The ProCook Guide to Summer Sharing Boards

For casual gatherings a sumptuous sharing board ticks all the right boxes, offering a crowd pleasing, simple way to serve food for your guests. From choosing a serving platter to selecting snacks, ProCook have some fantastic  ideas to get you started.
Choosing what to serve
1. Go bitesize. Keep things simple for your guests by serving things that are easy to pick up and pop into your mouth. Olives, nuts and sliced meats are all superb choices.
2. Dips that go with everything are ideal and they are easy to make at home. ProCook’s simple homemade hummus goes well with crisps, vegetable sticks and pitta bread.
3. Pick things that can stay out for a little while such as cured meats, cheese and dried fruits so the guests that are last to your spread aren’t left feeling underwhelmed.
4. Disrupt the eye and serve your picks in lots of different ways. Keep tomatoes on the vine, serve crisps in different bowls and lay crackers out in a ring surrounding your cheeses. It keeps the eye interested and will encourage guests to get involved.
5. Along with your meats, fruits, cheeses, and spreads do not forget to offer a selection of crackers or breads to make sure your guests are full.

Pick the right serving piece
If you don’t have a serving board to serve your snacks, no problem – make use of what you already have in your kitchen! A baking tray is perfect thanks to its lipped edges, keeping things from falling off the edge, and a pizza stone is perfect for serving charcuterie meats or cheeses. Oven dishes are perfect for messier foods that may need containing and a cheese board or chopping board although more obvious, should not be forgotten.
Location, location, location
Avoid moving your sharing board around once it’s in place, by picking an easy access spot for it that is out of direct sunlight to keep food fresh. Planning to serve yours outdoors? Look for a shaded area and place over a deep roasting tin filled halfway with ice to keep things cool.

ProCook’s Top Tips
Place utensils into dishes for hygiene purposes and to protect guests with allergies.
Pop a pot of cocktail sticks close to small things like olives so guests can easily tuck in.
Replenish food throughout rather than trying to cram everything in at the start. This keeps food as fresh and gives you plenty of room to display all your
options.
Provide napkins, especially if you are serving oily foods such as olives or cured meats.