A note on dietary requirements, honestly

A shared board is a difficult thing for someone with a dietary requirement, because it is assembled rather than ordered. That does not mean it cannot be done, but it does mean the list of what we can exclude is shorter than it looks.

What we can do

Vegetarian and vegan, by building a board around fruit, olives, nuts, crackers and plant-based cheese, at a cost because the omission removes what the board was balancing. No raw milk, which takes out a great deal of the good washed rinds. No pork, which takes out most cured meat but not all of it.

What we cannot do

A genuinely nut-free board, because they are handled in the same kitchen as boards that contain them. Severe nut allergy is not something to gamble on from a shared kitchen. A coeliac board, because most of the crackers we use contain wheat and there is no way to keep the crumbs off everything else.

The honest advice

For a serious allergy, cook something specific for that person and let them skip the board. It is more work and it is the difference between a generous gesture and a trip to hospital. Tell us what you need and we will tell you plainly whether we can do it.