How to Build a Charcuterie & Antipasti Board
Create a balanced sharing board with Italian cured meats, speciality cheese, bread, olives, pickles, fruit and complementary accompaniments. Use this practical guide for dinner parties, festive entertaining, grazing tables and relaxed sharing occasions.
Start with meat and cheese, then build contrast around them
A beautiful charcuterie or antipasti board does not require dozens of ingredients. Start with a small selection of cured meats and cheeses, then add bread, olives, pickles, fruit and condiments that bring contrast in flavour, texture and colour.
Choose the Cured Meats
Use two or three contrasting meats such as delicate prosciutto, lean bresaola and a firmer, more seasoned salami.
Shop Cured MeatsAdd the Cheese
Choose two or three cheeses with different textures: perhaps one fresh or soft, one firm and one stronger cheese.
Shop Speciality CheeseAdd Bread & Crunch
Use crusty bread, breadsticks, crackers or other suitable accompaniments to create texture and make serving easier.
Explore DelicatessenFinish with Accompaniments
Use olives, pickles, fruit, quince, chutney or suitable condiments to balance richer meat and cheese.
Browse Deli ProductsBuild your charcuterie board step by step
Use the sections below to plan meats, cheeses, accompaniments, quantities and presentation.
Choose two or three contrasting cured meats
The easiest way to create variety is to choose meats with different textures and flavour intensity.
For example, Prosciutto Crudo provides a soft, delicate cured-ham style, while bresaola brings lean air-dried beef and salami adds a firmer, more seasoned flavour.
That combination creates more interest than serving several products with almost identical textures.
- Prosciutto Crudo
- Bresaola
- Salame Napoli
- Optional pancetta
- Optional cooked Italian ham
Use sliced prosciutto for an easy board foundation
Prosciutto is particularly useful on a sharing board because thin slices can be folded, loosely rolled or arranged in small ribbons.
Nicol Retailer currently lists Prosciutto Crudo Slices in four 250g packs, a convenient format for boards, sandwiches and entertaining.
Presentation tip: avoid placing cured meat completely flat. Loose folds and ribbons make the board look fuller and make individual portions easier to pick up.
Choose cheeses with contrasting textures
A balanced board does not need five similar hard cheeses. Choose different textures and flavour strengths.
A fresh cheese such as burrata can provide creaminess, a mature hard cheese can add savoury intensity, and a blue or smoked cheese can create a stronger flavour point.
Nicol Retailer’s current Speciality Cheese range includes hard, soft, blue, smoked and Italian styles.
- Burrata or mozzarella
- Parmigiano Reggiano
- Gorgonzola
- Smoked cheese
- Goat’s cheese
- Stilton or another blue
Italian cheese works naturally with Italian charcuterie
For an Italian-style board, consider using burrata, fresh mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano.
Burrata can provide a soft, creamy centrepiece, while hard Italian cheese adds firmer texture and concentrated savoury flavour.
For a detailed comparison, read the Italian Cheese Buying Guide UK .
Add bread, crackers or another crisp element
Bread and crackers give guests something to pair with cheese, cured meat and condiments.
You do not need many different varieties. One softer bread and one crisp option can provide enough contrast.
- Crusty sliced bread for burrata, prosciutto and softer cheese.
- Breadsticks for easy sharing and antipasti-style presentation.
- Crackers for firmer and stronger cheeses.
- Toasted bread for spreads, soft cheese or bruschetta-style toppings.
Practical tip: keep some bread or crackers separately from the main board so they do not absorb moisture from cheese, fruit or other wet ingredients.
Use acidic, sweet and savoury accompaniments for balance
Cured meats and cheese can be rich and salty, so accompaniments should provide contrast rather than simply adding more richness.
Olives, pickled vegetables, fresh fruit, dried fruit and quince-style products can all work well.
For example, Nicol Retailer’s Speciality Cheese range currently includes quince jelly, which can complement hard and stronger cheeses.
- Olives
- Cornichons
- Pickled vegetables
- Fresh figs
- Grapes
- Pears
- Quince jelly
- Suitable chutneys
A simple charcuterie board formula
Use this structure as a starting point, then scale it according to the number of guests and whether the board is a snack, starter or main sharing meal.
Two cured meats
Choose contrasting styles, such as prosciutto and salami.
Two or three cheeses
Combine soft, firm and optionally blue or smoked cheese.
