Gathering Boards

Gathering Boards is a is a well written and beautifully illustrated guide to charcuterie and cheese boards by Sarah Zimmerman Tuthill. Due out 4th June 2024 from Rowman & Littlefield on their Globe Pequot imprint, it's 152 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. 

The publisher's backlist nonfiction is extensive and very high quality. They're really good with illustrated how-to guides and this one is no exception. The debut author presents a comprehensive general introduction full of basic instructions on how to make boards, how to choose ingredients, how to serve them and more. The introduction is followed by seasonal specialty servings (Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall) full of appropriate and attractive food, well curated and presented. 

The book is full to bursting with useful tables and choices; showing what cheese goes with which fruit and showing readers how to pair ingredients to show them at their best. For timid readers who might be generally fairly clueless about *what* will complement *which* items, and how to style the foods most attractively, the information contained here will give enough confidence and instruction to make an educated choice as far as arrangement and choices.

Each of the specific board tutorials in the book contains an introduction, ingredient choices, and a short assembly list. The photos in the book are large, high contrast, and in color, without hands or anything in the way. There are numerous tutorial photos on folding, slicing, and preparing ingredients to show them at their best.

Many of the ingredients will be easy to find at any large supermarket or box-store. Some of the more specialized cheeses and charcuterie will require mail order or access to a large urban area, or specialist grocer. Serving suggestions are beautifully styled and attractive (it's the high point of the book). 

Five stars. This would make a great choice for library acquisition, for the home cook, or possibly as a thoughtful hostess gift. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.