Cheese board novice...if I like these...

[pinkgin85]

Extra mature cheddar
Red Leicester
Wensleydale w cranberries


What else would I like?

Also what crackers/bread/condiments would you recommend with it?

[Graphista]

Think you’d like a hard blue cheese like a Stilton or possibly a Gorgonzola or cambozola

Brie you might like, you might find Camembert a bit mild for your tastes?

Edam is fairly similar to your preferences though a little milder, Gouda might be a bit too mild for you unless you get a mature one, Limburger might be more in line with your preferences

Crackers - I’m currently enjoying ryvita pumpkin and oat crispbreads with Boursin or cheddar thins with slices of beechwood smoked cheese, but I also like multigrain crackers (nutty but less rough in texture than crisp breads, shorter crumble), poppy seed crackers and original ryvita... always trying new variations too

Accompaniments I like with the more mature cheeses you seem to like are grapes, slices of melon or apple (golden delicious or Granny Smith if you want a little tart flavour) strawberries, figs, dates, fruit cake (malt loaf slices in my case), sweet pickle, sliced gherkins, sauerkraut (if you can get a good one)

For milder cheeses I like olives, sun dried tomatoes, capers, pickled garlic (check Polish section in supermarkets or if you are lucky enough to have a Polish shop near you check out their condiments and pickles), pickled peppers - I have to get the mild spiced ones these days unfortunately but if you can tolerate spicy go for it, honey (try a variety they really aren’t all the same, I used to live somewhere that honey farming was a major “thing” and there was a huge variety in flavour and texture. I actually prefer the set honeys, less messy and greater depth of flavour.

Drinks wise yes a full bodied merlot works well with most cheeses, or if you prefer something light and sparkly rather than the ubiquitous Prosecco try (if you can find one) a good sharp and slightly sweet Perry (NOT lambrini proper craft Perry) and of course a good port with a strong Stilton is a great match

[edwinbear]

You need truffle honey. It’s utterly amazing with all the cheese. You’re welcome

[newtb]

Little Billy French goat's cheese traditionally eaten with honey drizzled over it. Think honey over goat cheese is rank personally.

Cabecou soft discs of goat's cheese, pale straw coloured white inside. From sw France so, Limousin, Dordogne, Poitou Charentes etc etc. Under ripe you can pick it up, properly ripe you need to scrape it up.

Can't remember what it's called now, but it's from Picardy. May be poivre d'âne. Donkey pepper. It's a bit like a pear in shape, and bright orange as rolled in paprika to 'mature' I think it might have very very finely chopped tarragon in it. The only thing with enough body to drink with it is a full-bodied Vaqueyras or Gigondas. Château neuf de pape, Hermitage or Croze Hermitage too dear. It's so strong it's almost a chemical weapon. Keep down wind and shave off very thin slices. Must buy some for Christmas And some Cheshire by mail order as the ignorant French don't import it. Ripe peach in one hand, chunk of Cheshire in other, alternate bites, marriage made in heaven.

I used to save up 4/- (20p) pocket money with friends and we'd buy a pound of it from the 52lb cloth bound cheese on the grocery counter. Big triangular wedge, cut with a wire, not a little brick. Bout 1966/7.

[newtb]

Other condiments

Home made mango chutney esp with St Moret type spreadable cheese

Or, for refined palates only, pickled walnuts...... I can eat them like sweets..... Ducks and runs.

[newtb]

Similar to petit basque Ossau Irity.

Or quite difficult to find made by Zyrax ewe's milk cheese with chopped chilli in it. A good one makes under your tongue go numb. There's a version with cumin in, too.
There's Basque bleue, too but sometimes hard to find.
For a gooey blue brie type cheese, try Carré d'Aurillac from the Corrèze neither too strong nor salty.

Chaource comes in 2 sizes. The standard one is about 5cm high and same in diameter. There's a bigger one that you see occasionally that's about 10cm in height and diameter. So, even bigger gooey bits around the edge. Worth looking out for, perhaps on amazon.fr.

[PotteringAlong]

www.northumberlandcheese.co.uk/

I’ve had some great selections from these people!

[CherryPavlova]

The U.K. has some excellent cheeses.
Swop cheddar for Haford or a Lincolnshire poacher.
Soft cheese Tunworth, IOW or Sharphams
Devon blue is good but so is IOW.
Something else try Sage Derby, Coolea, or Golden Cenarth.
Lancashire Bomb is delicious in several flavours.

I think I probably like cheese too much! Served simply with celery crackers or Cornish buttermilk crackers. Homemade quince jelly, silverskins and a mild mustard.

[lachy]

Oh my goodness I could dive into every single cheese mentioned.

Walnuts, figs, apples and dates are fantastic with a cheeseboard and although its probably frowned upon, I like the butter with sea salt flakes, just to mix things up.

Oh and a bloody good port.

