I thought it would be fun to invite some friends over and make up my own grazing table with some homemade baked goods. I’ve been going to many events lately and they all seem to have beautiful grazing tables. Some were savoury based, some with desserts and fruits and others an array of nearly everything you can think of.
My plan was to cook up a few things before hand, freeze them and just defrost them the day before ready to serve up on the day. There is nothing like cooking up a storm and serving it up to family and friends. The benefit of a grazing table is that you don’t have to stay in the kitchen throughout the party. Nearly everything can be pre prepped leaving minimal to do on the day. Then, an hour or so before the party starts, all you need to do is set up the grazing table. That way you can sit and enjoy the company at the party, while nibbling on the baked goods.
What to include on a grazing table?
The first thing I did was write a list of what I would of liked on the table. I wrote a huge list of some of the things that could be pre made and stored. Then, evaluated the list based on when you can make each item and how many people can actually come.
Here is a list of things you could add to your grazing table. Choose according to the look and feel you are going for, the type of crowd you are serving it up to (kids, adults or both?) and for how many people. I chose a few things from each section to have a good selection and to try and cater to as many dietary requirements and tastes as I could. These are just examples and many of the items I used for my grazing table.
Savoury and Breads:
- Koupes – Savoury meat rolls exclusive to the Mezze Cookbook
- Eliopitas – Olive bread sticks exclusive to the Mezze Cookbook
- Anari Tiropitas – Small ricotta pastries exclusive to the Mezze Cookbook
- Tiropita pita – Cheese pie exclusive to the Mezze Cookbook
- Tiropita – Cheese pastries exclusive to the Mezze Cookbook
- Dolmades – Vine leaf wraps exclusive to the Mezze Cookbook
- Marinated olives – try our Fennel and Orange Olives free on the blog or a Lemon and Rosemary flavour exclusive to the Mezze Cookbook
- Crackers – try our Seeded Crackers exclusive to the Salad Collection
- Psomi – try making the everyday bread exclusive to the Mezze Cookbook. This recipe makes 3 loaves of bread so you can add some haloumi cheese, olives or sun-dried tomatoes to change each loaf. This will give different flavours and looks to the table also.
Dips:
- Cheese and Chive Dip free on the blog
- Hummus – exclusive to the Salad Collection
- Cheeseballs – try a Curry or Macadamia Flavour exclusive to the Christmas Collection
- Basil Pesto – exclusive to the Salad Collection
- Tzatziki – Greek Youghurt and Garlic Dip exclusive to the Mezze Cookbook
- Taramasalata – Fish Roe Dip exclusive to the Mezze Cookbook
- Skordalia – Potato and Garlic Dip exclusive to the Mezze Cookbook
Sweets:
- Halva – Greek Semolina Cake or the gluten and dairy free halva both recipes free on the blog
- Bougatsa – Custard Filo Rolls exclusive to the Mezze Cookbook
- Chocolate Fudge Brownie exclusive to the Christmas Collection
- Cheesecake – try Dani Valent’s Basque Cheesecake or make small individual serves.
- Fudge – Salted Caramel Fudge, Chocolate Fudge, White Chocolate and Pistachio Fudge
- Rocky road exclusive to the Christmas Collection
- Peppermint Bark exclusive to the Christmas Collection
- Butter Biscuits exclusive to the Mezze Cookbook
- Roasted Macadamia
- Cupcakes
Fillers to fill gaps with:
- Fruit
- Sliced vegetable sticks: cucumber, carrots, celery
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Cold Meats: Salami, prosciutto, ham
- Cheeses
- Dried fruit
- Nuts or seeds
One of the keys to a perfect grazing table is to stick to finger type foods. Choose food that can be put on a small plate instead of things needing knives, forks and a table that they need to sit down at. Also, be thoughtful not to have anything that might melt like frozen desserts.
Use this list as an inspiration and guide to making your own list. Once you decide what items you will have on your grazing table, you can plan out when you can pre make as many of the items on the list as possible. Try not have too many to make on the day so you can just focus on prepping the fruit and veggie sticks and setting up the table on the day.
I hope these tips help you create your very own homemade grazing table! I would love for you to share your creations in the FAYI Facebook Group. Your creation may be a table or just a grazing plate but I would love to see what recipes you have used to create them.
