When it comes to throwing together some party nibbles that scream hostess with the mostest, nothing can beat a beautifully assembled cheese board.
The thing is, to strike the perfect balance and impress even the most discerning foodies among your friends and family, it takes a little know-how to get it perfectly right.
Luckily, we recently had a chat with the experts in Marks & Spencer, and got the low-down from them on how to build a cheese board that will tickle your senses with deliciously good looks, tempting textures and beautifully balanced flavours – and, more importantly – seriously boost your hostess credentials this holiday season.
Here are five tips that will help you help you build the perfect cheese board
1. Aim for balance
The first thing to remember when creating a cheese plate is that you want a good balance of flavours (strong to mild), textures (soft, semi soft, semi-hard, and hard), as well as when it comes to colours, shapes, and sizes.
2. Keep it simple
It can be easy to want to pile on as many cheeses as you can fit onto your cheese board, but the cheese conneseaus at Supervalu advice us to keep things simple. For one cheese board, 4-5 different cheeses are enough.
3. Think of your presentation
Remember that when it comes to food, people eat with their eyes as much as they do their mouths, so make sure your presentation is on point. For cheese, use a rustic board or slab of natural stone or slate for an appealing, dramatic presentation.
4. Now for the extras
Cheese is delicious, there is no denying that, but if you really want to wow your guests, you need to think of what you serve with it too.
Adding extras to the board, such as fruit, crackers or relish will look good and will also add variety in texture and flavours. Grapes, pears or quince jelly all work well. Crackers or crusty bread are also a must. To make it even better, you could also consider cured meats.
5. Timing
To ensure you get all the lovely aromas and flavours out of your cheeses, don’t serve them straight from the fridge, but let them sit out at room temperature for a good 30-45 minutes before serving.
Here are some great suggestions from Rosie While, M&S Cheese Product Developer, to help you kick-start your perfect cheese board:
“For the perfect cheese board, I’d recommend a few well-loved classics, as well as one or two more unusual cheeses to mix things up a bit. Simply serve with some good quality biscuits or fresh bread.”
1. Three Year Old Cornish Cruncher
Our famous cheddar made by our experts in Cornwall exclusively for us. Packed full of flavour with the calcium lactate crunch that it’s famous for.
€7.50, M&S
2. Cropwell Bishop Blue Stilton
A cheese board classic, especially for Christmas. Made using farmhouse methods by cutting the curds and mixing by hand, making the stilton deliciously rich and creamy.
€4.40, M&S
3. Truffle Delice
A triple crème, really rich cheese with a decadent layer of truffle.
€7.30, M&S
4. Epoisse
The ultimate stinky cheese, this soft cow’s milk cheese is truly decadent and full of personality.
€11, M&S
“For Christmas entertaining – I would also recommend our amazing Tastes of The British Isles cheese fondue,” says While. “taking a Swiss classic and making it our own using British cheeses like St Giles from High Weald Dairy, Barbers 1833 cheddar and Double Gloucester then adding a splash of our own English Lilly white wine to give it that kick. Really rich and creamy and perfect for Christmas entertaining.”
(Feature image via Camillestyles.com)
