Cheese board ....... What's your favourite?

[iwantavuvezela]

I am providing a cheese board as part of Christmas lunch at friends. I would like to put together a wonderful feast of cheese as someone else is cooking and hosting.

Can you tell me your must have's or recommendations.
I will source cheese from an independent or local grocer, but would love to be armed with a list

A lovely squishy stilton

Always love a gooey brie

Comte is very nice

Jarlsberg and Port Salut always disappear in this house.

I know most people find cheese with fruit in horrible (and normally I agree!) but I think Wensleydale with either ginger or apricot is nice and a bit festive.

Local cheese? How about a hard goats or sheeps cheese?

Really old gouda - can get in Sainsbury's now. I've not seen it elsewhere in the UK.

Very flavoursome cheddar (very old, tangy and crumbly).

Got to have Bath Oliver's and real butter as well! We also serve it with grapes and a cranberry relish.

Caws Cenarth Perl Las
Pantmawr Caws Preseli
Pant-ysgawn
Caws Eryri Little Black Bomber

I also like Drewi Sant (made by Pantmawr, like Caws Preseli) but it is very strong!

Definitely Stilton. La Cave a Fromage (Covent Garden or Hove) do a Stilton that's been steeped in port for 3 days, and is wonderful! Also an aged Gruyere or Emmental, a ripe Camembert, a sharp Cheddar or Double Gloucester, something tangy and crumbly like Feta or Cheshire or Caerphilly, and something creamy and mild for people who don't really 'get' cheese. If I could get hold of any, I'd also add some Stinking Bishop and a Lancashire Bomb, but I'm a bit of a cheese nut :)

Ideally, serve with sweet apples and sharp apples, red and white grapes, and quince jelly. Heaven.

Id'd go for a nice ripe brie and a Camembert, plus a soft gooey cheese (Dh likes goaty ones, yuck...I'd go for a herby and soft cows milk cheese)

A couple of blues - stilton and a cambezola or maybe roquefort.

A nice semi-hard cheese like Port Salut.

A couple of hard cheeses. I like a strong cheddar and maybe an emmental.

I think Christmas cheese boards are the time to experiment with funky cheeses, personally . DH likes the cranberry wensleydale (hmmmm) but I love cheddar with caramelised onion and smoked cheddar (cheese snobs will hate that, but its SO good with smoked oat biscuits and a bit of apple and/or chutney)

Stinking bishop
A smoked cheese
A Brie so ripe it can walk to your plate!

My favourite is Wenlseydale with orange and champagne. Tastes gorgeous and has a lovely bubbly texture to it.

Hate mouldy cheese . Also dislike goats cheese.

We have:
White Stilton with apricot and port
Mature cheddar
Red Leicester
Cranberry Wensleydale
Edam
Boursin

I love a small amount of goat's cheese, a good big lump of vintage mature cheddar, a Somerset brie and some gouda. Tintern (has herbs) and a couple of local interest options also worth going for too. Must have fresh fruit (grapes, apples, figs if you can get them) and a rustic chutney as well.

A good smokey cheddar

Tasty Lancashire, Stilton.

I'd rather have three really nice hunks, than lots of bits. Personally I like a really strong, glassy vintage Cheddar, a brie, and maybe some Gouda.

Don't forget to cater for me those people who don't like squishy cheeses. I love a bit of Lincolnshire Poacher, and something like a Wensleydale or a Lancashire.

At a friend's for dinner last night and she put out a smoked sheep's milk cheese, taleggio, dolcelatte, garlic Yarg, Cornish blue, gruyere, comte, and smoked cheddar. Something for everyone :) I like them all ...

Thanks everyone,great suggestions .....

I adore Wensleydale

Applewood, stilton, Brie, a strong cheddar, Boursin, baxters cranberry and caramelised onion chutney (plus a couple of others) some crackers or lovely fresh bread and I'm anyone's quite frankly.

My favourite cheesists are:

www.wensleydale.co.uk/

and

northumberlandcheese.co.uk/

I'd go for Stilton, a crumbly cheese like Wensleydale or Lancashire, a good ripe brie and a nice strong cheddar.

Though I'd be happy enough with anything. I adore cheese.

Vignotte instead of Brie...much nicer
Cornish Yarg is lovely
Stilton of course
I don't do goats so maybe smoked Wensleydale
I quite like Bowland as a sweet alternative

It's too easy to get bogged down in what people would like, what is decent etc. Equally you want to put in enough effort that it's obvious you didn't just grab a generic pack from Asda on Christmas Eve
In your shoes I would choose 4-5 good lumps but also buy a selection of crackers (Lidl posh ones are amazing) some grapes and apples and a couple jars of chutney. That way you can display it nicely as well

Mmmmm. This is complete food porn.

We're having

Cropwell Bishop Stilton
Lincolnshire Poacher
Quickes smoked cheddar
Gouda
Brie
Epoisses (my absolute favourite but very stinky)
Wensleydale
A Boursin type roule

Grapes
Celery
Quince paste
Apple chutney
Caremelised onion chutney
Lots of biscuits and some slices of baguette

I bloody love cheese!

For a cheddar, tickler or barbers cruncher