FOOD + DRINK
LOVE TO GRAZE CONT .
THE GRAZE GIRLS ’
Top Tips for Grazing Table Wow Factor
Best friends Emily Lunken and Laura Lanksford , founders of The Graze Girls ( www . thegrazegirls . co . uk ), provide luxury grazing tables and platters throughout Kent using delicious local produce . Believing that happiness lies in ‘ great food and great company ’, The Graze Girls pour over every detail of their elegant and meticulously designed spreads , resulting in an array of food that looks as though it could come straight from classic renaissance paintings .
CHEESE
It ' s all about really good quality cheeses and you want to use a variety of textures . A good idea is to include at least one hard ( or semihard cheese ), one blue cheese , and one soft cheese . We love to shop locally and are spoilt for choice with the delicious Kent and Sussex cheeses right on our doorstep .
Our favourites :
• Winterdale Shaw ( www . winterdale . co . uk )
• Sussex Charmer ( www . bookhamharrison . co . uk / sussex-charmer )
• Kentish Blue ( www . kingcottdairy . co . uk )
• Lord London ( www . alsopandwalker . co . uk )
CHARCUTERIE
Cured meats like prosciutto or salami work really well . Whatever kind you love ! We like to add homemade sausage rolls as our clients love them . We also do a lovely vegetarian alternative made with a Kentish mature cheddar and spring onion , delicious .
Tempus Foods ( www . tempusfoods . com ) do delicious cured meats and charcuterie delivered to your door .
SOMETHING BRINY
With so many delicious varieties of olives and pickles available , you really are spoilt for choice . You will mostly find cornichon pickles and Nocellara olives on our graze boards but it ’ s great to mix it up depending on the season . At Christmas time we add mini silverskin pickled onions and in the summer months , we love stuffed pepperino peppers with feta .
CRACKERS
When it comes to crackers , artisan bakers Peters Yard ( www . petersyard . com ) have a wonderful range of awardwinning sourdough crackers . You can match crackers and cheeses by taste , in a similar way to chutneys . For example the sweet notes of the fig and spelt sourdough crackers go beautifully with the saltiness of a blue cheese .
We add fresh fruit such as pears and a drizzle of honey to take these pairings to the next level !
For a shop local option , try the Captains Crackers ( www . thezingiberibakery . co . uk ).
FRESH FRUIT
This is the element that will inject colour and fresh flavour into your graze board . You will always get the best taste from fresh seasonal produce and we always shop local where we can . Our favourites are vineripened tomatoes , grapes and fresh figs . In the summer months , we love using Kentish cherries . Thanks to Bentinck Farm ( www . bentinckfarm . co . uk ) you can now rent your own cherry tree . You can name it , picnic under it , and harvest all the lovely cherries directly from the Kent countryside to your graze board . Fabulous !
FINISHING TOUCHES
Finish with fresh herbs , edible flowers and a good chutney . Our signature is a rich onion marmalade but we also use First Ascot Luxury Preserves ( www . firstascot . co . uk ) who make delicious chutneys with juicy Kentish apples and pears . We also love to add something sweet like our triple chocolate brownie bites or macarons .
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