Graze With Chocolate and Cheese Picnic Boxes

Graze With Chocolate and Cheese is a new picnic box business located in Strathfield. They create picnic boxes across Sydney that contain cheeses, charcuterie and a range of desserts and sweets all delivered to your door!

Heather Abdallah is the woman behind Graze With Chocolate and Cheese. This mum of three boys has worked the corporate sector for the last 14 years but being a small business is not new to her. "I grew up in (and married into) a small business household. My parents ran and currently run a small cheese delivery business in the inner west of Sydney. I have always had an interest in food and cooking which was lovingly fostered by my mother and as I have grown up, food, entertaining and wine have become great passions. I have been creating grazing platters and whipping up baked goods for family, friends and colleagues for many years, which always seem to be received so well and are usually followed with a statement of encouragement to 'make something out of it'."

It was prompting from her sister in law Patricia that was the impetus for the business. Patricia created the name and handles the social media for the business and the operations while Heather concentrates on the food creating the home made treats that are made daily. There are currently two size boxes: a small box feeds 1-3 ($75) and medium that serves 3-5 people ($125) in three varieties depending on the amount of sweet vs savoury you want. The cheese box is 90 % savoury and 10% sweet, the chocolate box is 100% sweet while the chocolate and cheese box is 50/50 savoury sweet. The cheese box is made up of 50% of house-made produce, the chocolate box 90% and the cheese and chocolate box 75% house-made. The best way to order is via DM in their instagram or via email. Delivery within their local area is free and they deliver through Sydney metro using a courier service.

I tried the antipasto chocolate and cheese medium sized box designed for 3-5 people. Mr NQN and I brought this box to a picnic with Queen Viv and Miss America so there were four of us and it was the perfect size with some left over. I always appreciate house made goodies (because really anyone can put together a platter based on a trip to the deli or supermarket). In the antipasto box there are home made goodies like the kalamata dip and the whipped ricotta dip with fresh herbs, honey and garlic which was divine and very moreish.

Along with the dips are three varieties of cheese - a sharp cheddar, brie and a apricot and almond cream cheese log which is delicious - Heather makes this last cheese herself using Turkish apricots rolled in crushed walnuts. I'm not usually a big fan of sweet fruit cream cheeses but this is sweet and tangy at the same time. There are also three types of charcuterie: prosciutto Di Parma, mild sopressa salami and mortadella. There are also bocconcini and heirloom tomato skewers, olives, smoked almonds, pickled peppers and Sicilian olives as well as two types of crackers - a thin cracker for cheese and a raincoast style of cracker with fig & pumpkin seed which is a bit sturdier.

Sweets wise there is rocky road, Biscoff cookies dunked in chocolate, dried figs and fresh fruit and house-baked squares of baked caramel bites that have a lovely chewy texture which were all delicious. My favourite sweet were the squares of chocolate brownie. I also really loved the tiny apples dipped in chocolate as they were so crisp and sweet inside the chocolate. And it was an easy clean up afterwards too!

So tell me Dear Reader, what percentage of sweet and savoury would you choose in a platter?

NQN was sent this platter for her consideration but all opinions remain her own.

Graze With Chocolate and Cheese

https://www.instagram.com/grazewithchocolateandcheese/

grazewithchocolateandcheese@gmail.com