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.
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.
With a spray painted vase and cutlery makeover to create a beautiful picnic, life really is a party.
Kitchen
And on the other side of the kitchen table, this little spot has become a favourite of mine to change a bit with each season.
The 
The art piece is from another from JessaMaePhoto, the same as the dining room piece. It fits our colours perfectly and the ferris wheel certainly feels like summer. On top of the art I layered on some lights inspired by the round bulb ones on any ferris wheel or midway ride at night. 
In keeping with the fair theme, I added a few classic fair treats -cotton candy, and giant lollipops!
Free Summer Printables
You can download the printables for free as a thank you gift for subscribing to our free newsletter. They're such a fun and inexpensive way to add some of that pretty pink and mustard yellow to your decor for summer too. Subscribe below for instant access to these printables and more.
Another fun addition to the shelves were these pretty amber glass dessert bowls I found out thrifting last week. Perfect for some after dinner ice cream this summer.
Over on the other side of the kitchen, you can see some pretty wild flowers and branches that I used in my decor.
Shop Your House
Add Some Texture
To hang the books, I used some small nails hammered into the books, and tied a string between them to hang from. The nails in the back helped secure some of the pages as well, but I also needed to add tacks at the front to keep the pages together too. Then I used a glue stick to glue the pages together at the front, and over the tack.
I decided I wanted to mount the books on this old rustic piece of a door. Because I have a corner fireplace, mounting the books directly on the wall there won't work, so using the door was the perfect solution. I thought it would be easiest to mount the books on the board before doing the rainbow painting. That way there were no worries about the painting lining up afterward. I used little finishing nails to hang the books on the old door.
I made a really simple pattern out of some old paper. I drew my rainbow out roughly and then folded it in half and cut it out so that both sides would match.
It was really simple to paint, and I love the final colour combination. I'm doing a pink and mustard yellow colour scheme for summer and this area is looking perfect now.
This little spot is looking so cheery now and ready for summer!
More Inspiration:
I was inspired by some cute little pottery mini houses I saw, and decided to try and make my own version with oven bake clay. They worked out really great and they were quite easy to put together.
These DIY party decor ideas have so much going for them. They're very inexpensive, and easy to make yourself. The other great thing about making your own is that you can customize it to any colour scheme or theme that you want.
Now I just need to get reading all the Harry Potter books.
I wanted to include some crackers and cheese, so I used some marble cheddar and brie cut into triangles to reflect flames, and then used some Babybel Cheese with the outside wax cut out like a flame. I used a few different crackers and then some spicy pepperoni sticks.
I also served some "Wildfire" which was sports drink. You could also add some vodka to make it into a cocktail.
I used green, black and white this year, but these ideas would work for any colour scheme. I always think it's fun to add a little detail to each place setting and I've got 8 different ideas of what you could add to a place setting for Easter or spring to make it extra special. Each place setting is different for this table -and I swapped a few extras out too, to give you lots of inspiration. Choose your favourite and use it on the whole table, or mix and match.
These little paper plant pots for starting seeds in inspired me to make a cute little bunny with them. I cut the ears out of an old book page, and then used some oil pastel to add some pink to them.
I picked up these sweet little Easter sugar cookies at the bulk store -but you could find some at the bakery or make your own. I used two cookies since they were small and layered them on top of a paper doily.
3. Once the butterflies were all cut out, I used hot glue to attach them to the moss. I made sure to add the largest butterflies to the middle, and had them get smaller and smaller out to the edges.
I started out with lots of green plants, and flowers.
Next, I layered on some pretty string lights, and lots of spring touches like bunnies, eggs, and some cement mushrooms.
I did a mixture of real and faux plants, and I think it's hard to tell the difference.
I also did a trough of eggs for spring. I added some old shredded book pages, and then a mix of beautiful moss, and green eggs.
Above the table, in the little house shelves I added a collection of vintage sewing supplies.
I had fun adding lots more plants and green here too.
With the dough bowl of cotton thread in the dining room, my vintage sewing supplies in the little house shelves, and my bowls of buttons here on the coffee table I've added lots of fun vintage textile pieces. I love how much texture they add to the space.
On the other side of the room, I've added lots of big plants, and it feels so nice for spring. My dog Oscar has made himself at home. 😉
I'm also really in love with the large demi john jars. I asked my sister to hunt some down for me for Christmas and she came through like a champ. I added some fun tassels to them for that boho vibe that I love.
Over in the kitchen, the plants continue.
I love how this little spot turned out. The tassel bunting came with some peach tassels, but I just removed them and added a little bit of green to make it work in my space.
Over here, another mix of real and faux plants.
I had fun hunting for a few green treasures to add in for spring, like these pretty vintage bottles I found at the antique market.
And the sweet little lambs (and bunnies) look like they're vintage but are a recent purchase from Hobby Lobby -in case you want to look for some.
Spring Mantel
Inside the printers tray I added a few spring-y treasures, things like leaves, feathers, eggs, moss, and seeds.
