3 creative ways to build a holiday charcuterie board

Charcuterie wreath

1. Start with a round board, cake plate or even a lazy susan.
2. Next, use a mini wreath or take greenery and mould it into a circle and place it onto the center of the wreath. Now you have the shell of the wreath.
3. Place items such as dips, honey and items that may have liquid, like olives in mini bowls.
4. Place those items on the board first to serve as anchors.
5. Next, add a wow factor with charcuterie roses.  Take 5-6 pieces of round deli meat, lay them out by slightly overlapping, fold them in half and then roll them.
6. Place sliced or cubed cheeses — the idea is that the cheese can be picked up easily.
7. Fill in the board with more meats, fruits and nuts.

Christmas tree charcuterie board

1. This design is really about creating layers in a triangular shape.
2. The tip to really add to the wow factor is to mix textures as well as colours.
3. Try three cheeses with different looks: a gouda, a cheddar or havarti and a marble.
4. For fruits, try blackberries to add rich colour and texture.
5. For cured meats, slice in circles so that they are easy to fold.
6. Drain and dry olives well before putting them on the board.
7. If you are entertaining a lot of kids, goldfish crackers will look super cute.

Candy cane charcuterie

1. First, get tomatoes that are all similar sizes so that the circles are close in size. 
2. Then cut and then place on a kitchen towel to dry.
3. Slice the mozzarella, while the tomato is drying.
4. Garnish with fresh mint and decorate with sliced baguette.
5. Have a basket of cut baguettes on the side.
6. Arrange on the board in a candy cane shape, sprinkle with salt but wait to drizzle the olive oil until you are ready to serve.  
7. For any of these boards, have tongs or mini forks to serve them with.