Bread or crackers
Provide at least one easy vehicle for cheese and meat.
One pickled element
Olives, cornichons or antipasti vegetables add acidity.
One sweet contrast
Use fruit, quince, honey or a suitable chutney.
Simple garnish
Use herbs or another restrained garnish rather than overcrowding the board.
How to arrange a charcuterie board
Presentation is easier when you work from the largest items to the smallest.
- Place bowls or dishes first for olives, pickles or wetter accompaniments.
- Position the larger cheeses around the board.
- Arrange cured meats in folds, ribbons or loose groups.
- Fill larger gaps with bread, crackers or fruit.
- Use smaller ingredients to fill remaining spaces.
- Finish with a restrained garnish if required.
Design principle: create small clusters instead of spreading every ingredient evenly. Grouped ingredients are easier to identify and often look more generous.
How much charcuterie should you serve?
The quantity depends heavily on whether the board is a small appetiser or the main food for the occasion.
Waste-control tip: do not put every chilled product onto the board at once for a long event. Where appropriate, replenish smaller quantities during service and follow the product’s storage guidance.
Adapt your board to the occasion
Informal drinks
Keep it simple: two meats, two cheeses, olives and bread or crackers.
Dinner-party starter
Use smaller portions and focus on higher contrast, such as prosciutto, bresaola, burrata and a mature hard cheese.
Festive entertaining
Expand the range with stronger cheese, fruit, pickles and additional cured meats.
Grazing table
Use multiple boards or serving areas and replenish where appropriate rather than placing all stock out at once.
Build a cheese & antipasti board without charcuterie
A sharing board does not need cured meat. A cheese-led antipasti board can combine several contrasting cheeses with olives, pickles, vegetables, bread and fruit.
Nicol Retailer also has dedicated vegan cheese products, so a separate plant-based board can be built around products whose current dietary information meets your requirements.
- Italian cheese
- Speciality cheese
- Vegan cheese
- Olives
- Pickled vegetables
- Fresh fruit
- Quince
- Bread & crackers
Storage, serving & allergen considerations
A charcuterie board may contain several chilled products with different storage requirements. Follow the instructions on every individual product and its packaging.
Cheese commonly contains milk, while cured meats, breads, crackers, condiments and antipasti products can have their own ingredient and allergen profiles.
Important: do not treat the finished board as one dietary category. Check each meat, cheese, bread, condiment and accompaniment individually, especially where allergies or specific dietary requirements apply.
For further guidance, visit Ingredients, Allergens & Dietary Information .
Learn more about the meats and cheeses on your board
For detailed guidance on prosciutto, bresaola, salami and pancetta, read Italian Cured Meats & Charcuterie Guide UK .
For mozzarella, burrata, Gorgonzola, Scamorza, ricotta and hard Italian cheeses, read Italian Cheese Buying Guide UK .
For the complete shopping hub, visit Delicatessen Online UK .
Charcuterie & antipasti board FAQs
Common questions about planning and serving a deli sharing board.
What should be on a charcuterie board?
A simple board can include two or three cured meats, two or three cheeses, bread or crackers, olives or pickles and one or two sweet or fresh accompaniments.
What Italian meats are good for a charcuterie board?
Prosciutto, bresaola and salami provide a useful combination of delicate, lean and more strongly seasoned styles.
What Italian cheese works on a charcuterie board?
Burrata, mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Parmigiano Reggiano and other Italian cheeses can all work, depending on the balance of flavours and textures you want.
How many cheeses should I put on a board?
Two or three contrasting cheeses are usually enough for a focused sharing board. Choose different textures rather than several very similar products.
What fruit goes with charcuterie?
Figs, grapes, pears and similar fruit can add sweetness and freshness alongside salty meats and rich cheese.
Can I make a vegetarian charcuterie-style board?
Yes. Build it around speciality cheese, olives, pickled vegetables, fruit, bread and suitable condiments. You can also explore plant-based cheese products for a separate vegan-style board.
Should everything be placed on the board at once?
Not necessarily. For larger or longer events, using smaller quantities and replenishing where appropriate can make presentation and chilled-food management easier. Always follow product storage guidance.
Where can I buy charcuterie and speciality cheese online?
Browse Nicol Retailer’s Delicatessen , Cooked & Cured Speciality Meat and Speciality Cheese ranges.