A picnic charcuterie board is one of the most beautiful ways to spend a summer afternoon. We created a French-inspired spread with baguettes, cured meats, cheeses, fresh fruit, and French pastries beside the lake, and it was the most perfect afternoon. Here is everything you need to create your own.
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Why You'll Love This Picnic Charcuterie Board
- What Is a Picnic Charcuterie Board?
- Setting the Scene
- Free Printable French Picnic Menu
- What to Put on a French Inspired Picnic Charcuterie Board
- Savoury Charcuterie Board Items
- Drinks
- Sweet Charcuterie Board Items
- Packing Up Your Charcuterie Picnic
- More Picnic Inspiration
- Frequently Asked Questions
Quick Look
- 🧀 Board: French inspired picnic charcuterie board
- 🥖 Menu: Baguettes, cured meats, cheeses, fresh fruit, and French pastries
- 🌿 Setting: Lakeside with a wooden pallet table
- 🍷 Drinks: Rosé, sparkling water, and fresh lemonade
- 🖨️ Free: Printable French picnic menu card included
- 📋 Tip: Build your board on-site to skip the transport problem entirely
Why You'll Love This Picnic Charcuterie Board
- A full French-inspired charcuterie spread with everything you need.
- The pallet table trick that makes setup easy and beautiful.
- A free printable French picnic menu card.
- Beautiful lakeside setting ideas you can adapt anywhere.
- Drinks suggestions to complete the experience.
- Tips for packing and transporting if you are heading to the park.
There is something about a picnic charcuterie board beside the water that feels genuinely luxurious without being complicated at all. For this French-inspired afternoon we found a beautiful spot at the edge of a lake, set up a wooden pallet as our table, and laid out a spread of baguettes, cured meats, cheeses, cornichons, fresh fruit, macarons, and French pastries. Everyone had a swim first, and then we nibbled and talked and walked on the beach and it turned into the loveliest afternoon of the summer.
This picnic charcuterie board guide has everything you need: what to include for a French-inspired spread, how to set up a beautiful outdoor space, drinks to serve alongside, and practical tips for packing and transporting.
If you love outdoor entertaining you might also like our Mushroom Themed Picnic Party, our Daisy Themed Party Ideas, and our Strawberry Themed Picnic.
What Is a Picnic Charcuterie Board?
A picnic charcuterie board is a grazing board designed to be enjoyed outdoors. Instead of a formal sit-down meal, everything is laid out together on a board or flat surface for people to graze from as they relax. It is the perfect format for a picnic because there is no hot food, no timing to manage, and almost everything can be prepared ahead of time.
The French-inspired version is our favorite variation because it naturally lends itself to the best picnic foods: crusty baguette, a selection of cheeses, cured meats, cornichons, olives, fresh fruit, and something sweet from the patisserie.
Setting the Scene
The location really does most of the work for a picnic charcuterie board. We chose a beautiful spot beside a lake, which gave us a natural backdrop that no tablecloth or centerpiece could compete with.
I set up the table while the kids and my friends swam, which worked out perfectly.
The Pallet Table
Our favorite setup trick is the wooden pallet table, and it is the single most practical idea in this whole post. We set an old pallet directly on the ground as our surface. It keeps the food raised off the sand and grass, gives you a flat surface to arrange everything on, and looks genuinely beautiful. Look for old pallets from businesses near their dumpsters, and ask them if you can have one -they always say yes.
The Details
We surrounded the pallet with black and white blankets and cushions for guests to lounge on, and added a couple of wicker picnic baskets for the supplies.
For a table runner we layered pages from an old French novel we picked up at the thrift store, topped with a sheet of parchment paper. It was such a simple and inexpensive nod to the French theme and it looked so beautiful under the food.
Ferns and a few flowers tucked throughout the spread picked up the natural surroundings and tied everything into the lakeside setting.
For place settings we used handmade clay plates from Argile, a small French Etsy shop whose name simply means "clay." I genuinely love these plates -the shape, the weight, and the soft white color felt like the most perfect fit for a French afternoon, or any afternoon.
We paired them with mismatched vintage silverware found at an antique fair, and real wine glasses, because the French would not have it any other way.
Expert Tip: Use real dishes, cutlery, and glasses for a picnic. It elevates the whole experience to a new level. Transport them in a sturdy picnic basket or crate, surrounded by towels or blankets, and remember to bring a plastic bag or two to bundle them in when they're dirty for the ride home.
Free Printable French Picnic Menu
We designed a simple black and white French picnic menu card for each place setting. It added such a lovely finishing touch and tied the whole aesthetic together. You can grab the free printable in our Free Resource Library. Subscribe below for instant access.
What to Put on a French Inspired Picnic Charcuterie Board
The French approach to food is simple: the best ingredients, beautifully presented, enjoyed slowly. A French inspired picnic charcuterie board follows the same philosophy. You do not need to cook anything elaborate. You just need to shop well and arrange it all with a little care.
Here is everything we included on ours.
- The Bread: Baguette is non-negotiable. Pick up one or two from a good bakery the morning of your picnic and slice most of it ahead of time, leaving a few pieces whole for the look of it. Fresh bread at a picnic is one of those details that makes everything feel more special.
- Cured Meats and Pâté: We used a selection of sliced salami and prosciutto, along with pâté. These are the heart of the charcuterie component and they all travel beautifully. Look for two or three varieties with different flavors and textures so guests have something to explore.
