Bored with your average party food? These grazing platters have something smor…

Because yes, everyone loves a ‘picky tea’. And yes, there may be a reason party sausages on cocktail sticks with pineapple and cheese have remained a family fave for the last seven decades. But that doesn’t mean we should feel ourselves pigeon-holed, right? That shouldn’t mean we can’t break away from the norm for this most celebrated of occasions and have a party tea that’s a little more, well, sophisticated.

That being said, cultivating a sophisticated dining menu – as well as everything else that goes into being the host with the most (cleaning, tidying, decorating, organising your guests, getting yourself ready) – seems like just another thing to stress about. But not if you enlist the help of your friendly neighbourhood culinary chevalier, Smorgasbord.

What’s Smorgasbord all about?

There are two sides to Smorgasbord: the home catering service we offer, and our fantastic delicatessen on Park View. With both, the focus is on supplying top-quality products which are locally sourced, wherever possible, and making sure that they look as good as they taste.

Have you always worked with food?

My professional background is not in food at all actually! My career had been in management and consultancy in the Health and Social Care sector. I’ve worked freelance for many years and still do on my ‘day off’ from Smorgasbord!

Smorgasbord started almost as an extension of my favourite hobby. You may be able to guess that food is a huge passion for me, my family and my friends! I love cooking, eating out and trying new foods and recipes. Food is at the heart of everything we do when we socialise, and I really think there’s nothing better than sharing wonderful food (and obviously good wine) together.

You also mentioned your Whitley Bay deli – what do you offer there?

The main focal point in the deli is our cheese counter, where I stock a range of fabulous – and predominantly British – cheeses. There are some that are really popular, so I try to keep them in stock all the time. But I also add new cheeses into the mix every so often, so there’s always something different available for our regular customers to try.

I also stock a selection of British-made charcuterie; locally-made chutneys and relishes from Yummy Things and The Northumbrian Pantry; locally-made wine from Laneberg Wine; beers that are made near North Shields Fish Quay by Three Kings Brewery, and plenty more. The focus is very much on showcasing some of the brilliant products that are being made right here in our area – and offering our customers something that they won’t see in the supermarket.

What’s one of your favourite delicacies you’re stocking right now?

Oh, that’s hard because I’m genuinely proud of everything I stock… But I do love the British Blue cheeses. Each one has such a unique flavour. We’ve also recently started to stock salamis from The Cumbrian Salami Company – they have such a great range and they’re some of the best I’ve tasted.

What would be your dream catering gig?

A beautiful, British summer wedding in an outdoor area with lots of guests – what could be happier or more wonderful?! Especially after people have waited so long for any kind of celebration!

What are your ambitions for the future of Smorgasbord?

It’s been such a strange year to open a business so, at the moment, I’m really just grateful that we’re open, our catering bookings are filling up for the Summer and we’ve got such a lovely client base at the deli.

I intend to grow the Smorgasbord team so that we have more capacity to take on more bookings in the future, so we’ll see where it goes from there!

To find out more about Smorgasbord and see some of Amy’s incredible grazing platters, visit their website, Facebook page or Instagram

Or drop into the deli and say hi: Smorgasbord Deli, 61 Park View, Whitley Bay, Newcastle NE26 3RL