I love party food that allows the host to relax (especially when that's me).
But, it must still impress the guests with my culinary prowess — ideally looking considerably trickier to conjure up than it actually is!
The "grazing table" has been rising up the event-planning ranks over the last few years. It's an increasingly common feature of weddings and PR-events — and was even spotted at the Grammy Awards in 2023.
Drawing on the banquets of old, a grazing table offers up a bounty of tempting treats, all in bite-size pieces that please the eye as well as the tastebuds.
If I’m honest, I'd banished the whole concept as the latest internet fad: designed to look beautiful on social media, but otherwise impractical and a little unhygienic.
This summer though I curbed my scepticism, and tested out a grazing table at a couple of summer parties we hosted at home in the garden.
The verdict?
Brilliant!
A perfectly simple, wonderfully delicious, and ever-so-fun food idea for a summer party.
I’ll admit, I tweaked the concept. Grazing table aficionados might be appalled but I made full use of plates and platters — rather than scattering food directly onto a table — and incorporated some more substantial hot food too.
It looked great, delivered the wow factor, and fed a crowd with minimal fuss and effort on my part.
If you’re considering a grazing table for your next party, I have some tips and recipes to make it easier for you. As well as some ideas for those who aren’t entirely sold on the grazing table concept!
Image: a grazing table I put together for a summer party with lots of cheese (especially my favourites, manchego and a lovely mature brie), charcuterie, and a cheeky bowl of Quality Street! I break the 'rules' by using lots of dishes, boards, and platters - filling the haps with hydrangea flower heads - rather than having all the food overlapping.
Why choose a grazing table for a summer party?
As an easy party feast, a grazing table will wow the crowds.
It's a wonderfully sociable way to eat and doubles as an eye-catching focal point.
All achieved with minimal effort - which is my kind of party prep!
I particularly enjoyed creating a grazing table for my summer entertaining because it:
✓ encouraged relaxed and casual dining, which I love for laidback garden parties;
✓ embraced the theme of summer and the garden aesthetic, with fresh, light dishes; and
✓ offered up enough variety that I knew there would be something for everyone, especially when I had larger garden gatherings with all my children and their families.
What should be on a grazing table?
“We eat first with our eyes” Apicius, the Roman gourmand.
Create a feast for hungry eyes with as much colour and texture as tastebuds allow!
A grazing table is an excuse to artfully heap together all your favourite things in tantalising bitesize pieces.
In short, there are no rules.
Do bear in mind dietary requirements and food sensitives though. If you are expecting vegan guests, or individuals managing allergies, consider offering separate grazing boards so there is no risk of cross-contamination.
At the heart of the grazing table concept is variety, so the possibilities are endless. To get you started and make things easy, I’ve added below my shopping list for our summer party grazing tables.
Shopping list for a summer grazing table
— for tantalising textures:
✓ Ciabatta with olive oil & balsamic vinegar
✓ Hard & soft cheeses - slice hard cheese but keep brie whole
✓ Tangy pickles
✓ Crudites with creamy hummus
✓ Nuts - pistachios (I love the hint of green these bring to a table too), sweet pecans, macadamias
— for a cornucopia of colour:
✓ Fresh fruit
✓ Cured meats - rolled for easy picking
✓ Shiny olives (green & black)
✓ Pomegranates, top-sliced to reveal the ruby seeds
✓ Dried apricots & fresh figs
✓ Stuffed pimentos
✓ Red & white grapes
✓ Artisan crackers
— for a little childlike glee:
I love sprinkling in a few surprises for fun on an otherwise sophisticated table
✓ Quality Street — I love the colourful crinkly foil wrappers, the nod to nostalgia, and what better conversation starter than, ‘which is your favourite?’ (mine is the fudge one!)
✓ Shards of dark chocolate
✓ Monkey nuts in their shells
✓ Skittles or Smarties
✓ Popcorn
✓ Bitesize cakes (I love the wonderful Betty’s Fondant Fancies)
As well as the delicious charcuterie and finger food, the traditionalist in me insists on a couple of more substantial dishes too.
I've shared my favourite party recipes below: simple and colourful, with delectable flavours that are best enjoyed outdoors.
Simple summer party recipes (that work well on a grazing table too)
This recipe from the Hemsley sisters for cauliflower tabbouleh and lamb meatballs is full of colour and flavour - it shouts summer!
Swapping in fresh salmon (rather than smoked) and topped with chunks of butternut squash, this goats cheese frittata is divine. I make it in a rectangular dish and cut it into squares for easy eating from a grazing table.
