Now that Kiwi kitchen queen Allyson Gofton has declared the death of traditional Christmas food in favour of grazing platters, where to start with planning your own?
What you don't include is key, says Wanaka platter queen Rachelle May.
A sample Christmas platter by Wanaka catering company The Platter Share Photo: The Platter Share
For Rachelle, it doesn't get any worse than store-bought dips served in their containers.
"If you're going to buy Lisa's hummus, PLEASE take it out of the plastic container and put it in anything that's not a plastic container… that's the first thing that's going to tacky-up your platter."
She also recommends steering clear of the 3 Cs - chips, carrots and celery. "Especially if you want to put it on Instagram, which we all do"
Read Rachelle May's guide to building a beautiful, Instagram-worthy Christmas platter here.
Rachelle May of Wanaka catering company The Platter SHARE Photo: The Platter SHARE
To present a grazing Christmas table, look for an eclectic range of materials to serve the food on, such as slabs of slate, stone, terracotta and bowls or plates made of cut-crystal and wood, Rachelle says.
Vintage mirrors from the op shop look cool as a platter, which could also make a pretty Christmas gift.
You'll also need decoration - think dried flora like pine cones, holly, dried leaves, olive branches, bay leaves and some candles.
Foodwise, gather meats, breads, cheeses, dips and spreads, fruits and sweet bits and pieces, Rachelle says.
"A dense syrupy ginger loaf with blue cheese is a really sexy addition to a Christmas platter."
Plenty of summer foods happen to be in Christmas colours, so lean into the 'red, white and green' theme with tomatoes, feta, strawberries, raspberries and fresh herbs.
(Rachelle recommends pomegranate seeds over brie or fetta with fresh mint on top.)
The Platter SHARE was launched while Rachelle was on maternity leave with her first child.
Although the business is going well, Covid is making this summer even more of a hurdle than the last one, Rachelle says.
Many events are being cancelled due to someone in the party being unvaccinated and the business recently lost their chef to vaccine hesitancy.
Now pregnant with her second child, Rachelle is very keen to find a new chef.
'If you're out there and you're a chef, get in touch with me. I'd love to hear from you.'
Food tips
Photo: The Platter SHARE
- Buy a 250g block of Mainland smoked cheddar, cut it into wedges and stack them on top of each other.
- Place almonds and dried fruits around the stacked wedges of cheddar.
- If you like sweetened cheese, drizzle honey on soft white cheese or drizzle a goats cheese log with homemade "figgy jam" - dried figs boiled with sugar and water.
- If your strawberries have a nice leafy top, leave that on, then cut them in half lengthways and stand the two halves at an angle against a white cheese.
- if they're baby strawberries, serve them whole.
- Oh, and carrots are actually okay if they're cleaned, whole and multicoloured.
Recipe ideas from the RNZ collection
Photo: Picnic Box
