How to make a Christmas cheese board
It’s the most wonderful time of the year and you’re planning on creating the perfect cheese board to serve your family and friends over this Christmas season…but where do you begin? We’ve put together some tips to help you create a deliciously festive cheese platter that is sure to make everyone’s holidays!
Our tips for making the perfect Christmas cheese board
Select a range of cheeses
The cheese is the main event on your platter and you want to make sure that you have a variety of cheeses so that there’s something to cater for everybody’s taste buds.
Try to include at least one type of soft, semi-soft, hard, blue, and aged cheese, then you’ll have a real mix! If you’re aware of anyone’s preferences or all-time favourites, you can include these too.
Include cheeses that you know you’ll enjoy but why not also have a little fun by adding new cheeses to try out? After all, it’s Christmas…treat yourself!
Add seasonal touches
Don’t forget the theme of this cheese board…Christmas! There are a few things you could do to ensure your platter is festive, such as:
- Incorporating Christmassy colours (for instance, you could include cheeses with red or green wax).
- Add some garnishes such as fresh herbs or seasonal fruit like figs (figs partner up well with a range of cheeses, including strong, creamy, and crumbly ones!).
Slice block cheeses or create cubes
You can slice block cheeses such as cheddar and Red Leicester in a range of ways, including rectangles and wedges, or, you can cut them up into cubes for bite-size portions.
Keep the softer cheeses whole or cut into wedges
Creamy and soft/semi-soft cheeses such as brie or gouda can be kept whole or cut into wedges.
Spread the cheeses out and fill in any gaps
Spread your cheeses out on your platter and fill in the gaps with snacks such as nuts and fruits (we’ll get onto some good snack ideas next!).
Don’t forget the snacks on the side!
There are lots of snacks and sides you can add to your platter to complement the cheese, they too are part of the festive action! As you’ll have a range of cheeses on the cheeseboard, you’ll want to ensure that there’s a snack to accompany each type – incorporating sweet, salty, and crunchy elements.
You could consider including:
- Bread and crackers – try to include a variety of crackers (plain, salty, spiced, etc.)
- Fruit – berries and crunchy apples partner up beautifully with soft cheeses such as brie, grapes complement aged cheddar and dried fruits such as apricots are perfect for hard cheeses.
- Having a mixture of fruits on the platter will allow guests to mix and match as they please.
- Nuts (including plain and candied)
- Olives and pickles
- Meats – cured meats such as prosciutto, Parma ham, salami, and chorizo with cheese are a match made in heaven! Make sure that you cater for vegetarians and vegans by creating a meat-free cheese board if necessary so they feel included in the festivities.
- Chutneys or jams – caramelised red onion chutney is particularly well-suited to hard cheeses such as mature cheddar or strong cheeses such as stilton. Fruity chutneys or jams are ideal for soft cheeses such as brie.
You can also start thinking about the best drinks to serve with your Christmas cheese board. Port is perfect for strong cheeses such as aged cheddar or gouda; white wine complements soft cheeses such as camembert, and red wine goes hand in hand with organic cheddar cheese.
Looking for some delicious organic cheese to enjoy on your Christmas platter?
Now you know how to make a Christmas cheese board, you’ll want to stock up on quality cheeses packed full of great taste. Here at Godminster, we have a wide range of Christmas cheeses for everyone to enjoy. Browse our award-winning cheese products today and taste our organic Somerset cheese for yourself!
If you have any questions about our Christmas cheese range or any of our other products, please feel free to get in touch – we’d be happy to help!
