What is a Grazing table? basically a table filled with small (grazing) sizes pieces of food.
What types of things can go on your grazing table?
Assorted bread rolls, sliced artisan loaves, bread sticks and assorted crackers.
Platters of cold meat, thinly sliced hams and chunky salamis.
Fresh, marinated or pickled vegetables.
Platters of cheese from soft cheeses to wheels of hard cheese. Cheese can be expensive so work to your budget.
Sweet items such as chocolates, mini cakes, muffins or small cupcakes. Include fresh fruit (non juicy)
Assorted wafers, dried fruits & nuts.
Olives fresh and marinated.
Use fresh fruit, edible flowers, vegetables and herbs for decoration.
Prepare your grazing table
It does actually take quite a bit of food to fill a table, so pick a table size to suit your budget. You can also fill in space with large chopping boards, baskets of bread and flowers. You will need a clean table or a mix of chopping boards. You can also lay down some wrapping paper to form a clean patterned surface.
How to lay out your grazing table
Start with the biggest items you have or any pieces you want to be the feature. Eg cupcakes or full sized cake. Lay these out on the table, scattered and in no particular order.
Next you need to lay down your chopping boards or baskets. Then it’s just a case of filling in the gaps with your grazing table food. Try and separate crackers from cut fruit so they remain crisp and add chopped breads at the last minute or drape them with a damp towel to keep them moist until serving. Try and balance out your color as you go. The more food on your grazing table the better it looks.
There’s no easier way to impress and satisfy your party guests than with an amazing grazing table.
Tips to create an easy grazing table
1: Height – Elevation of your food helps to add dimension to the grazing table. Place height at the back of the table or in the middle of the grazing table if it is going to be a 360 walk around the table. Then work out towards the front getting lower. You may wish to round out the side to bring the dinner into the middle also.
2: Color – Pick a base color for your plates and crockery. Most platters are wood grain, marble or browns. You really want the color of your food to be the hero on a grazing table. Scatter colored foods out across the table to balance the look.
3: Props – A great way to reduce the overall cost of food is to add props, generally fresh foliage flowers and special crockery pieces can add lots of businesses to your grazing table as busy is a good thing when it comes to creating your own table or platter.
Grazing table? Makes us sound like we are all a herd of cattle. Smorgasbord is a much classer name for people eating finger foods and such.
Actually ‘grazing table’ is very much on trend at the moment. Smorgasbord is very old fashioned.