible elements to create this dark and moody platter. It feels like a haunted forest with the dark and purplish greens, rough and seeded crackers, red pears, black radishes, small ornamental pumpkins and black olives. The cheeses equally match the theme with coloured rinds (like purple and orange) or ash rinds.
Sticking with the dark and moody theme, an easy way to change the mood is to serve your charcuterie on a vintage silver platter on a dark table or table cloth like freutcake.com has done here.
Looking for some dark elements to add to your platter? Try dates, figs, purple grapes, wood bowls and dark pottery like celebrationsathomeblog.com
Add in some handmade cheese markers like these from jordanseasyentertaining.com
Keep it simple with this cheese board assembled inside a coffin box by Grazeful Gourmet.
We’re not supposed to play with our food…but we’ll make an exception! Get creative with the top of a brie wheel, cut out shapes or letters to fit your theme like Sabrina Stavenjord from the Food Network has done here.
This one is perfect for that circular platter you have at home (and the handle makes a perfect pumpkin stem!). We know this one is lacking in the meat and cheese department so go ahead and add to this fruit and veggie platter by Peas Thank You.
Halloween is the perfect time to try out a charcuterie board! With some simple tips, you can create a spook-tacular charcuterie board that will be the hit of any party. And when it comes to flavour, local matters. Be sure to include some delicious Ontario meats and cheeses on your platter for a truly unique experience.
