Holidays St. Patrick's Day
March 17, 2027
Build a St. Patrick's Day board around Irish flavors and the color green: an aged Irish cheddar, cooked ham or corned beef, brown soda bread and oatcakes, grainy mustard, and green apples, grapes and pickles. Shape it like a shamrock, pour a stout or a dry cider, and plan about 2 oz each of cheese and meat per guest before a meal.
Pub night · 8 guests
Aged Irish cheddar, cooked ham and corned beef, whole-grain mustard, soda bread and oatcakes, pickled onions and green apple. Serve it with a stout or a dry cider.
Aged Cheddar · Prosciutto Cotto · Whole Grain Mustard · Oatcakes · Pickled Red Onions · Apples · Dill Pickles
Get the shopping list for 8 →Office party · 15 guests
Everything green: green grapes, kiwi, cucumber, Castelvetrano olives, pistachios, pesto and an herbed goat cheese, with plain crackers to carry it all.
Grapes · Kiwi · Castelvetrano Olives · Pistachios · Pesto · Fresh Chèvre · Cornichons · Water Crackers
Get the shopping list for 15 →Kids' party · 10 guests
An arc of fruit and mild cheese in rainbow order (strawberries, mandarins, pineapple, green grapes, blueberries) ending in a 'pot of gold' bowl of cheese crackers.
Berries · Mandarins · Pineapple · Grapes · Monterey Jack · Edam · Butter Crackers
Get the shopping list for 10 →Served as an appetizer before a meal, plan about 2 oz of cheese, 2 oz of meat and 6–8 crackers per guest. If the board is the party food, plan 3 oz of each; if it's dinner, 4 oz. From 20 guests, add 10% (included below).
| Guests | Cheese | Meat | Crackers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 12 oz | 12 oz | 36–48 | Full list |
| 12 | 1½ lb | 1½ lb | 72–96 | Full list |
| 20 | 2¾ lb | 2¾ lb | 120–160 | Full list |
No alcohol? See zero-proof pairings. More in the Pairings Hub.
An aged Irish cheddar, cooked ham or corned beef, soda bread or oatcakes, whole-grain mustard, pickles, and plenty of green: grapes, green apple, cucumber, olives and pistachios.
Aged Irish cheddar is the easy choice and most large grocery stores carry it. A cheese counter may also have Irish farmhouse cheeses, including washed-rind, blue and goat's milk styles. If you can't find Irish cheese, an aged white cheddar works.
A stout's roasted bitterness is a good match for sharp cheddar and salty ham. A dry cider is lighter and pairs with the apple and pickles. For a non-alcoholic option, try sparkling apple cider.
Set three round bowls or small cheese wheels close together as the leaves, surround each with green food, and add a stem of pretzel rods or crackers. Fill the gaps with cheddar, ham and crackers.
As an appetizer before a meal, plan about 2 oz of cheese and 2 oz of meat per guest, plus 6 to 8 crackers. If the board is the party food, plan 3 oz of each and 10 to 12 crackers; if it's dinner, 4 oz of each. From 20 guests, add 10%.
Read more: Beer and Charcuterie: The Style-by-Style Pairing Guide · Aged Cheddar: The Science Behind the Sharpness (And How to Use It on a Board) · Aged Cheddar on a Charcuterie Board
Other holidays: Halloween · Thanksgiving · Christmas · Hanukkah · New Year's Eve · Super Bowl · Valentine's Day · Easter · All holidays
Free printable
How much to buy for any guest count, the build order, fridge timing and pairing rules on two printable pages. Plus the Lab Report: one pairing that works and why, and new printables the day they land.