Charcuterie platters, grazing boards and grazing platters have been super popular at events over the past 5-ish years in Canberra. However, they have transformed into grazing boxes over the past couple of years, with social distancing and hygiene being at the top of mind. These kinds of boxes allow you to experience and treat yourself and your loved ones to delicious goods in the form of a picnic or even just a gathering at home.
Grazing boxes mainly rose to fame within the Canberra region during lockdown, when they were a new and innovative way of treating your loved ones without stepping outside your front door. It became even more common to share your excitement upon receiving your grazing box with your friends and family on Instagram, too.
What goes into a grazing box?
Typically, you would find a selection of cheeses, deli meats, crackers, olives, dried fruit, dips and possibly something sweet to complement the savoury items within. For us, the perfect grazing platter has sweet and savoury options and a bottle of wine to wash it all down. These kinds of boxes can also be referred to as charcuterie or antipasto platter. Grazing boxes, depending on where you source it from, have options available that are vegetarian as well as vegan friendly to make sure there is something for everyone.
What should I look for when buying a grazing box?
Registered, certified and insured
First and foremost, you want to check if the business is registered, certified, and insured in the area you intend to purchase it from. Anyone can create a catering business, but whether they are certified to produce the food you’re eating in a safe and quality-controlled way is another story. You wouldn’t want someone making your grazing pack without using gloves to place all the individual unpackaged items in. Most companies will have their registration number written down on their website or social media to verify that they are certified.
Quality of the produce
To make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck (because anything related to grazing can be a little pricey), it’s worth researching where your desired business gets its produce from. You don’t want to purchase an artisan grazing box that charges premium prices for ingredients that are just sourced from your average grocery store.
How it looks
Part of choosing a grazing table or grazing box for your next event is the presentation and style of the whole thing. If it’s not pretty enough to capture for your Instagram, then maybe you should consider choosing a different company to get that delicious content.
Charcuterie grazing boxes
Lazy Grazer
The Lazy Grazer has been a fan favourite in Canberra since 2018. Run by a husband and wife duo, their services have expanded over the years from just using their own personal kitchen for a small personalised operation to building a commercial cooks kitchen for streamlining their operation to bring grazing boxes and platters as well as canapés stations for every event. The Lazy Grazer sources local produce from Canberra’s best produce businesses, such as Pialligo Estate Smokehouse and Ziggy’s Fresh Market Produce. They offer 9 different menu options in terms of their boxes, which include savoury, mixed, sweet, brunch, kids, vegan, fruit, salad or pavlova. You can also customise your order even if your desired box includes a particular food you dislike.
When you book with these guys, you can choose the size of your box for up to 8 people per box as well as add on any dietary requirements such as vegetarian, gluten-free, and nut-free. Other add-on options within their box selection include if you would like to pair your purchase with a bottle of wine or beer. The Lazy Grazer offers delivery as well as takeaway (collection). Delivery is an added extra cost, and they deliver to the Canberra region, including Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra, Googong and Royalla.
Amici Bar
Amici Bar is one of Canberra’s only grazing options where you can have their platters either takeaway or in house. They are Canberra’s only deli, wine and cocktail bar, and they are part of the Lala Hospitality Group, which brings the likes of Molly, 88mph, the Highball Express and Bleachers Sports Bar. Amici Bar has a delicious selection of deli meats from one of Australia’s best deli manufacturers, Quattro Stelle, as well as cheeses from award-winning manufacturer Berrys Creek Gourmet Cheese.
Amici Bar has 5 different options in terms of grazing, including their Amici box (a mix of everything), a charcuterie box, a cheese box, an antipasto box and a vegan box. With each order, you can request a gluten-free box or that you don’t like blue cheese. You can also add on extras such as a bottle of wine, Italian beers or ciders or even extra pieces, including crackers and more sourdough bread. They offer two sizes of boxes which suit between 4 people to 8 people. They do not offer delivery but offer in-store collection or curbside collection. If you’re looking for an option of something sweet after your delicious grazing set, you can grab their DIY cannoli kit to satisfy your sweet tooth.
