Creating A Festive Cheeseboard

Putting together the perfect festive cheeseboard doesn’t need to be a task that makes you want to hide in the broom cupboard. It’s all about balance and excitement. Your local cheesemonger will always be able to advise and help you with the task but if you wish to go solo there’s a few rules you can follow to help you along the way.

Firstly, you need to decide whether the cheeseboard is your main food or whether it is to be eaten after a meal as this will dictate how much cheese per person and other nibbles are needed.

If it isn’t the main food at your event, I would advise 100g of cheese per person. If your cheeseboard is the main food at your event, I would suggest 200g of cheese per person as a minimum plus other nibbles alongside the cheese.

Cheese portions I would advise these to be a minimum of 200g each, this is about how it looks on the board. Much less than 200g of cheese and it starts to look very sad, like everyone won’t get to try that particular one. This can’t be helped in cheeses that are produced in a smaller size than 200g such as a Crottin de Chavignol but you can counter this by adding two.

Now the exciting bit of choosing your cheese, there are thousands of cheeses in the world but if you go by some simple category rules you can put together a well-balanced cheese board without knowing the complete taste profile of every cheese you choose.

For a simple board of three to four cheeses you might want to go along the lines of a cheeseboard we are all familiar with, Brie – SOFT, Cheddar – HARD, Stilton – BLUE, plus add a wild card to create interest. This could be the centre of your cheeseboard with your other three cheeses arranged around it, WASHED RIND or GOAT are good ones here and could be along the lines of:

Washed rind – Langres, Epoisses de Bourgogne, Vacherin Mont D’Or

Goat – Valencay , Crottin de Chavignol, Kidderton Ash, Dorstone

If you’re not one for sticking to rules and want a cheeseboard with a bit of difference you can still use the same idea but change the cheeses for ones that you’d prefer under the same categories of Soft, Hard, Blue.

A few example boards under these categories could be:

Rollright, Kit Calvert Wensleydale, Burt’s Blue

Vacherouse d’Argental, Saint Nectaire, Fourme d’Ambert

These options are both examples of a soft, hard and blue combinations that will create a well-rounded selection but don’t stick to conventional Brie, Cheddar and Stilton.

If you want to create a cheeseboard with five or six different cheeses you can add further categories to your creation.

Alpine style

Washed rind

Variety in milk style – Cow, Goat, sheep, buffalo,

Smoked

Flavoured

Soft

Hard

Blue

Once your selection is up to five or six different cheeses you can always add in a second blue cheese too, this should be in a different style to your first choice such as a soft blue or a blue from the opposite end of the flavour spectrum creamy or salty (further post of different blue cheese flavours coming soon). You can also look at the different shapes and colours of the cheeses to add interest to your selection.

Accompaniments for your cheese board can be chutney or marmalades these add new flavours that can be similar or contrasting with your cheese. Membrillo (Quince paste) is always a good choice, its most known for its pairing with Manchego but pairs well with a variety of cheeses and looks interesting on your cheeseboard. Honey is another good addition and easy to dunk into or drizzle onto your cheese.

Dried fruit such as dried dates, apricots, figs, ginger, and cranberries are all good examples of dried fruit to add as an accompaniment.

Fresh fruit cuts through many of the flavours of the cheese and can refresh the palate. Grapes, strawberries, figs, currents or berries, sliced apple or something more unusual like persimmon or pineapple can pair with vintage aged hard cheeses.

Nuts – walnuts, pistachios, almonds, brazil (most nuts pair well with cheese)

Pickled - walnuts (or other pickled nuts), gherkins, onions

Charcuterie or pate – A nice selection of charcuterie alongside your cheeses can always add another level of interest, there’s so many different ones to choose from. A varied selection always works well such as spicy chorizo, serrano ham and Milano salami are a good combination you could add to.

Crackers – A subjective one here as everyone’s got their favourites, I’m all for a nice none flavoured cracker or oat cake as I enjoy the flavours coming through from the cheese and not being overpowered or sometimes tainted from odd cracker flavours. I must however admit to being partial to a nice beetroot cracker on occasion or an interesting Cajun one I’ve recently stumbled upon. Whichever crackers you choose remember they are transport for something whether its cheese or charcuterie so try not to buy anything too overpowering.

Happy festive cheese board creating and remember to just ask your cheesemonger if you are stuck for ideas, there’s nothing that I love more than chatting cheese.