Charcuterie Board Lunch Plate
This charcuterie board lunch plate is designed for simple work lunches and easy weekends. It’s effortless to make, and is really just a collection of all your favourite simple cheese board treats on one delightful plate. Make it seasonal, make it your own, make it on repeat.
Charcuterie Board Lunch Plate
Charcuterie Board Lunch Plate
Charcuterie Board Lunch Plate
You might say that a charcuterie board lunch plate doesn’t seem like much of a ‘recipe’ and sure, there’s no frying, baking or prepping… but that’s what is so good about it. Give me a meal prep lunch that doesn’t require hours on a Sunday afternoon and I’m a happy girl (no more munching away at dry, reheated spaghetti leftovers). Not to be dramatic, but this is work lunch, reimagined.
This charcuterie board is surprisingly filling (anyone ever fill up on grazing board snacks at Christmas before the mains hit the table? 🙋♀️), and perfect for those unfortunate but real work days where don’t actually get to stop for lunch. You can graze away at your fave treats which helps, somewhat.
I’m posting this recipe as a reminder for ‘future me’ when I’m not sure what to make for lunch, and as inspiration for all the people who gave an “oohh that looks good” as I ate this at the lunch table at work.
Here I’ll give you the basics for pulling together a good charcuterie board lunch for any season, and give you the foundational ingredients for building your own with what’s available to you.
How to build a charcuterie board lunch plate:
- Make it satiating with cheeses, nuts, crackers, breads, dips and/or potato chips. This is what helps you to feel full.
- Have a range of flavours for variety from savoury to sweet.
- A jammy addition like quince paste is a total level up in flavour.
- A couple of different cheeses is nice, something creamy and something bitey adds good variety.
- Pick ingredients that pair well together, e.g. pear slices and vintage cheddar, brie and quince, roasted nuts and dark chocolate.
- To emphasise the above, roasted nuts are just yummier that un-roasted nuts, use those.
- Choose fruit that is in season.
- Finish with a square or two of dark chocolate, it’s like a little lunch dessert.
How to make a seasonal charcuterie board for lunch:
In Australia, we have access to most ingredients most of the year (except stone fruit and some citrus) but some regions really depend on seasonal ingredients to work with, or paying for imported fruit might mean you forfeit fuel for the week (all things we have to weigh up), so here is a list of fruits to pair with your staples (cheeses, crackers, nuts, dips & breads) by season:
Summer ingredients:
Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, peaches, nectarines, plums, cherries, figs, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries raspberries, grapes.
Autumn/fall ingredients:
Figs, grapes, apples, pears, persimmons, pomegranates, cranberries, late-season blackberries, dates.
Winter ingredients:
Navel oranges, clementines, grapefruit, apples, pears, pomegranates, kiwifruit, dates, grapes (when available), dried apricots.
Spring ingredients:
Strawberries, cherries, apricots, early blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, loquats.
More simple lunch ideas:
You can cut the cheddar if you like, but I wouldn't cut the brie because it will form a hard layer. I would also not cut pears or apples in advance, they will go brown.
Ingredients and substitutions
How to make it - step by step!
Each day, cut ⅕ your cheddar into slices and ⅕ of brie into wedges.
Cut your part of your pear into slices (keeping the rest for later days).
Slice your quince paste into small cubes.
If working from home, or for a weekend arrange all your ingredients on a plate. or if travelling for work, put the crackers and chips in a sandwich bag and seal. Put the remaining ingredients into a container with a lid. Put the container in the fridge when you arrive. Keep the crackers out of the fridge.
Each day, cut ⅕ your cheddar into slices and ⅕ of brie into wedges.
Cut your part of your pear into slices (keeping the rest for later days).
Slice your quince paste into small cubes.
If working from home, or for a weekend arrange all your ingredients on a plate. or if travelling for work, put the crackers and chips in a sandwich bag and seal. Put the remaining ingredients into a container with a lid. Put the container in the fridge when you arrive. Keep the crackers out of the fridge.
Watch the how to video
Watch the how to video
Charcuterie Board Lunch Plate
- 100g roasted almonds
- 200g vintage cheddar
- 250g crackers
- 100g quince paste
- 200g brie cheese (A big wheel)
- 100g 85% dark chocolate
- 100g Sicilian olives
- 150g salted potato chips
- 100g dried apricots
- 2 pears
- 200g grapes
- Each day, cut ⅕ your cheddar into slices and ⅕ of brie into wedges.
- Cut your part of your pear into slices (keeping the rest for later days).
- Slice your quince paste into small cubes.
- If working from home, or for a weekend arrange all your ingredients on a plate. or if travelling for work, put the crackers and chips in a sandwich bag and seal. Put the remaining ingredients into a container with a lid. Put the container in the fridge when you arrive. Keep the crackers out of the fridge.