The Merchant’s Feast
The Merchant’s Feast offers a Mediterranean-style grazing box compared to the other options around. They pride themselves on using local, home-grown produce from their own farm in the Riverina district and they also use imported European deli goods to provide the most authentic experience for this customers possible. They have hand selected, tried and tested all their goods and have made sure they come from the best merchants Australia and the world has to offer.
The Merchant’s Feast offers 14 different options for their grazing sets which span over brunch and lunch selections. Compared to their competitors, the Merchant’s Feast offers a different set of grazing options for breakfast and brunch which include items like waffles, bagels, croissants and other assorted danishes. You can also hire the Merchant’s Feast for your next event where they can create the perfect menu for grazing tables, canapés, salads and crostini’s. They can also provide wait staff, table set up or take away, depending on your needs. The Merchant’s Feast offers delivery to the Canberra region, including Queanbeyan, for an extra charge.
La Luna Graze Canberra
Starting in 2020, La Luna Graze offers platter boxes, grazing tables, dessert deliveries, and pop-up picnics. They pride themselves on using only local Canberra organic products from Ziggys Fresh, Tom’s Superfruits and Deli Cravings to bring the people of Canberra delicious, colourful and organic foods to you. La Luna Graze offers 8 different options for platter boxes and caters for vegetarians, vegans, dairy free and nut-free options. Interestingly, they have one particular box that has caught our eye – the Half a Metre Graze Box, which caters to between 12 to 15 people.
La Luna Graze also teams up with other local businesses to create add-on features for any platter box, such as flowers, candles, cookies and cupcakes. They also offer bundles for special events such as birthdays, or you can have them put together a graze table for your next event.
Nibble and Nourish
Established in 2017, Nibble and Nourish consider themselves the original platter queens of Canberra. They have also been voted the number one wedding caterer at the Brides Choice Awards 2020. Offering tables and boxes for grazing, Nibble and Nourish have 5 different options to choose from savoury gourmet, oh so sweet, savoury gourmet & oh so sweet, brunch for president and Kids & Co. You can purchase boxes for one person all the way up to 12 people per box. Nibble and Nourish also offer individual grazing options for those who want to keep all food separated per head. This option includes canape cups and cones, which are portioned exactly enough for one person.
Nibble and Nourish can travel and deliver your goodies to the Canberra region, including Queanbeyan, Jerrabomberra and Googong, for a small delivery fee. Anywhere outside of these areas that has requested delivery will incur a further delivery fee.
Uncommon Grazer
The Uncommon Grazer is the home of all things Brie cakes. You heard that right, Brie, as in the cheese. Taking cheesecakes to a whole new level. This business started off creating grazing boxes for up to 6 people per box but has since then moved onto grazing tables and Brie cakes. The Uncommon Grazer is the only grazing business in Canberra that offers Afterpay to their clients, making it more affordable to host events on a budget. The Uncommon Grazer uses quality ingredients from local businesses such as Pialligo Estate. The Uncommon Grazer is a catering business that is capable of handling large-scale events, such as events for the Australian Defence Force, as well as smaller events.
The Uncommon Grazer has also been a finalist at the 2021 AusMumpreneur Awards for NSW/ACT Food & Beverage and NSW/ACT Multicultural Business Excellence. For special events such as Mother’s Day, they have also offered personalised boxes that can either include your Mum’s name or have a box shaped in the first letter of your Mum’s name. This is a truly unique grazing business compared to it’s competitors as to their range.
Ah.Grazing
Ah.Grazing is one of the newest businesses in the charcuterie game. Offering platter boxes, picnics, and grazing tables, Ah.Grazing is all about supporting local and utilises ingredients from local sources as well as vendors from local companies to bring your grazing table dreams to life. Ah.Grazing gets its local produce from Scoop Wholefoods, Three Mills Bakery, Ziggys Fresh, and Unique Meats at the Fyshwick Markets.
This business offers a multitude of different options of boxes for Canberrans. They have their classic signature box, a brunch box and many more. We personally love the look of their brunch box with their delicious treats paired with upmarket butter to spread throughout your meal. Delivery to Canberra’s south is free, while delivery to the north in Canberra will cost you a small fee.
