Christmas Cheese

[nancybotwinbloom]

I am taking a cheese board to my parents for Christmas, they are my bubble.

What do you recommend.

I'm going with nothing is too much.

So far I have

Boursin - my fave
Red Leicester
Normal mature white cheddar
Brie
Camembert

I'm taking truffle honey, onion chutney, chilli jam and grapes. Any other suggestions welcome!

I really want to add some French naturally gooey cheese but I don't know the names of any. Just that I've had them in restaurants and really liked them.

What do you recommend?

Nothing blue please no of us like this.

British/Irish only. Neal's Yard or La Fromagerie

Just go with what you all like I say. Maybe go to a deli and get small quantities of something a bit novel to try.

Caws Teifi a Welsh cheese with seaweed. It's proper lush.
Cornish yarg, wrapped in nettles
Stinking bishop, washed in perry of the same name.
Hard goats cheese, it has a more gentle flavour than soft
red windsor, marbled with red wine,
Sage derby, Derbyshire cheese with sage.

Brillat Savarin
Vallages

Both from Waitrose.

Black Bomber
I like Boursin with black pepper - leave it out if the fridge for at least half an hour before eating. Do that with all cheese, it makes a big difference.

I second cornish crunchers, although I usually cook with it as it makes everything taste divine.
For cheddar I'd go Godminster, and the oak smoked Godminster is even better. The Snowdonia company (of Black Bomber fame) do a lovely beechwood smoked cheese. Castillo do a chilli brie, or just the regular is lovely. Comte is another favourite. I've also used the cheese shed a couple of times and particularly recommend sharpham savour with cumin seeds, sharpham elmhirst, Devon smoak, and the smoked brie.
I'm a bit biased towards smoked cheeses, but you probably couldn't tell

Chaorce is lovely - leave it out a little while to go properly runny - and Cornish Yarg is divine!

I haven't read every post so apologies if this has already been covered but have you tried Applewood smoked cheddar?

Soo delicious and a bit more interesting than a standard every day cheddar.

Gah I've just read more and seen that Applewood has already been suggested, it's worth another mention though!

And I would second the rosemary crackers.

Also, how about a balsamic glaze like this?: www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/waitrose-glaze-balsamic-vinegar/052395-26115-26116

I am very excited about your cheese board if you can't tell.

Epoisses is my fave runny cheese.
Fresh figs and apples are good on boards and I prefer them to grapes and celery, but they're good too.

Godminster

Smoked godminster

Best cheeses known to man.

My husband also always has a Wensleydale with cranberries.

We usually get a Boursin and a soft goats.

Don't get applewood. It's smoke flavoured not really smoked.

Honestly get the smoked godminster. It's amazing.

You need some of that lovely quince jelly stuff.

I don't really give a toss about Turkey or Christmas dinner. Christmas for me is all about the cheese. Christmas could just be one big cheese feast for the whole month of December.

Camembert, Stilton, goats cheese? Wensleydale with cranberries is my DD's fav

I'm with @OrangeIsTheNewTwat a triple crème is a true indulgence that I can only justify really at Christmas. Love both Delice de Bourgogne and Delice des Crémiers.

Also like a lovely mild and creamy goats cheese like Capricorn.

Baron Bigod is a brie-but-better cheese, but it's local to Suffolk so I don't know how available it is nationally.

If you get a camembert I would recommend getting something like Le Rustique as they actually ripen theirs for long enough so it's liquidy all the way through.

Love black bomber as a cheddar or their cheese with whisky is one of my total favourites, it's called Amber Mist. <a class="break-all" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.snowdoniacheese.co.uk/product/amber-mist/&ved=2ahUKEwijss3D2Z_tAhWJX8AKHVxvB2wQFjAAegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw2ci-7VRhLL_Xh1hbUGcDw2" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=www.snowdoniacheese.co.uk/product/amber-mist/&ved=2ahUKEwijss3D2Z_tAhWJX8AKHVxvB2wQFjAAegQIARAB&usg=AOvVaw2ci-7VRhLL_Xh1hbUGcDw2

I love a blue but I like mine the stronger the better so I will hold off on suggestions there.

Maybe a Comte would be a nice mountain cheese to add to the collection: complex and nutty and delicious.

I think my cheeseboard would be:

Amber mist
Baron Bigod
Delice de something
Comte
Capricorn
And then either something smoked (which I'm not a fan of, but dad loves a smoked applewood) or something blue (or both!)