The way we entertain at home is evolving. The food we serve, the way we serve it, and even what we serve it on!
We are becoming a nation of sharers… that’s really sweet, isn’t it? But really, we are enjoying the ease of sharing platters and the fun of serving collections of tasty foods for everyone to savour.
With fewer people having large dining tables, informal sharing plates certainly give the more traditional dinner party format a run for its money.
Why Should You Get Smart and Serve up Your Food on a Platter?
It’s really easy to create food with an impact in advance.
If you ask most people what they struggle with when cooking for friends, the stress of getting everything prepared and served with clockwork precision is going to be right up there! So anything that you can do in advance is the way forward. For example, platters can be planned in advance then put together last minute for a spontaneous feel.
An informal way of eating
We all love informal – and why wouldn’t you? Casual eating is super-relaxing, so when you can make your friends feel chilled before they even eat their food, then you’re on to a winner.
Guests can eat what they like and what they want.
Platters give us an ultimate choice, to eat exactly what we feel like having at that precise moment. Maybe we are craving green vegetables (it can happen!), or just want a taste of Italy in the form of the most fantastic antipasto. Well, sharing plates give variety and choice in….platter loads!
You don’t have to be hidden away in the kitchen.
The beauty of platters is that the time spent serving the food on individual plates is cut, so that gives you more time to relax with your friends which is exactly what you want and what they want too. No-one likes the star host to be absent from the fabulous gathering they have created.
Choosing the Best Platters
- Choose a big enough platter to create an incredible display of food – go minimalist or pile it high.
- Choose a platter you can offer to your guests or leave it on a table if it’s too heavy.
- Have a selection of sizes so that your guests can also pass the food around.
- A platter can just be a lovely plate, a cake stand, a wooden board.
- Something vintage or with a family history
Ideas about What to Serve on Your Platter
Cheese that thinks it’s a cake
There are so many fantastic cheeseboard ideas out there but we think this would make an amazing centrepiece. This company have a variety of lovely cakes made from cheese and even some pork pie layers as well.
A taste of the Med
Sometimes we just crave those lovely fresh summer tastes of the Mediterranean and that’s when this kind of platter delivers on flavour and looks. Who wouldn’t want to tuck in to this stunning mix? Click here for the recipe from Taste.
The beautiful art of sushi
Those little mouthfuls of heaven look like jewels on a platter. Don’t worry if you can’t make them yourself as there are plenty of companies who can provide you with platters already made, so you just have to enjoy the deliciousness. Yosushi are a great example.
Roasts on a platter
We love the idea of roasting meat with vegetables then topping with herbs and yoghurt and finally letting everyone dig in. A fresh take on a traditional roast – here’s a recipe from Delicious Magazine.
Dessert platter designed to make you creative
Sharing a dessert is just as much fun as a savoury option, so take a look at this pavlova grazing dessert it’s a DIY dessert where you choose exactly how much pav and lova you have.
Cooking for Friends? – Oyster Venom Can Make Entertaining Easier
We hope this blog post has given you a bit of inspiration for your next get-together. Sometimes cooking for a crowd can be a bit daunting so take a look at our Pearl of Wisdom Guides to help you pull the whole gathering together.
Menu, recipes, drinks ideas, music playlist, master shopping list, to-do timetable, and finally, those finishing touches to show your guests how much you care.
Take a look at Oyster Venom’s Guides.