Last night I walked in the door, and Clare had this beautiful charcuterie plate waiting for us to sample. Charcuterie has become our new favourite treat on weekends .

Charcuterie is a French word that means cooked meat or flesh. It was used to designate butcher shops in fifteenth-century France that sold cooked pork. They weren’t allowed to sell fresh pork so they devised different ways of cooking the meat, salting, smoking and curing it, and using salt and a variety of spices.

I’m not sure who the first person was to introduce cheese to charcuterie, but remind me I have to thank them. Our board was teeming with Wilton cheese, goat cheese and red pepper jelly.

And of course, you can’t enjoy charcuterie without wine. Last night, Dave and I enjoyed a bottle of The Tragically Hip’s Fully Completely 2015 Grand Reserve to keep it local.

This week’s #HappyAct is to prepare a charcuterie board and enjoy. It’s the perfect dish for entertaining during the holiday season.

What’s your favourite charcuterie item? Leave a comment.