Australians are making trees filled with Christmas nibbles as an alternative to grazing platters

A VERY festive way to serve cheese! Home cooks are making Christmas trees filled with seasonal nibbles – with gorgeous results

  • A mother’s creative twist on the classic cheeseboard is earning praise online
  • Using three stacked triangular boxes, she made the shape of a Christmas tree  
  • She filled each box with crackers, cured meats, cheese, fruit and vegetables
  • Others drew inspiration from the idea, filling boxes with chips, nuts and biscuits

A mother’s festive twist on a classic grazing platter has taken the internet by storm, after she showed home cooks how to make a Christmas tree shaped cheeseboard just in time for December 25.

Using a stack of triangular boxes from discount retailer Kmart, the Australian mum arranged the containers into the shape of a Christmas tree, filling each box to the brim with crackers, cheese, cured meats, fruit and vegetables.

The clever trick, which was posted anonymously in a cookery group on Facebook, inspired others to get creative with their layout of festive snacks, with many filling stacks of boxes with chips, nuts, biscuits and pretzels.

‘They stack on top of each other and you can stand it up!’ the mother explained in her post. 

A mother’s festive twist on a classic grazing platter has taken the internet by storm, after she showed home cooks how to make a Christmas tree shaped cheeseboard just in time for December 25

She recommended lining each box with baking paper before loading with treats, while others laid cellophane to protect the food instead.

Home cooks were excited to try their hand at the trend, with many calling it ‘cheeseboard goals’.

‘Clever people out there, can’t wait to try this! Thanks for sharing,’ a woman wrote.

One wordsmith dubbed the concept a ‘snacking tree’.

Others filled stacks of boxes with chips, nuts, dried fruit, biscuits and pretzels

Others filled stacks of boxes with chips, nuts, dried fruit, biscuits and pretzels

The trend is the latest in a line of quirky Christmas dishes taking Australia by storm this December, with amateur bakers shunning traditional desserts like pavlova and trifle to make edible wreaths from lamingtons, the nation’s most iconic cake.

Beloved across the country, a lamington is a classic Australian cake made from squares of sponge coated in a layer of chocolate sauce and desiccated coconut.

The festive creation has been hailed as the ultimate Australian alternative to overly indulgent desserts, with many planning to use the wreath as a centre piece on Christmas Day – and you can make your own with six simple ingredients for just $27.

Australians are shunning traditional desserts like pavlova and trifle in favour of edible wreaths made from lamingtons this Christmas, which can be made with six simple ingredients for $27

Australians are shunning traditional desserts like pavlova and trifle in favour of edible wreaths made from lamingtons this Christmas, which can be made with six simple ingredients for $27

How to make your own Lamington wreath with six ingredients in six simple steps

 What you need:

– 500g frozen strawberries ($4)

– Two to three cups of caster sugar ($2)

– One teaspoon of vanilla extract ($4)

– Two cups of thickened cream ($2.90)

– 24 lamington cakes ($2.50 per pack of six)

– 250g fresh strawberries ($4)

Total cost of dessert: $26.90 

Method:

1. Place frozen strawberries and half a cup of sugar in a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir, gently crushing strawberries until sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil and simmer on low-medium heat until mixture is syrupy.

2. Remove from heat and strain syrup through a fine sieve into a jug. Return syrup to the pan and stir in the vanilla essence, bringing to a simmer over a medium heat. Simmer until slightly thickened and set aside to cool.

3. Beat cream and remaining sugar using until firm using an electric mixer. Add one third of the syrup to cream and fold to create a rippled effect.

4. Carefully spoon cream mixture into a large snap-lock bag and pipe a large ring on a flat serving plate to form the base. 

5. Pipe cream mixture onto one side of each lamington and place upright on the ring to make the wreath.

6. Decorate using whole fresh strawberries, spooning any remaining syrup mixture on top to finish.

Source: Taste.com.au

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