Ostani Bar
Ostani Bar is a bar and restaurant located in the Hotel Realm Precinct in Barton. While Ostani Bar isn’t known for its grazing platters or even its deli meats and cheeses by any means – they do offer luxe picnic hampers for 2 or 4 people. While you want to stay in and eat at Ostani Bar, you can grab delicious tapas and wood-fired pizzas from this establishment, but if you’re planning on heading out for a picnic, the luxe picnic hamper is a great option for an intimate gourmet experience. Each box comes with a selection of deli meats, cheeses, olives, hummus, crackers, dried fruit, nuts, freshly baked bread with butter and to top it off, it comes with a bottle of wine to sweeten the deal.
You can take this picnic hamper up to the National Arboretum and eat to your hearts content over a bottle of wine and great conversation with your loved ones.
The Corner Market City West
The Corner Market City West is located on Marcus Clarke Street in the City West area of the Canberra CBD. We know it sounds weird to recommend a grocery store for grazing boxes, but hear us out. This grocery store has only been in operation since 2021, Operated by two sisters and their cousin, The Corner Market City West offers 3 different types of grazing boxes within their store. Their platters can feed from 2 people to at least 5 people. The beauty of sourcing your platter from The Corner Market City West is that they also source all the ingredients from their own store. This business also offers vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options on request and can process same-day delivery if required and available.
All their platters can be customised based on your needs and they also offer items such as DIY donut decorating kits for you, the kiddies and everyone to enjoy after you have finished picking at and snacking on your platter.
Ainslie IGA
While it may seem unconventional to mention a local supermarket as a top choice for charcuterie grazing boxes, Ainslie IGA is another exception like The Corner Market City West. The Ainslie IGA, unlike many other IGAs in Canberra, is a full-service delicatessen that has an in-house dedicated butcher, a chef and a cheese monger, as well as a boutique bottle shop. Each aspect of this IGA has extensive knowledge and understanding to provide quality products and a premium experience. Ainslie IGA offers catering for the Canberra region and you can choose their “Canberra Regional Platter” to snack on the best produce the Canberra region has to offer.
Ainslie IGA offers catering packages for cheese and meat platters or, as they like to call them, “smorgasbords”. They have four different dedicated boards for meat and cheese combined options but also offer dedicated meat platters and dedicated cheese platters if you want to keep them separate. They offer gluten-free and customisable options as well. While they don’t have dedicated vegetarian or vegan options, they do have fruit platters as well.
Something sweet
Sometimes, after eating a heap of savoury goodies, you may need something to sweeten the deal. This is where the creation of sweet grazing boxes comes into play.
The Sugar Deli
Launched back in 2017, the Sugar Deli is Canberra’s own digital dessert parlour. Offering same-day delivery, the Sugar Deli has dessert boxes that include items like delicious doughnuts, brownies, slices, tarts, macarons, cannoli and baklava. They also have a weekly treats menu that offers new, tasty treats every week to create your own delicious grazing box. We can’t fault the service at the Sugar Deli. Everything is made by hand and from scratch to provide a delicious dessert experience for all customers.
When you order with the Sugar Deli, you can pre-order your goodies up to 2 weeks in advance. They are a delivery-only service of desserts in Canberra, Jerrabomberra and Queanbeyan, with delivery being an added charge. The Sugar Deli offers gluten free and vegan options to enjoy off their regular menu. While this delivery service seems like it would suit everyone, they do not recommend anyone with a peanut allergy to consume their desserts in case of a reaction.
Sucre Sale Canberra
Born in 2020, Sucre Sale Canberra is run by a sister duo who thought of the idea during the height of some of Canberra’s lockdown restrictions. Sucre Sale Canberra offers delicious dessert boxes that are personalised and consist of sweet treats such as doughnuts, cupcakes, cookies and all things chocolate and lollies. They offer small, medium and large boxes for every occasion or just because. They can provide for dietary requirements such as veganism and gluten intolerance. If you’re interested in something for your workplace, they can provide corporate boxes to suit your needs.
Sucre Sale Canberra sources some products from the Lolly Shop at Gold Creek, which offers delivery and pick-up to the Canberra region.
We hope this selection has you excited about your next event or spoiling your loved ones. We’re certainly hungry for our own grazing box after this! They say cheese helps your brain release dopamine, which gives you a sense of reward and excitement. No wonder why cheese is so addictive. If you’re looking to level up from grazing box experiences, check out our article on Canberra’s top 6 places for high tea.