New to my summer party repertoire is Spicy Garlic Chicken Skewers (inspired by Becks Doyle over on Instagram). Mix together the ingredients below and pour over skewers of chicken thigh. Leave overnight to bathe in the flavours, then BBQ. Yum!
- 1 inch of fresh ginger
- ½ onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 fresh chilli diced or ½ tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tbps maple syrup
- 1 tsp fresh black pepper
How to lay out a grazing table
If you’re creating a table of artfully overlapping food, you’ll want to first cover your table with parchment. Your selection of delicious items can then be laid directly onto it, flowing from one flavour into another.
Personally, this is the aspect of the grazing table I ditch.
Instead, I lay out all my favourite dishes, serving boards, and platters — building in different heights is interesting to the eye, but also makes food in the centre of the table easy to reach. Any gaps between the dishes, I fill with flowerheads and foliage from the garden, or with whole vegetables and fruit — perfect for a summer party.
Tweaking the grazing table “rules” by using plates means I can replenish a dish or platter simply and without fussing around the table. It also creates the separation preferred by those who are a little squeamish about one type of food sitting against another. I think the visual effect is just as impactful.
Once the dishes are out in a pleasing formation on the table, add the big items first — the cheese, the bread, etc. Then add your charcuterie, crackers, veggies, fruit, all the bowls of dips and pickles, and then anything else you have.
Don’t worry about symmetry, it should be slightly messy.
Ensure that each item of food is portioned and easy to pick up. Slice as much as possible beforehand (some of this can be done the night before).
It’s not a buffet where all of one thing is gathered in one place — instead repeat clusters of food across the table so your guests can get a little of what they love wherever they come to the table.
It makes sense to put complementary flavours close together, but again, don’t worry too much about this as contrast and variety are what a grazing table is all about.
If you enjoy a plan, you could print out pictures from Pinterest and draw out how you’d like yours to look — but my advice is to just go for it!
The joy of a grazing table is a little chaos, don’t over-think or over-style it. Focus on creating a cornucopia, an overflowing bounty – not something too pretty to eat.
Tips for an outdoor grazing table
1. Lay out your grazing table in smaller quantities and replenish as required – it is a little more work but keeps the table fresh.
2. Add small terracotta pots of herbs like rosemary, mint, basil, and lemongrass, as natural insect repellent - they look beautiful on a summer-themed grazing table too (Urban Herbs is a wonderful online small business with a wide variety UK-grown herbs).
3. Set up under a roofed pergola, or parasol, to protect your table from direct sunlight and passing rain showers.
4. Chill serving platters for cheese and charcuterie – slate serving boards tend to stay cooler for longer.
5. Use heavier dishes with higher sides to protect food from a gusty summer breeze.
A grazing table for people who don’t like grazing tables!
When I first came across the grazing table concept, I was not convinced:
— it looks lovely in a photograph but, after a few people have cut into the brie, dug into the charcuterie ‘river’, and knocked over the pile of cashews, won’t it look like a dog’s dinner?
— with wet food leaning against dry, won't it all be a soggy mess?
— what about the waste afterwards?
— then there are dietary requirements to consider, and there are some people who just hate the idea of food mixing or touching.
I address most of the above simply by using an array of dishes, boards, and platters. (Kin Boards produce beautiful serving boards from their Suffolk workshop if you’d like to treat yourself to a centrepiece.)
Plates might not feature on the grazing table of purists, but the look is still bountiful whilst offering a little food separation and practicality!
Using dishes and platters, I can also put out a less food and easily replenish when necessary. This keeps everything looking fresh and attractive.
I’ve found that there’s a lot less waste than in a more traditional buffet where the tendency is to pile your plate high and leave it unfinished. A grazing table invites guests to take a little of what they fancy and come back for more if they want it.
You could even give everyone their own set of compostable bamboo tongs to avoid lots of fingers on the food.
For dietary requirements and allergies, a small personalised grazing board is lovely and ensures your guests feel included without the anxiety. It’s always a good idea to keep the packets of anything store-bought, or list out the ingredients of anything you’ve made, so that guests with allergies can double check anything they’re worried about.
Will you feature a grazing table at your next summer party?
What do you think? Have you been convinced to try out a grazing table when you next have friends and family around?
For more grazing table inspiration, browse our grazing table ideas board on Pinterest.
If you'd rather host a BBQ, take a look at my tips and recipes for a simple stress-free BBQ. I've also included some of my favourite Gallic-inspired recipes here.
