Nothing says 'hostess with the mostest' like a heaving cheese board.
However, creating the perfect display isn't as straightforward as it seems, particularly if your invited guests fancy themselves as discerning foodies.
The trick is to choose your cheeses carefully, then pile your cheeseboard high with an abundance of complementary flavours and textures.
This Christmas, as part of the Discover Farmhouse Cheese programme, Bord Bia is encouraging cheese lovers to celebrate the festive season with the perfect farmhouse cheese board.
We asked them for their best tips and advice:
- Keep the cheese selection small; it’s better to have a couple of good size pieces of cheese than a lot of smaller bits. The cheese will look more appetising and will stay in better condition.
- Select cheeses that are different sizes, shapes, flavours and texture. A soft, blue, hard, and goat’s cheese make a great selection.
- Place the cheeses in order of strength – avoid having the strong pungent cheeses beside delicately flavoured cheeses.
- Try to leave the cheese at room temperature for approximately 2-3 hours before serving, it’s important to let the cheese breath before consumption.
- For presentation purposes, try to serve the cheeses on a slate, marble or wooden board, or on a straw mat.
- Serve with bread or cheese crackers leaving room beside each cheese for your guests to slice.
- Apples, fresh figs, pears, or grapes make a nice addition along with honey, jellies, chutney or quince.
- For a modern update on the the traditional wine and cheese evening, serve craft beer instead- it'll go down a treat. Lighter coloured beers go with the fresher cheeses while the darker, more intense brews work better with a more richly flavoured cheese.
Just don't eat it all yourself.
