Cheese. I bet just reading that word has got your mouth watering.
With the Easter Bank Holiday approaching we know some of you will be taking some time off work and perhaps throwing your doors open to friends and family.
A cheeseboard is an ideal way to soak up the alcohol if you’re planning an evening soiree, or obviously a course in its own right if you’re serving up a feast. Here are our essentials for the ultimate cheeseboard.
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Something Blue
Grab yourself a blue stilton that’s rich and tangy in flavour. We chose the unique and delicious Cropwell Bishop. There are rennet-free versions of this cheese so it’s suitable for vegetarians.
Something Hard
Whilst your daily go-to might be Cathedral City, I urge you to push the boat out on your usual cheddar and go for something a little more hearty. We chose a hunk of Wooky Hole. These cheese truckles are made at Ford Farm in Dorset and then taken to the Somerset caves to finish maturing.
Something Semi-Hard
So we cheated here and opted for two soft cheeses but according to cheese connoisseurs you need a semi-hard cheese on your board. With their pliable texture you’ll gain a certain sharpness to your plate. Try Gouda or Gorgonzola.
Something Soft
We chose a Cornish Brie for our cheeseboard as well as a mellow and fluffy Somerset Goat’s Cheese (which may be suitable for people with lactose intolerance or dairy allergies depending on the severity of the allergy).
Something Savoury
Provide plenty of crackers, breads or oat biscuits to be piled high with your finest fromage. You could also throw in a few meats here if you want to create a charcuterie plate too. Dry cured meats such as proscuitto, salami or choritzo would work well.
Something Sweet
Grapes, pears and apple pieces will add variety to your cheeseboard. Fragrant figs look gorgeous too.
Something Crunchy
Throw in a few nuts such as walnuts for extra taste and texture.
Something Tangy
A healthy dollop of chutney can complement your cheese. Waitrose do a smashing selection.
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{Team Rock My Style Favourites}
Miranda
It’s so hard to pick one, I love all cheese! The cheese I’m eating the most at the moment is probably Manchego, on oatcakes with quince paste, because it reminds me of sunny Spanish holidays.
Adam
If it’s a cheeseboard then I am a sucker for a traditional strong Stilton (As long as the port is flowing) and for the ultimate cheese toastie you can not beat a mix of Mature Cheddar and Jarlsberg. Served with salt and vinegar crisps natch.
Charlotte
I love Wensleydale with Cranberries.
Everyone’s Christmas favourite all year round!Lauren
I adore Cornish Yarg. It looks super impressive with it’s nettle leaf rind. It’s texture is crumbly yet creamy and tastes divine.
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Serving Style
Are any of you hosting dinner or drinks over the Easter period and fancy knocking up a board? What are your favourite cheeses and how do you like them served? And finally is anyone else feeling exceptionally hungry?
Mmmmmmmmmm cheese!!!
The other week the boy & I went on our first ever cheese tasting at Neals Yard Dairy (in Borough Market)
So much cheese & so much wine – it was heaven!
One interesting topic of debate was red or white wine with cheese. Our tutor believes that white wine is actually a better accompaniment to cheese – shock horror! Not being a huge red wine drinker myself this made me feel pretty pleased with myself! No more drinking red wine with cheese just because ‘that’s what you do’!! Whoop, whoop!
As for favourite cheeses I’m a big fan of a chaource – especially when it is warm and melting all over the cheese board!!!!!!!!!!
Ha ha Rebecca! I prefer a glass of white too, particularly as the weather heats up.
Cheese Tasting sounds fab. How many did you get to try?
We got to try 7 cheeses with 3 white wines, 1 red wine & a prosecco!
They do so many different sessions as well
Next up I want to do the champagne & cheese night. But they also have a whiskey & cheese night for the hardcore!!!! x
This sounds like heaven Rebecca! x
This looks amazing. I am obsessed with cheese! I had an epic cheeseboard for my wedding evening food and we served Godminster Organic Cheddar, Waterloo (a British cheese similar to Brie), Cropwell Bishop, and a new discovery, Spenwood (a British sheep’s cheese similar to Pecorino). I love serving cheese with various chutneys and some cured meats – we are lucky enough to have a farm shop nearby that makes its own coppa. I love having port with cheese too – a real treat!
Yum! SO hungry right now!
All these cheeses sound amazing. I really like the sound of Spenwood. How long is it until dinner time?!
Damn you! All I want now is a massive plate of cheese!
We had so much cheese at our wedding that I took three bags of it on honeymoon with me (to Cornwall, not to the Maldives or anything. That would be weird!!). In the evening, I was basically walking round forcing people to EAT MORE CHEESE. I even made my friend a cheese sandwich to take in the taxi with her. What can I say, I was a bit drunk and I hate food going to waste 🙂
This is hilarious!
We ended up in a similar situation after our wedding but the very nice man in the cheese shop said it would be alright to freeze some of it? We had cornish yarg on toast for weeks and my Mum made a massive vat of colston bassett stilton and celery soup too.
Honestly, we ate so much cheese on honeymoon I thought I’d gone to cheese heaven 🙂
Seens as I live pretty darn close to Caerphilly and it has a giant statue of a lump of cheese as you enter the town ( they even have a festival every summer called the big cheese) it would be rude of me not to mention this wonderful cheese!! – it goes down a treat with grated carrot in a bagel which is an awesome snack or brunch!! xx
Ooooh, adding the grated carrot sounds delicious x
We used to have ‘Cheese Friday’ in work, every week we’d take it in turns to bring in cheese and accompaniments (we are also allowed a glass of wine at 4.30 so it was a great end to the week, not so great on the waist line mind you!).
This is the best idea I have ever heard.
I always try to have Cashel Blue (as it’s made by some distance relatives) and Montgomery Cheddar (which I love and was made in the village where my grandparents used to live) if I’m having a cheese board. Damn, now I really want some of both!