Looking for the perfect appetizer to bring to your first back to school dinner with your friends? We couldn’t think of a better start to a great night than with a stacked charcuterie board on one of our Wren boards! Even though charcuterie boards are always fun to make, sometimes it’s hard to know what exactly to include in your masterpiece. Here we have included 10 essentials to ensure that everyone has something to enjoy on your board and that it will be absolutely beautiful! 

Brie

The perfect french cheese to make the center of your board look absolutely beautiful. If you want to be even more ambitious, make it a delicious baked brie! Even though brie may seem “basic”, it’s a crowd favorite and will definitely be gone by the end of the night.

Prosciutto

This italian ham pairs great with any cheese it meets, and is also fantastic by itself. Not to mention, there are many creative ways to place prosciutto on your board to create the perfect aesthetic. 

Goat Cheese

Goat cheese is perfect because you can find it in so many different flavors. A lot of the time, it’s fun to include a few different kinds just to add more variety to your board. Our personal favorite would have to be the herb goat cheese, but there's plenty more flavors to explore. 

Peppered Salami

Even though you can always go with plain salami, the pepper on the outsides gives it a nice kick and also makes it look more unique. I would recommend buying more than you think you need because Salami tends to go pretty quickly, and there's no harm in leftovers. 

Gouda

Gouda is a personal favorite of ours so we like to include it on every board we make. Also, we’ve never heard of someone not enjoying Gouda so it’s a good safety for those who may not be too adventurous with their cheese choices. 

Boursin

Boursin is the definition of don’t judge a book by it’s cover. Even though it’s packaging isn’t like your traditional ~fancy~ cheese, it might be the creamiest, best cheese we’ve ever put in our body. It’s also a lot cheaper than most cheeses so when you’re on a college budget, this is definitely an essential. 

Manchego 

For the last of the cheeses, we decided to go with the Spanish cheese, Manchego. This is a more firm cheese but with a buttery texture. It goes perfectly on any type of cracker. In order to make it look presentable on your board, it looks nice cut into thin triangular slices, which also makes it easier to eat. 

Honey

Now with the toppings! Honey goes well with all of these meats and cheeses, and also looks so pretty sitting in a bowl or jar! 

Jam

Jam is another essential where you can get really creative. There are so many different types to choose from that you really can’t go wrong, so might as well include more than one. Our personal favorite on a cheese board is apricot jam! 

Grapes & Garnishes

Last but certainly not least, grapes and garnishes. Grapes are so easy because not only does everyone love them, but they are a great way to fill space on your board. Also, there are many types of garnishes to choose from, but we typically choose rosemary. It looks beautiful around the different meats and cheeses while bringing some more color and a great fragrance into the mix! 

Hopefully our top 10 essentials can help you to make the perfect charcuterie board for you and your friends to kick off a great school year!