To create that back layer, I also added in a real nest in a twig. It's in a vintage bottle. In front of that back layer, I added in lots of plants. The plants feel so fresh and alive, and really make it feel like spring.
I mixed things up with a combination of succulents, spring bulbs, ferns and even tropicals. The mix makes it feel fun, and I feel like as long as there are some bulbs mixed in, it still feels like spring. I've added lots of plants all through the main floor for spring and can't wait to give you the whole tour next week.
I was excited to use my new vintage jars that I received for Christmas on the mantel. I added some moss to the bottom and then some candles. The moss helps it feel like spring too.
I added a few other fun touches, like the beads and the little nest. The nest and eggs help tie in the background piece.
I wanted the mantel to have a bit of boho vibe and I feel like the planters and the macrame bunting really help create that feel. 
I hope you're inspired to add a little spring to your space. With a spring mantel, life is really a party!
I love this grouping with 5 different beautiful wreaths all together. Each wreath is a little different, but they're all super easy to put together. This is a great way to decorate a large wall, where one small wreath would be too small for the smale. We've grouped ours together for more impact. We repeated some of the materials and the colours so that although they're all different, they all go together nicely. Here's how I made them.
I used some floral wire to attach the greens to the wreaths. Use some wire cutters to cut your wire, and twist it securing it at the back of the wreath. You could use a hot glue gun to attach the greens instead, but the beauty of using wire is that it's completely removable. I think the wire is a better way to attach things because you can then so easily change your wreath for any season like I did with the these changing them from Christmas wreaths to Valentine's day. It's a great way to upcycle your Christmas decorations.
For these wreaths I also added some different chunky yarn pom poms and tassels. I like the boho feel of a pom-pom wreath, and the pom poms were also less expensive than using lots of faux flowers. To attach them I just tied them on at the back.
I also set up a speaker so we could play some music in the background for them.
I wanted to have a couple of fancy refreshments for them, so we had some black cherry pop (one of our favourites) in pretty champagne glasses.
And since it's Valentine's Day we also had to have some chocolates.
Spa Robes
Spa Treatments
I love these pretty glass jars holding bath salts, bath bombs, and rose petal soaps.
We added a pink bath bomb, some bubble bath, and some of the rose soap petals to the bath.
I love how it turned the water pretty pink. There's also a few styrofoam hearts floating on top (picked up a the dollar store and such a fun addition).
The girls had a lot of fun enjoying their special Valentine's Day Spa, which might have also included doing each other's hair and makeup -one of their favourite pastimes lately. 😉
5. Book Dinner with a Friend
I saw these puff pastry mincemeat pinwheels on a British cooking show many years ago, and it's so easy and so tasty, it's become a favourite Christmas recipe of ours. It's a great way to make a quick version, with all the same great taste of normal nice pies, but none of the hard work. And it's a great leftover mincemeat recipe to remember.
With Toblerone Shortbread Cookies with Browned Flour, life really is a party!
I shared the front porch, the mudroom, the dining room and our basement family room the other day, you can catch up with my 
I picked up some amazing yarn that comes already knit into a chain. It would be great for a chunky knit blanket, but it also makes a gorgeous garland. I love how simple and warm and fuzzy it is.
On the top of the tree we've hung a paper star, and attached it to the ceiling which worked perfectly.
The yarn garland inspired the warm white cozy theme for the rest of the room. The couch is already for a Hallmark movie marathon. 😉
On the table are the candle holders I made with the fair isle pattern, inspired by cozy sweaters. The little lights are like mini snow globes with little white bottle brush trees in them.
Fireplace
The fireplace is really simple, and cozy too.
I hung the stockings on a birch pole. And added some fun stocking tassels for a little more texture.
And at the bottom of the stairs a few more cute decorations.
I was inspired by a little light at Ikea with a hedgehog reading a book under a mushroom. I created my own version and it couldn't be cuter.
On the wall above the table some little house shelves, dressed up with some simple bottle brush trees for Christmas.
And here my favourite seat in the house.
On the table a favourite of mine, an old wooden dough bowl full of vintage ornaments.
And the sweetest little gingerbread village that my girls made -you find the gingerbread recipe here.
And also on the table are the sweetest little pine cone lights I picked up at Dollarama -love them.
I set up a little hot chocolate station here for cold days.
This is a favourite spot of mine this year. The beautiful print is an engineering print, the most inexpensive way to make a large poster, and I mounted it on some wood I had cut at the hardware store.
And over on the other side the shelves got a few special vintage pieces.
We love making Christmas cookies. In fact next week we have a whole week of Christmas cookies to share with you, with a new recipe everyday, so be sure to come back and check it out starting Monday.
These open shelves are a so fun to decorate for each season. And I love my growing collection of vintage Christmas pieces.
And now let's go upstairs for a look.
