There are a few main components to an excellent Charcuterie board:
Meats
Cheeses
Breads & Crackers
Jams & Jellies
Vegetables
Fruit & Nuts
Meats
Include at least 2 different meats that are different in texture, thickness, and flavor. I recommend a thin prosciutto and a thick salami, or some variation of that.
Cheeses
Include at least 3 cheeses: a soft, a semi-soft, and a hard. I always include brie and/or herbed goat (soft), gouda and/or cheddar (semi-soft), and Parmesan and/or bleu cheese (hard). Add texture to your board by chipping your parmesan or spreading some goat cheese.
Breads & Crackers
Include at least two variations. I like to include a baguette and water crackers, as they are very versatile. Other options include breadsticks, crostini's, or flavored crackers like cranberry or fig.
Jams & Jellies
Include flavors that will compliment your cheeses, if you have goat a nice compliment would be fig jam. If you have brie perhaps a pepper jelly.
Vegetables
Be sure to include pickled vegetables like olives, pickles, or marinated artichokes, as these compliment well with meats and cheeses. I sometimes like to throw in homemade roasted garlic, a great addition to every charcuterie board!
Fruit & Nuts
The final touch to your board is fruits and vegetables. Dried fruits like apricots and cranberries work great and help add a pop of color to your board. Nuts such as pecans, pistachios, or almonds go great on any board. If in season, I love to add some fresh fruits such as peaches or berries.
Assembly
Assembling your board can seem overwhelming. Here's a great tip for assembly: start with the largest items first and work your way down to the smallest. Big items could be a large brie wheel or goat cheese log, or maybe it's a bigger bowl of pickles or jam. Assemble these big items far enough apart to leave space for other items. Also focus on color, you don't want to end up with all of a certain color of items in one corner. Next move on to your meats, folding the larger meats and arranging them around the larger items. Finally, fill in the gaps with the dried fruit, nuts and any other small loose items. Voila! You've created an epic charcuterie board!
Included in the board above:
Cheeses: smoked cheddar, brie, herbed goat cheese, double gloucester with onion and chive, vegan cheese wheel
Meats: prosciutto, genoa salami, soppressata salami
Breads & Crackers: fig & olive crisps, mango & ginger crisps
Jams & Jellies: apricot jam
Vegetables: cornichon pickles, garlic stuffed olives, marinated artichoke hearts
Fruits & Nuts: almonds, pistachios, grapes, strawberries, blueberries, dried cranberries, dried apricots