Christmas cheese board for 40

[Bigsislookingforadvice]

Looking for ideas and suggestions please. We are attending a big family gathering on my DP side. Every family is being asked to contribute, we've been asked to do cheese board & fruit for 30-40 for post hot buffet.

I'm a plain olde cheddar and occasional borsin girl so ideas would be great. Thank you x

I'd simply go to Waitrose and buy a shitload of cheese, biscuits and chutney type stuff. Space in your fridge will be a pain though over Christmas. Did you get the short straw?

For that many people I'd want to find a specialist cheese shop (often at farm shops) so I could buy it in large pieces rather than several small of the same thing from a supermarket IYSWIM. Also they can advise you, let you taste the cheeses, you can usually buy nice crackers and chutney too. You might be able to do the same at a supermarket that has a cheese counter (Waitrose?) but not many do now.

I'd always go with cheddar, a blue, a rinded cheese (Brie type) and a couple of others, Wensleydale is traditional at Christmas.

Storage wise in the middle of winter if it's only for a couple of days I'd put it in a coldbox or bag somewhere unheated like a garage.

How foodie are they. If you are dealing with gourmands then I would visit a specialist cheese shop. But if they are any old cheese type of people then Tesco/Aldi/ Waitrose will do the job. Either way I would get something along the lines of the following and I would use pinterest for inspiration.

Couple of good cheddars , couple of soft cheeses like Delice de Bourgogne , Brie, some blue cheeses, a wensleydale, a nice favoured goats cheese, a spanish hard cheese, maybe a Mont d’or as well

I think because they don't know me so well and see my partner as less able they've given him something he can just buy and serve I guess 😂

I love cheese and fruit so you'd be providing the best bit for me!

Fruit: apples, bananas, satsumas, grapes, pears (if you can be sure they'll be just ripe but not over-ripe - achieving this is a minor miracle, in my experience!), maybe dates, figs - you could also get some prepared fruit, e.g. fingers of pineapple, mango and melon. If I was attending a Christmas buffet I'd really appreciate some fresh fruit to offset the vast amount of carbs I'd be consuming.

Cheese:
Good strong Cheddar - extra mature for me
One out of Wensleydale, Lancashire or Cheshire - in other words, a crumbly British cheese - a farmhouse version will be better than the bog standard supermarket version
Wensleydale with cranberries - the purists will hate this but I really like it once in a way, and there is so much of it about at Christmastime I have to assume I'm not alone
Maybe another novelty cheese, such as one with chives, mustard, chilli or whisky in it - again, lots of those about at Christmas
Brie or Camembert
Gruyere, Emmental, Edam or Gouda - i.e. a continental cheese that contrasts with Brie/Camembert
Something blue - I'm not keen on blue cheese but Stilton is traditional at Christmas. Dolcelatte is less strong and much creamier.

Crackers: easiest way is to buy some of the selection boxes so you get a range of shapes, flavours and textures. I love Carr's water biscuits with cheese so would always make sure I had some of those. Those little Hovis digestive biscuits are very good with Wensleydale etc. Oatcakes are essential for me too.

Chutneys - a few contrasting types would be nice.

Celery sticks? Good with blue cheese.

There are many places that sell a cheese ‘cake’. Basically cheeses stacked on top of each other like tiers on a cake. They will deliver it and you just tell them how many people it’s for (I would say a few less as it’s probably not the main dessert for everyone). That way you don’t have to think too much about it, or have to have fridge space for it! Then just buy a few selection packs of crackers.

I would go to a proper dairy or online shop and buy big portions of maybe four or five different types - so cheddar and stilton truckles, a big round of brie or camembert and then maybe a couple of local specialities. When it's set out on a table it'll look stunning, surrounded by fruit and top-end crackers...yum!

