A charcuterie board is one of the few Christmas gifts that gets used within about a week of being opened, and then again every time that household has people over.
We cut, sand and finish ours by hand in Kelowna, BC, in walnut, and engrave them to order. Here is how to choose one, what to put on it, and who it suits.
Why walnut
Walnut is the wood most often chosen for serving boards, and it earns it. It is hard enough to take daily use without scarring, the grain is dark and varied so no two boards look alike, and it takes an engraving cleanly — a lighter wood tends to lose the detail.
It also looks like something. A walnut board left out on a counter reads as an object rather than kitchen equipment, which matters when the gift is going to someone who cares how their kitchen looks.
Every board is made one at a time, so the grain pattern on the one you receive is specific to it.
Choosing a size
| Board | Suits |
|---|---|
| Walnut charcuterie & cheese board | Two to four people, cheese and a few accompaniments. A good first board, and a good price point for a gift to someone you do not know well. |
| Personalized 12x9 walnut board | The everyday size. Big enough for a proper spread, small enough to live on the counter rather than in a cupboard. |
| Handcrafted walnut charcuterie board | Available in more than one size, with custom engraving. Start here if you are not sure. |
The honest advice: most people under-buy. A board that feels slightly too big when it arrives is the one that gets used at Christmas, at birthdays and when six people turn up unannounced. A board that feels right for two people gets used for two people.
What to engrave
A board is engraved once and kept for years, so it is worth thinking about for five minutes.
- A family name. The safest strong choice. “The Okonkwo Kitchen” ages better than a first name.
- A wedding date or an anniversary. Turns a serving board into a record of something.
- A house or a place. The cabin, the street, the lake. Good for a housewarming that happens to fall at Christmas.
- Nothing at all. A clean walnut board is a genuinely good object. If you do not know the household well, no engraving beats the wrong engraving.
What to avoid: anything that dates badly, anything that assumes a relationship will last, and long sentences. Short reads better and looks better.
Who it suits
The host. The person whose house everyone ends up at. They will use it within the fortnight.
The couple who have just moved in. A board is the sort of thing people want but do not buy for themselves.
Anyone who cooks. Not just for charcuterie — these get used for bread, cheese, fruit and as the thing that comes out when someone drops by.
A wedding, an engagement, a new home. Engraved with the date, it stops being a Christmas gift and becomes a keepsake.
A client or a team. Boards work well as corporate gifts because they are useful and they are not branded tat. Our Premium Executive gift box is built around one, and corporate Christmas gifts for clients and staff covers the rest.
Looking after one
Wooden boards are easy to keep and easy to ruin, and the difference is three habits:
- Hand wash with warm water and a little soap. Never the dishwasher — the heat and the soak will split a board.
- Dry it standing up rather than flat, so both faces dry evenly.
- Oil it with a food-safe mineral oil when it starts to look dry. A few times a year is plenty, and it takes two minutes.
Do that and the board outlasts the person who gave it. Put it through a dishwasher once and you will find out why we mention it.
In a box, or on its own
A board on its own is a good gift. A board with food around it is a better one, because the recipient gets to use it immediately rather than putting it away until they next shop.
The Gourmet Artisan box pairs a handmade board with artisan food, and the Local Signature Spread box does the same with Okanagan producers.
Order before the rush
Every board is made by hand and every engraving is made to order. Neither of those gets quicker in December, and personalized pieces are always the first thing that stops being possible.
Browse the Wooden Collection, see what else we engrave in custom engraved gifts, or read our Christmas gift ideas guide if you are still deciding.