- The Cheeses: We included a mix of soft and firm cheeses: a whole Brie, Boursin, havarti, swiss, and cheddar. Aim for two or three different styles so there is something for everyone. A soft creamy cheese, a firm sliceable cheese, and something bold is a reliable combination. Keep them cool in your cooler until you are ready to set up.
- The Accompaniments: Cornichons, mixed olives, pickled onions, a small pot of Dijon mustard, and a little jar of fig jam round out the savory side of the board. These small bowls and jars are what make a board look abundant and generous, and elevate every bite.
- Fresh Vegetables: We added sliced cucumbers and cherry tomatoes for a fresh element alongside all the rich cheese and charcuterie. They are simple but they add color and a lighter note to the board.
- Fresh Fruit: We piled on green grapes, strawberries, blueberries, and fresh cherries. Fresh fruit adds color and sweetness to the board and works beautifully alongside the cheese and charcuterie. Use whatever is in season and at its best.
- The Sweets: This is where the French inspiration really shines. We picked up a beautiful assortment from our favorite local bakery including macarons, assorted eclairs, and madeleines. If you have a good French bakery nearby this is the place to spend a little extra. The sweets are the finishing touch that turns a charcuterie board into a full afternoon.
Savoury Charcuterie Board Items
Savoury Menu:
- fresh baguette
- olives
- salami
- prosciutto
- pate
- cheddar cheese
- swiss cheese
- havarti cheese
- boursin soft cheese
- brie
- pickled onions
- gherkin pickles
- fig jam
- grainy dijon mustard
- cucumber slices
- cherry tomatoes
The savory side of this board does most of the heavy lifting. The combination of crusty bread, rich cheese, salty meats, briny cornichons, and a little pot of mustard is essentially a French bistro lunch assembled on a wooden pallet at the edge of a lake. You can add or swap items depending on what looks best at your market that day.
Drinks
- Rose wine
- Sparkling water
- lemonade
A French-inspired picnic calls for a beautiful drink, and we kept it simple with three options: a chilled rosé, sparkling water with lemon, and fresh lemonade for anyone who wanted something non-alcoholic.
Rosé is the obvious choice and the right one. It is light, cold, beautiful in the glass, and it tastes like a French summer afternoon. Bring it in a cooler bag with plenty of ice and pour it into real wine glasses if you can manage the transport.
Sweet Charcuterie Board Items
Sweet Menu:
- cherries
- grapes
- strawberries
- blueberries
- Madeleines
- macarons
- eclairs
The sweets are the moment that turns a charcuterie board into a full celebration. We sourced ours from our favorite local bakery and the selection made everyone a little giddy.
We included macarons in two or three flavors, assorted eclairs in different flavors, and madeleines. If you have a good French bakery nearby this is absolutely the place to spend a little extra. If not, most grocery stores carry madeleines and frozen eclairs that are perfectly good. Add a small pile of good quality dark chocolate would be a great addition too.
Packing Up Your Charcuterie Picnic
The easiest approach is to skip transporting the assembled board entirely. Pack everything separately and build it on-site once you arrive. It takes ten minutes and you will not spend the drive worrying about the brie sliding into the macarons. The key is to pre-slice the meats, cheese, veggies, and bread. Then, when you arrive, it's just a matter of assembling everything.
Here is how we packed ours:
- Cheeses and meats in a sealed container in the cooler bag with an ice pack
- Bread wrapped in a clean tea towel to keep the crust
- Small items like cornichons, olives, and mustard in their original jars or small sealed containers
- Fruit washed and dried at home, packed in a container
- Pastries in a flat box or container so nothing gets crushed
- Real dishes and glasses wrapped in the picnic blanket for padding -no bubble wrap needed
More Picnic Inspiration
Frequently Asked Questions
The best picnic charcuterie boards include a mix of textures and flavors: crusty bread or crackers, two or three cheeses, cured meats, something briny like cornichons or olives, fresh fruit, and something sweet. For a French-inspired version, baguette, Brie, prosciutto, cornichons, grapes, and macarons are all you really need.
The easiest method is to pack everything separately and assemble on-site. Keep cheese and meats in a cooler bag, wrap bread in a tea towel, pack fruit in a sealed container, and protect pastries in a flat box. Build the board once you arrive. It takes ten minutes and everything stays in perfect condition.
Yes, and it is worth the effort. Wrap plates in beach towels and blakets you will use for the picnic, and tuck them into your picnic blanket or a wood crate for transport. Real dishes make the whole experience feel special in a way that paper plates simply cannot. We used handmade clay plates from Argile and they were one of the most commented-on details of the whole afternoon. Remember to bring a plastic bag to tuck dirty dishes into after the picnic for the trip back home.
A chilled rosé is the classic choice and it pairs beautifully with both the savory and sweet elements of the board. Fresh lemonade and sparkling water with lemon are lovely non-alcoholic options that feel equally special.
Not necessarily. We used a wooden pallet as our table and arranged the food directly on parchment paper over the French novel page runner. A large wooden cutting board, a slate board, or a clean flat tray all work beautifully. The key is a flat surface you can arrange things on.
If you try this French inspired picnic charcuterie board or any other recipe on my blog please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
It really was one of my favorite picnics we have ever done. I joked with the friends who helped me set up that I pay for their services in cheese platters, and we all agreed it was a beautiful arrangement. With a French inspired picnic charcuterie board beside the lake, life really is a party.
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