If you read our last post, you'll know that we're trying hard to save money this year. But saving money doesn't mean you need to miss out on all the good things in life. Instead, you make those things work for you.
Ingredients don't often come cheap, but there are ways you can find a bargain without skimping on quality. The Pams Finest Cheese Selection is the perfect example of this. For just under $12, you get a trio of delicious cheeses: Rotoiti Blue 100g, Southern Alps Camembert 125g and Tahatai Smoked Cheddar 140g.
I'm no cheese expert, but I do enjoy a lot of cheese! And there's no way you'd ever think that these were cheap. They're just as good as their more expensive counterparts, and are just one way you can cut costs on your platter.
Another way you can cut costs is by buying fruit that's in season, or on special. You really only need to buy 1 or 2 of each, and slice thinly to make the most of them. For our platter, we chose a pineapple, coconut, apple, pear and nashi pear. Because we'd saved elsewhere, splurging on some grapes was no big deal - and was actually well worth it!
Meat can also be budget friendly just by buying small amounts at the deli. That's kind of the beauty of a platter, you don't need huge amounts of individual things - especially if it's just for 2 of you. Add a french stick or tiger roll, some basic water crackers, nuts, dips and you're good to go.
Now it's all about presentation! All you need is a chopping board of some kind (Kmart and The Warehouse sell great ones) and a bit of time. In my opinion there's no right or wrong way to do this, just go to town. I really like the "crowded" look when it comes to platters or grazing tables, and I definitely tried to imitate this. It's super easy this way too, because the more cluttered the platter is, the more effective it looks I think.
When was the last time you put a platter together?
Thanks for viewing!
oxo
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