Your perfect cheese board

[takethattime]

So, I am doing the cheese board course in the evening for 8 people in the evening. After they've all spent the day in their own homes etc.

Can I ask what your favourites are?

Obviously cheese and I will add crackers, grapes and some onion marmalade but what else? I'll also serve port.

Something for non drinkers like mulled apple juice. Does everyone eat everything or do they have good intolerances. Out of that list I could only eat crackers if I don't want to spend the next day in agony. I can tolerate small amounts of goats and sheep cheeses.

Yum - I would add some figs and walnuts.

All the window dressing is irrelevant, the only thing that matters is the quality and variety of cheese and crackers.

Some cured meats

Strathdon Blue
Camembert
Arran smoked cheddar
Skinny Crowdie
Cornish Yarg
Stinking Bishop for the novelty

With Chilli jam, quince jelly, oatcakes or charcoal damsels

I love cheese. Enjoy it!

@BaconMassive

All the window dressing is irrelevant, the only thing that matters is the quality and variety of cheese and crackers.

Thank you. Yes. We have an independent cheese shop in town so I will be going to them I think.

Celery sticks
Grapes
Cranberry sauce (especially if you're serving Brie)
Walnut halves
Really good chutney (Rick Stein does a spicy apple and walnut one)
Mango chutney (also fab with Brie and a gutsy cheddar)

I'd source some really good local cheeses, goats and sheep milk as well as cows. I usually choose Cornish Blue, St Endellion brie, very mature Davidstow cheddar for the cows milk ones. I'll see what is in the local delis for the goat and sheep ones. Making me feel hungry already....

I love a cheese board.....cheeses 3 good ones min (one chedder, one other hard, and one blue)....ideally also a soft cheese, a french cheese, a spanish cheese and some dolcelatte....
Also a selection of chutney - one spicy, one oniony, one fruity.
If you are going posh - quince jelly, those hard fig cakes, pickled pears.
Really nice crackers - a mix of oat cakes, crackers, thin ones and including my favourite Millers Toast - any variety.

A nice glass of red wine. (I do like port but can't drink too much of it.)

@BaconMassive

All the window dressing is irrelevant, the only thing that matters is the quality and variety of cheese and crackers.

No - the window dressing is what makes a good set of cheeses into a great cheese board......serve me the best hard cheese and blue cheese - but if the only thing to eat it on is a jacobs cream cracker then I wouldn't be happy. The joy of the cheese board is the pick and mix quality of it. Trying the cheese with each of the chutneys, on this cracker or this one. Just goes to show we are all different.

Wensleydale.
I would be without Wensleydale.

This is a really good idea! Could you add some little pickled onions, maybe some warm baguettes or one of those baked Camemberts with bread round the outside for baking at home.
Definitely agree with pp re really good quality everything. This is such a nice way to spend Christmas without having to cater for loads of people for lunch.

Baron brigod for my soft white.
Kick ass cheddar.
Black sticks blue.
Wensleydale with fig.
A nice sweet sheeps cheese possibly.
Stilton.
A herby smooth spreadable.

Some cured meats. Sopressata, prosciutto, chorizo.

Olives, grapes, pickled walnuts, fresh figs.

Excellent quality crackers,3-5 types. I like a plain cream, a salt and pepper, seeded, wholewheat and a digestive or thin.

Some chutney, chipotle spiced honey, aioli spread.

I absolutely love cheese all year round but at Christmas is extra awesome. I eat about 4lb of cheese on my own in December. I also love an amazing baking cambert with lots of denials bread and things to dip.

Nuts, red grapes, chutneys, pickled walnuts seem too go down well (I’m not a fan personally!) and other pickled items. I once put on out baguette as I had one expecting it wouldn’t get eaten but it was gobbled up first 🤷🏼‍♀️

If you’re getting a cheddar I really recommend Godminster.

I’m sure your cheese shop will have some lovely things that the people working there could recommend 😊

Some amazing ideas. Thank you everyone.

@SandysMam

This is a really good idea! Could you add some little pickled onions, maybe some warm baguettes or one of those baked Camemberts with bread round the outside for baking at home. Definitely agree with pp re really good quality everything. This is such a nice way to spend Christmas without having to cater for loads of people for lunch.

Yessss, how could I forget! A garlic and rosemary baked Camembert. Delicious!

You need
Stilton
Brie
Baked Camembert
Crumbly cheddar
Smoked Austrian
Boursin type garlic cheese
Wensleydale

Oatcakes nuts and fruit- satsumas figs apples
Stilton Brie and ragstone

I love cheese. Perfect cheeseboard (for me) would be Stinking Bishop or a similar washed rind cheese, maybe Epoisses? An aged Gruyere, Brie de Meaux, a good Stilton, strong Cheddar and either a crumbly Lancashire, or Wensleydale.

Truffle honey is wonderful drizzled over most cheeses, but especially blue ones. Pickled walnuts. Mini cornichons. Sliced apples, red grapes. Not too bothered about the crackers!

Emmental
Double Gloucester and Chive
Wensleydale with apricot or cranberry
Extra Mature Cheddar of Cornish Cracker
Roule
Salted butter
Salt flakes
Green apples (sharper the better)
Red apples (sweeter the better)
Cheese oatcakes
Cream crackers
Salt and pepper crackers
Herbed Crispbread
Duck and orange pâté
Smoked trout pate
Smoked salmon
Prosciutto
Lemon wedges
Orange wedges
Red grapes
Capers
Garlic and Rosemary olives (green)
Pickled silver skin onions
Red onion chutney
Washed down with sparkling water for me, wine for anyone who wants it though or port

Large pieces of a few cheeses rather than small bits of lots:

One hard cow's cheese e.g. unpasteurised cheddar or gorwydd Caerphilly
One soft and gooey: e.g. vacherin
One blue
One goat
One sheep

fig and spelt crackers
water biscuits
bread

grapes
celery
good chutney
butter

other fruit- e.g. satsumas
Turkish delight
baklava

Also even though I don't eat either, there should be some Brie and something blue

A bottle of port.

Some fruit cheeses – a quince one and maybe damson or plum?

And personally I love cornichons. And how about, are they called banderillas? A stick with an olive, gherkin, chunk of pepper, cocktail onion and a mildish chilli pepper.

Sorry, missed that port was already on the menu. In that case add in a nice fino Sherry. Served cold.