The 12 best wood serving boards - entertain in an elegantly relaxed way

The 12 best wood serving boards will help you create an elegantly friendly tablescape and kick dinner party season off in style

round and contemporary wood cheese serving boards
(Image credit: Lulu and Georgia, Burke Decor, Anthropologie)

We love wood serving boards at Livingetc. Not only are they a great way to present cheeses, cold cuts, crackers and other snacks at the table, most good wood boards can be used in the kitchen for chopping and cutting too.

Wooden boards can be scrubbed and oiled to keep them in good condition. This is better than plastic boards, which get damaged, with the tiny particles ending up in food. 

Wood serving boards look lovely when in use, and add character to kitchens propped up on counters or hung from hooks, when they're not. 

Bring a natural touch to your best dinnerware sets with one of these wood serving boards, from the best home decor stores

Best round wood serving boards

Best oblong wood serving boards

Best rustic wood serving boards

Best simple wood serving boards

What is the best wood to serve food on?

Hard woods with dense grains are generally best for serving food, so consider walnut, beech and olive. However, oak, acacia, cherry, maple, mango wood and others are perfectly safe to serve food on too. 

Wooden serving boards not only look beautiful, they are hygienic, durable and anti-microbial–and most can double up as chopping boards in the kitchen too. 

'I prefer traditional olive woods for serving boards, as they keep extremely well,' says Soho Home Design Director, James Patmore.

'All you need to do is apply olive oil to maintain them. Woods are inherently absorbent, with some - oak especially - actually producing their own oils and tannins which can be tasted in the food, if they're not properly sealed. 

'The function of the board also needs to be considered. If you’re using it for cutting as well, the tighter the grain the better - a butcher’s block which uses end grain timber also works well in this case.'

Jacky Parker is a London-based freelance journalist and content creator, specialising in interiors, travel and food. From buying guides and real home case studies to shopping and news pages, she produces a wide range of features for national magazines and SEO content for websites


A long-time contributor to Livingetc, as a member of the team, she regularly reports on the latest trends, speaking to experts and discovering the latest tips. Jacky has also written  for other publications such as Homes and Gardens, Ideal Home, Red, Grand Designs, Sunday Times Style and AD, Country Homes and Interiors and ELLE Decoration.