Platters with providence

Platters with providence

Platters have recently and frequently become an artist addition at most parties and gatherings, if not an essential with your afternoon wine

One person who has shown a love for the art is Sarah Paton. She has a passion for hospitality and business, and with years of experience in luxury five-star hotels across the country, this appetite for entertainment and luxury cheese platters has thrived in her self-started luxury cheese platter business. With this she has all that there is to know about perfecting the platter, including the nitty-gritty details that makes an ordinary spread into a high-end, super-Instagramable, delicious cheese platter. There is plenty to know and learn about setting up a platter, and Sarah says that all platters can be personalised to the creator’s preference, and so you’re able to implement any of her tips and tricks of the trade with whatever platter you choose.

CRACKERS ON THE SIDE Always, always, always put the crackers standing straight up. This is a very common mistake I often see and changes the look of the entire product. Stand your crackers directly upwards and I recommend putting something substantial on either end like jars or dips.

SIZE It is incredibly important to choose the rightsized board to suit the amount of people. If the board is too big, you won’t be able to fill it. Always opt for a smaller board, as you can always layer which will make it look ‘fuller’.

CHILLI JAM We home-make our own sweet chilli jam which has proven to be an absolute crowd pleaser and something everyone comments on. We also incorporate Marinated Baby Figs, which we find are made in-house at Deli Delicious.

DRIED CITRUS We have also just recently created a new product of dried citrus. We use it to garnish the cheese as it adds a pop of colour and smells amazing. It’s not available just yet, but in the meantime you can find out more on Instagram at @citrus_and_co_

USE COLOUR I love to use lots of colour, as it enhances the visual representation of our product and is very important for guest satisfaction, as people essentially eat with their eyes.

GARNISH, GARNISH, GARNISH! This step is a game-changer and will take your cheese platter to the next level. We love using, figs, pomegranate seeds, edible flowers, honeycomb and dried citrus. We also use cranberries and fresh herbs from our own vegetable garden.

GOOD QUALITY BOARD Firstly, you need a great board. We source our boards from Porter & Wood, here on the Darling Downs.

SEASONAL PRODUCTS It is vital to incorporate seasonal produce into the platters, as it is sustainable, highquality, fresh and it also won’t affect your budget.

FRESH Everything is either purchased on the day-of or the day before, to ensure the upmost quality and freshness.

LOCALLY SOURCED PRODUCTS We are proud to say we source most of our produce locally. Cold meats from Andrew’s Meats, cheese from Meredith Dairy, Kenilworth Dairy and Deli Delicious. The olives come from Bunny Connellan, fresh fruit from Betros Brothers, the edible flowers from Highlands Flowers and limes from Tarzan’s Limes.

Sarah Paton creator of SP Grazing Platters

PHOTOS BY FLEUR & MAE PHOTOGRAPHY