What’s your budget? Full on cheese, biscuits, fruit and all the accoutrements could be a LOT for 40!
n.b that may just be me and love of cheese!🧀🧀

if I was making it I would do 2 separate boards to make it easier for people to get to. On each one I would put a cheddar, a brie, a goat and a blue. Then add grapes and a chutney. 2 separate baskets of crackers, one by each board. low baskets work well for crackers so they don't slide off all over the place. alternatively a couple of baguettes sliced can work, but that's more of a faff on the day as they need to be fresh. then don't forget a cheese knife for each cheese and a teaspoon for the chutney. If there are any celiacs, I often do a small separate board with their own GF crackers to stop cross contamination

You can get mini backboards on sticks that you can write the names of the cheese on and the gf crackers

I would buy cheeses from a supermarket, but probably nicer versions as it's a party I also try and buy wedges that are easier to cut and serve to yourself..so not super thick

Along with the usual cheddar, Wensleydale, Red Leicester etc., I'd get some Cornish Yarg, French and Swiss cheeses, like Comte, Gruyère, Emmental, and some lovely ripe soft cheese like an unpasteurised Camambert, Delice de Bourgogne, Epoisses, Langres, blue cheese like Gorgonzola, Rochfort, Dolcelatte. Look also for some locally produced cheeses, e.g. there are some lovely Sussex speciality cheeses produced near me.

I always over cater with cheese. I know 40 people sounds a lot but presumably half will be women who probably won't eat huge amounts of cheese? That's a massive generalisation and I am a woman and a cheese-pig myself but I wouldn't go nuts

Ive used Costco in the past for whole cheeses reasonably priced.

What about this https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/party-five-tier-cheese-cake/655019-676397-676397 ? They have cheaper options as well!

I was going to say that. Cheese for 40 could run pricey!

Oh wow ! I feel like outsourcing this Christmas job to you ☺️
Thanks for all the ideas. Definitely going to do a good fruit selection - the carbs will be high over Christmas so it's balances a little.

Thank you - you are appealing to my organisation and planning head

Have they said how it is to be served? If it is a sort of buffet style go up and get some then I think one of those cheese wedding cake things would be fine, if it's to be passed around the table I think you should do 2 or 3 smaller cheeseboards, in which case you could go and get stuff from Waitrose poncy cheese section I guess.

Vacherin (small or a big wedge of a large one) is very key!
A really good Cheddar
Blue - Stichelton/Stilton/Cashel Blue my faves
plus some interesting ones, I usually go to Neals Yard and another place locally which sells french cheeses

Nit thinking of a budget as such, it is what it is - we only meet these guys twice a year and it'll be cheaper or on a par with 2 meals out that we'd pay for when we meet other times.

Just realised there are a few vegans so a few less to consider on the cheese and bit more on the fruit maybe.

Drool 😋 That description has my mouth watering for a nice bit of cheese, Jacobs mixed crackers and grapes 🧀

You can get plant based Boursin

Every overzealous cheese hound I know is a woman! I went on a pilgrimage to the Courtyard Dairy in a minibus of 15 women.

Two platters for ease of access is a great suggestion by @SeaToSki .

If there are a few vegans I'd add a vegan paté so they have something suitable. Chutney, membrillo, some pickles and the usual convention of a hard, a soft, a blue and a goats or sheeps cheese is good bet.

If you're going all fancy, Baron Bigod is pretty much the best soft cheese going. Stilton, stichilton, Harrogate Blue and Shropshire Blue are all great blue cheeses.

Thank you, I will try and get a couple of plant based options and put them on a smaller board

I'd definitely be taking boisin 😋

Unless you’re all cheese connoisseurs, you best bet is to go to a supermarket and grab a selection from their better range - the black, gold or silver labels basically.

a good selection would include a blue cheese, a cheese with fruit in eg Wensleydale with cranberries, a semi soft (eg Camembert but others are available at Christmas), a farmhouse cheddar, a red/orange cheese, a goat’s cheese then if still not enough think Mancheago which I can’t spell, grueyre still can’t spell .

i literally grab one of each myself, about £20 in Lidl

This. Measly slices of lots of different cheeses doesn’t look as good as large lumps or wheels.

as others have said - a good extra mature cheddar/hard cheese, a blue, a Brie/Camembert, perhaps a Manchego/Jarslberg

Personally I’d get two blue - one stronger like Stilton and one creamy like Montagnolo Affine.

do a massive platter interspersed w crackers, dried fruit, fresh fruit and nuts. You can make it stunning - have a look online.