A Christmas Cheese Board

Some years ago I took part in a cheese course with The Guild of Fine Food. At that time Bob and Linda Farrand (founders of the guild) ran the course and I was in awe of their knowledge and passion for cheese. During the course, we tasted 40 cheeses. We learned about the milk, the processes, the producers, and the all-important practical knowledge for selling and serving cheese. I left that course with a deep appreciation for cheese making as a craft. And that passion has never left me. We had a cheese celebration cake on our wedding day and we love nothing more than putting together a cheese board at Christmas.

The people behind the cheese

One thing I have found about the cheese community is the people are full of passion and generosity. We live in Cheshire and we are very fortunate to have access to The Cheese Shop Chester. Carol who owns the shop spent time with me many years ago helping me to discover new cheeses. She is a fountain of knowledge, not just about cheese, but about the food industry in total. She has wonderful personal connections with her suppliers and Carol runs her business with her daughter Ann and their stella team bringing passion and a love of cheese to their customers. If you ever need to know something about cheese you would do well to contact them.

Family Feeds cheese board tips

When I put a board together there are three key elements to my planning. I am not very strict about anything to do with cooking these days and I think your board should suit your taste. But I do stick to the 3rd tip every time.

1. Serve what you like

Throughout the year we eat lots of ‘picky dinners’ I am mad keen on filling boards with lots of little bits that we love. I have no hard and fast rules and I think a cheese/charcuterie/antipasti boards should be filled with the foods you love. That would be my first tip to anyone looking to assemble a tasty board – serve what you like, but try to introduce one new cheese each time.

2. Variety, colour and texture

I like lots of textures and colour on my table. I like to explore how things work together and experiment with different assemblies – cracker, chilli jam and brie followed by Black Bomber and baby gherkin as a little texture shift. So I like to have lots of things on the board to create variety. If you want your cheese board to be an experience I think it helps to give choice and I never worry about breaking the rules. If I have some nice satsumas or lemons to hand I wouldn’t think twice about using them on the board… somethings are there to bring the board to life, even if no one eats them.

• 

• 

3. Don’t serve cheese straight from the fridge.

I am no cheese expert but I love to listen to those who are. Bob Farrand says you should prepare your cheese board early. If you have bought your cheese from a supermarket it is likely they will have stored it in very low temperatures. He says that you should have your cheese well wrapped in wax paper or foil and store it in the warmest part of your refrigerator, removing a good two hours before serving.

The Christmas Cheese board

We think the cheese board is one of the best parts of Christmas day. The children are in bed, the pots and pans back in their places and we sit down with a glass of something nice to drink and a plate of cheese and cold cuts, biscuits and breads. The cheese board will go through its many stages between Christmas and new year including a reprise on Boxing day and the days that follow until there is just stilton left which I will no doubt use as an ingredient for dinner in early January.

Online Cheese board

I turned to The Cheese Shop Chester for the cheese board in this post because I wanted some advice on a good Christmas cheese board. We planned it as a date night and made sure we were very hungry. Carol and her team have been busy adapting to the challenges faced by food businesses in 2020 and they now have an online shop. They can ship cheese directly to your door if you want to try any of the cheeses we had. I bought the following cheeses:

Montgomery Cheddar
Trevarrian Cornish Brie
Smarts Double Gloucestershire
Ticklemore Goat

I made the error of forgetting to buy Stilton so Jim made a quick dash to Tesco to save the day and I am glad he did because my Mum’s Christmas cake topped with stilton was the best mouthful on the board!

The more the merrier

In his book, The Cheese Handbook, Bob Farrand says the minimum number is four cheeses for a half-decent cheese board; we rarely venture below six. We went for five although on Christmas day I know we have nine cheeses. I like to have variety on a cheese board and I don’t stop with the cheese. I like a mix of breads and biscuits, fruits, chutneys, walnuts, dates, Christmas cake. Our lovely friends Leah and Alex sent us a Christmas related gift a few weeks back which included Fortnam and Mason honeycombed we drizzled it on the Ticklemore Goat cheese… it was beautiful! Honey goes really well with cheese and it is really good drizzled over a cheese just ahead of serving.

• 

• 

Extra touches and good combos

I baked rosemary and homemade Cranberry sauce focaccia and served it with a little pile of mortadella. I piled some mortadella on the focaccia along with the Montgomery cheddar which was like the best cheese and ham sandwich ever. Back in October, I made an apple jelly with a hint of chilli – that went well with all the cheese and I can’t wait to share jars with friends and family this Christmas.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I am not a cheese snob. I do love good cheese but I am equally likely to tuck into the Boursin, chilli cheese and applewood smoked cheese on any given opportunity. But I love baked camembert, cornish yarg and really stinky brie. The only cheese I don’t tend to like is fruity cheeses like Wensleydale, they just don’t do anything for me but I would include them if I knew they were loved by our guests. I love seeing other peoples cheese boards. Getting new ideas and trying new cheeses whenever possible.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Delicatessens and cheese shops

If you are looking to try new cheeses I would always recommend visiting the professionals in delicatessens and cheese shops. And don’t wait for a formal occasion to put some cheeses together. One of my favourite cheese-eating experiences was in Dingle, Ireland (pre-children). Jim and I stumbled on The Little Cheese Shop, an authentic and real cheesemonger. We bought some cheese and extra bits and took it all back to our room in the B&B where we indulged with a nice cup of tea and then went for an afternoon nap before hitting the bars later that night – what I would give for a nap in the middle of the day now!

• 

• 

• 

If you are putting together a cheese board over the festive season we hope it’s filled with all the things you love and maybe even a new cheese or two!