Tell me about your ideal cheese board and have you ever ever made your own crackers ?

[Pollyanni]

Hoping for Friday night traffic to tell me what to take to a dinner party where I'm doing the cheese board. I normally cook so it's a real treat someone else is handling the majority of the food but I want to take some nice cheese and also make biscuits. I offered to do dessert or cheese and they asked me to go cheese. I love the Peter's yard crackers but they're ££ and I can't make cheese but I can bake so thought I'd do a cheese and nut biscuit and a rosemary cracker but all recipes welcome as I haven't done them before !
I was thinking grapes and maybe figs, celery (?) and a chutney and for cheese maybe a creamy one , a Lancashire as I'm from here and some others but a bit quirkier - hit me up with me your faves that I might be able to get at booths or the market cheese stall. Themes of flavours I can adapt to what's available. Hopefully I will find some cheese fiends among you ! Thank you 🙏

Comté tastes very like Gruyère.

Manchego or pecorino, better a truffle pecorino
Cornish Yarg
Love a Lancashire or Wendslydale or Caerphilly

Too many to choose from unfortunately

Black sticks blue yum
Soft cheese , brie /camembert
Mild one
Goats cheese
Fruity Wensleydale/ with apricot/ cranberry
I agree with pp lovely bread would be nice
Nuts
Celery
Grapes
Nice butter for crackers/ bread, the one with crunchy salt from Aldi
Aldi crackers are actually lovely, the beetroot ones look really nice and colourful on the board
People seem to like hot honey too these days, drizzled over goats cheese is lovely
Have a lovely time , much prefer cheese to pud lol.

Try some thinly cut rich fruit cake with your cheeseboard... or good shortbread?

Marking place on thread for cheese recommendations.

I once tried to make the rosemary crackers from the BBC good food site, but they were shite and would break your teeth. Then, after 3 days, they went soft and stale tasting. So don't do them.

I wouldnt mind christmas pudding with mine

A good strong cheddar, like really strong

On another matter, I hate it when people mess about with Wensleydale putting fruit in it.

No point in making your own crackers imo - too much faff when you can buy a huge variety so easily and they are not expensive.

My ideal cheese board has to include, along with all the usual suspects, gruyere and roquefort. And very fresh, crisp celery.

I really want cheese right now! Just had a recommendation of a stall in a market not too far from me so might have a drive out tomorrow. I bloody love cheese. I actually like a stick of celery between mouthfuls as a palate cleanser

I see on the BBC that hundreds of truckles of cheddar, worth £300,000 have been stolen from Neal's Yard Dairy in London. So you are obviously not the only one creating a cheeseboard @Pollyanni! 🧀🧀 🍇 🧀🧀

I have never ever ever made crackers - what do you think Aldi and M&S are for! 😂we are clearly very different. However, the rest sounds marvellous and would leave my mouth very happy.

If you're thinking of things to make @Pollyanni what about anchovy twists with puff pastry and Gentleman's Relish, or cheese straws or mini cheese scones?

I'd add a cheese with fruit as they seem popular (though I think they are an abomination!)

They are an abomination, can't imagine who they'd be popular with versus all the lovely possibilities.

@AdaColeman <dribbling >

In Yorkshire, but that sounds awesome

I was going to suggest Harrogate Blue, but I do love Blacksticks.

Make some Fröknäcke! Seed crackers gluten free. Dead easy. Don't let the mixture sit too long before spreading out.

I know you have to cater for everyone, but at the table, I'd swerve all the blue and mainline the Comte, by far my favourite. In exactly the same vein I like strong Cheddar, crumbly Lancashire and Wensleydale and Red Leicester. I can do Moody's Rosary Ash Goat Cheese too for something a bit different.

I find Membrillo rather meh and prefer a sharper chutney, or stick with grapes, celery and some home spiced nuts. I did some caramelised ones with chili at Christmas and they went down really well.

As an alternative to crackers I like a bit of date and walnut bread, or just walnut.

M&S does olive crackers which are divine. Also cheese shortbread rounds which feels a treat and is a bit different to your usual Jacob's.

Cheese choices:

The hard cheese choice: Comte

Something soft like Camembert or Brie - if you can do a couple hot, 'dress' with nuts or stud with rosemary springs/garlic.

Something blue: Stilton or Roquefort

Something very soft to spread on baguette like Boursin with garlic and herbs.

I'd do the crackers mentioned above and fresh half baguettes. Grapes, figs, apple slices, an onion chutney, a chilli relish, really nice butter.

I am actually starving now reading all this. I'm not a blue fan other than one time I had one from the Cotswolds with a friend from there and it was amazing , but others like it. I may make an easy bread or fancy cheese straws as they don't look as "effort " filled.
Might be able to manage m and s for crackers.
Really want cheese now though

I am fairly awful in the kitchen but these are really easy and surprisingly lovely, I always make a load for my Christmas cheeseboard as they are worth the small amount of effort
Https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/cheese-rosemary-biscuits

Celery is there for squeezing a length of Primula cheese in a tube along, but I'm sure that the OP isn't going to serve that.

What about some Yoredale Wensleydale? Booths might sell it as it's from Yorkshire

Odd number of cheeses. This is the most important thing.
Variety of shapes, variety of textures, variety of strengths.
I love doing a 7-cheese board. I tend to decide at the cheese shop or deli: often the people who work there will be super-helpful if you’re making up a board. You can do all-Welsh or all-Cornish if you go to a good deli (or any other region).
I serve mine with a chutney (home-made if I’m organised) and Carr’s biscuits. Or Fortnum’s Biscuits for Cheese if I have won the lottery!

These are easy and delicious:

https://simplysweetnsavory.blogspot.com/2013/07/cumin-seed-wafers.html?m=1

Digestives with sharp Cheddar.

Love doing a cheese board!

For me, I’d go:

Cheeses…
a cheddar
creamy Lancashire or garstang
some sort of blue
truffle flavoured one
charcoal flavour
goats cheese
smoked
soft- some sort of garlic roule

Accompaniments…
bread sticks
crackers
foccacia
grapes
apple slices
at least two chutneys

Actually, if you're anywhere near Settle, OP, call into The Courtyard Dairy and try a few cheeses there