Let’s take a trip down memory lane, shall we? When C and I were dating (so, literally a million years ago) we had a Friday night tradition: we’d visit the nice grocery store for a few fancy cheeses and sliced meats, pop over to the wine shop for a perfect pairing, snuggle up on the couch (futon?) and watch a movie. It was the best. But a little over six years ago, that tradition changed. My health was in a tough spot and I had to drastically change my diet. No more cheese, no crackers, no more cured meats and no definitely no more wine. Boo.
After that, we pretty much avoided the cheese board all together. I spent years healing my gut and candida issues and we created new traditions and friday night festivities. But let’s be honest… we both missed the cheese boards.
So, when the ladies at Wren Home reached out to see if I’d like to select something from their curated collection of personalized home good and gifts, it sparked an idea: what if C and I brought back wine and cheese Fridays?
Now that I’m more comfortable and confident in my dietary needs and preferences I knew I could re-create our old tradition in a way that fits our current lifestyle. Instead of a cheese laden platter with crackers, I wanted our board to be an actual meal. Our requirements:
- Plenty of gluten, dairy and protein for C
- Lots of veggies, gluten free and dairy free fare for me
- Enough food to qualify as a meal plus sweets for dessert
- Minimal prep and clean up
So how did I approach it? Well, I started by pinning a bunch of fall paleo grazing boards on Pinterest before realizing that C would never eat fancy veggies and we have zero need for small pumpkins and gourds in our apartment that we’re currently packing up.
Ultimately I said see ya to a plan and just bought what we both like. Cut veggies, hummus, GF crackers, cacao nibs, berries and goat cheese for me plus sourdough bread, crackers, stinky cheese and chocolate for C. We shared fresh proscuitto and a new-to-us salami.
my side 
C’s side
I wish I had some sort of formula to share, but I seriously think if you buy what you like you cannot go wrong. The point is to create something you’ll truly enjoy! There’s literally no point in adding dried figs and carrots with tops on them if you aren’t actually going to eat them, ya know?
The beauty of this Egret Edge Grain Teak Board is that it’s literally huge (20 x 15 x 1.5) and is heat and cold resistant. I picked it for it’s veresatility (necessary in small spaces!) – it can be used as a proper cutting board, prepping meals, displaying dishes and as a grazing board, obviously. I also love that it’s sustainably made in the USA aaaand has our mongram on it. FUN FACT: WREN works directly with the supplier that sources to Mark + Graham, Pottery Barn, Neiman Marcus, Horchow and more so they’re able to get more affordable prices for quality pieces. That’s pretty much what I try to do in life so, I am clearly here for their mission!
My goal was for us to eat everything on the board and I think the final product turned out pretty darn well! I kept C’s stuff one one side, mine on the other and the shared meats in the middle. Ramekins and small dishes helped add depth and made clean up a breeze. These little spoons were great for serving and we used regular knives becuase we gave away our cheese knives long ago (but I love these and these). Also, fruit, nuts and chocolate always add color, are great for filling in holes and make the board look fancier than it is!
The one place we didn’t break with our old tradition? We paired the meal with our favorite (clean) wine from Scout and Cellar. We had a blast, didn’t have to cook, ate the entire board and clean up was virtually non-existent. The verdict: full bellies, happy hearts and we will definitely be making another grazing board dinner in the near future!
This post is not sponsored but the product was gifted! I loved the product so much that I decided to write about it and the team at WREN was kind enough to give me a discount code for you, too! Use purelynora for 20% off any item from WREN Home. Now whatcha waitin’ for? Go on and get grazing 😉
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