[Sophiafour]

Stilton and pear; Danish blue on digestive biscuits
Any Cheddar with apple (okay, we live quite close to the village so no matter where you look there's delicious Cheddar all round the place - as a treat we'll sometimes get one of the cave-aged Cheddars
Wyfe of Bath is kind of a cross between Cheddar and a sort of Brie taste wise, I like it
Somerset Brie and cranberry
Cheshire
Of the milder cheeses, Edam and Gorgonzola make a nice addition for those who don't like strong flavours, although Port Salut is pretty much my favourite here (first had it years ago in France); and maybe Baby Bels and Laughing Cow.
Also one of the quick teas I like is figs with a bit of balsamic vinegar, crumble a bit of goat's cheese over the top and bake in the oven for "a bit". Sorry to be so vague on timings, just until it looks like you might enjoy eating it. :D

Accompaniment wise:

Crackers, oatcakes, digestives (Hovis do little crackers shaped like loaves of bread that are slightly sweet but brilliant with cheese), water biscuits, Cornish wafers, freshly baked baguette

Celery, breadsticks, grapes...

And, of course, nice butter. Real butter, not those plastic molecules masquerading as a spread....our current favourite is a gorgeous butter made in Wales called Calon Wen which we order along with one of the box schemes.

I have now just discovered, thanks to this thread, that they also make cheese....this is my happy discovery of the day.

[PurplePansy05]

If we're going regional, I'm going to throw something Welsh into the mix - Beechwood from Snowdonia Cheese Company is absolutely delicious! Caws Cenarth Brandy & Apricot is also stunning and their Welsh classics (perl las & perl wen) are delicious as well. I love cheese too much 🤭

[briebuiltthiscity]

Tesco do an amazing cave aged goats cheese - based on your preferences think you will love it.

I really shouldn’t have read this thread - am trying to shift some lockdown weight

[nimbuscloud]

Cashel Blue, Durrus and Gubbeen - all Irish - are delicious...

[EasternDailyStress]

Port Salut or Black Bomber.

Crackers - Carrs Melts, Finn Crisp or salt and black pepper thins (think they're Jacobs?)

[Frownette]

@newtb I'm going to have to try pickled walnuts now

[PurplePansy05]

@EasternDailyStress you'd be my cheeseboard partner in crime, I love everything you've just mentioned 😁

I am totally throwing a cheeseboard next weekend after reading this thread.

[CherryPavlova]

@PurplePansy05

If we're going regional, I'm going to throw something Welsh into the mix - Beechwood from Snowdonia Cheese Company is absolutely delicious! Caws Cenarth Brandy & Apricot is also stunning and their Welsh classics (perl las & perl wen) are delicious as well. I love cheese too much 🤭

Randy and apricot sounds good for Christmastide. Do you know if it’s available online from anywhere?

[CherryPavlova]

Brandy not randy!

[PurplePansy05]

Randy brandy 😂

@CherryPavlova I usually get Caws at our local food market before Christmas. I don't think they sell the full range online, BUT I found it here:

discoverdelicious.wales/product/caws-cenarth-mature-cheese-with-apricots-and-brandy/

[BillStickersIsInnocent]

Goat’s milk Gouda is delicious - not rubbery in the slightest and a really good strong flavour.

Also love a soft white lemony goats cheese, spread on baguette.

And a crunchy cheddar with calcium lactate crystals (I think). Delicious.

[CherryPavlova]

Goats cheese isn’t cheese. It’s lumps of the smell of goats.

[whatsthebestname]

Belton Farm Red Fox
Caboc
Port Salut
M&S Cornish cruncher with Diablo chilli

[pinkgin85]

Thank you for all the lovely suggestions!

I'm not a huge fan of Brie but maybe I just havnt had the right one yet, found it a bit plain? I definitely enjoy stronger and diverse flavours!

Taking notes of the jams as I want to try one or two!

[PurBal]

Yarg. Merry Wyfe. Montgomery Chaddar. I don't eat cheese with anything except more cheese. Haha.

[Pedallleur]

Something UK. A single gloucester, gorwydd Caerphilly, a sharp cheddar like Montgomery, Keanes or Isle of Mull. Get a selection from a good cheese shop. The Courtyard Dairy is a good one. Other shops are available

[Graphista]

Hovis do little crackers shaped like loaves of bread that are slightly sweet but brilliant with cheese

Oooo yes I love those!

@Sophiafour as a butter connoisseur can I ask, I bought a block of butter to make scones and kept forgetting to use it and it's now a few weeks past the date on it (can't remember if use by or best before) do you reckon it'll still be ok to use?

Brie DEFINITELY shouldn't be plain, a decent Brie has quite a strong flavour imo

But if you like good strong cheeses Scots tend to favour this too, not just cheddar, and we do extra mature as well as mature, but also Lanark blue, Dunlop - similar to cheddar but can be more crumbly