The Study
I made this fun advent calendar for the whole family. We were at the Lindt store one day, enjoying a free sample. 😉 We noticed how many different varieties there were and that you could buy them individually so we had the brilliant idea of making an advent calendar out of them and trying them all. Everyday we all try a different one together and it's been such a yummy treat for us all.
The chair is a great spot to curl up with a laptop.
The shelves got a little Christmas decorating too.
Always fun to add in a few more vintage pieces.
This is a great spot for Christmas crafting and gift wrapping.
I worked with 
We've never had a tree in here before and I have to say it's so beautiful and romantic at night all lit up.
I've added some green cushions for Christmas -one dark corduroy, one velvet moss green square one, and the rectangular jade velvet one in front.
And over on the other side of the bed, the gorgeous vase that set the whole colour scheme filled with some fresh hemlock one of my favourite Christmas greens since it's so delicate. The pretty little bottle brush trees are from Ikea and look great in a little cloche.
I added an assortment of green vintage ornaments to this little black tree.
This room feels like the perfect little Christmas retreat, or spot for a bedtime story.
Add a string to hang it from, with a gold and a wood bead.
They also look beautiful to decorate a Christmas gift. You could write the recipient's name on with a sharpie marker if you wanted to.
With these pretty wood feather ornaments, life really a party.
I always feel like the front door is a little taste of what's to come inside. I love rustic Scandinavian style, especially at Christmas. Scandinavian style is all about bringing the outdoors in and decorating with whatever is seasonal. At Christmas that means lots of things like birch, pinecones, and fresh greens.
I've added some pretty brass lanterns this year too. I especially love the stars for Christmas.
Over on the other side a fun little DIY. I couldn't find any beautiful antique skis at a decent price so, I took some old ones from a thrift store and spray painted them white for a nice neutral look to fit in with my decor.
You can 
We just finished re-doing our 
And over on the other wall a little festive art that can stay up all winter, hung with a vintage clothes hanger.
The mudroom opens into our dining room.
I kept the console table really simple with a little grouping of trees and some garlands. I wanted the main floor to feel really cozy this year, so I went with lots of whites, neutrals and texture.
The vintage typewriter is an old favourite.
The rest of the room was inspired in part this year by these fun light up birch trees.
Scandinavian Christmas Table
The table has a real rustic woodland Scandinavian vibe. The centre piece is the beautiful birch trees, surrounded by some fresh pines and candles.
There are five different designs, and they're all adorable. I thought they'd be a really sweet take home gift for my dinner guests on Christmas day.
I also love the glasses. When I was a little girl, my parents had some that were very similar. They were kept on some open shelves in the kitchen and I remember my parents only really using them for mixed drinks when they had friends over for card games. These have little pine trees on them and deer and they're perfect for Christmas.
Buffalo Check Wall
I made a series of wreaths for Christmas. The birch one is the same as this 
Two were made with gold rings, and two with embroidery hoops. They're updated from last year with their asymmetrical design, and some pom poms and tassels. I love how they turned out and they were so simple to make.
I set up my little Christmas village here too. It's one of my very favourite Christmas decorations, and I love how they light up, and the little animals with them.
Inspired by the birch on the table, I added a real one too. This one was found in the woods. I stood it up in the garage in a pail with some concrete for a few days, before I brought it in. It's so simple and pretty with the twinkle lights on it.
Bar Cart
I've got a new decanter, and whiskey is on offer to warm up cold guests over the holidays.
This is a favourite spot of ours over the holidays for family movie nights, and curling up with new books and toys over the Christmas holidays.
I've decorated with a black and white boho theme for Christmas, and I love how it turned out.
The mantel is decorated with bottle brush trees -the few black ones got a little spray paint added to them. The deer head is paper mache, and I wrapped the antlers in some yarn to add texture. The fringe makes a fun garland, and the stockings are dressed up with some fun stocking tassels. You can read more about our 
The tree looks great in its macrame basket, and with an owl as the topper.
It's decorated with lots of DIY ornaments, like this 
The coffee table is full of brass candle holders.
I'm so looking forward to a little down time with a good book here over the Christmas break.
Over on the other side I've set up the sweetest little boho Christmas reading tent. I won't fit in, but my girls will. 😉
This spot is just so cozy and sweet. You can see how I made this 
Once the cookies are iced and the icing has had a chance to dry and fully set, it's time to add a string for hanging the gingerbread ornaments. We used a little bakers twine to hang them. Thin ribbon would also be lovely for hanging them. Adding the hanging string to the cookies turns them into the prettiest Christmas ornaments. They look so pretty as decorations for the holiday season on a traditional tree, or even on a branch.
My girls actually decorated them all. I think the students have exceeded the teacher now. I was working on some last year, and then they came home from school and made some far more beautiful ones than I had. This year I left it too them.
We arranged them on a cake plate and added in a few cookie trees to create a tiny miniature gingerbread village.
I love how these gingerbread house cookies turned out, and they're so delicious too. The perfect Christmas cookie. The hanging ornament gingerbread house ornaments look so beautiful on a Christmas tree.
