What are your MUSTS for the ultimate cheeseboard?

[ducklingg]

I'm making my own cheeseboard for the first time this year and would love to get some tips and recommendations on what to buy, use and try! Different types of cheeses that are a MUST for you would be appreciated too

Um no idea, I just buy all the cheese.
One year I had 17 types for two people!
This year will be about 12, just for me.

@IHaveBrilloHair 17 😱😂 (I laugh, but deep down I know I would love that!)

what do you put on apart from cheese? I was thinking things like, salami, Parma ham, olives, grapes, gherkins and obvs crackers but can't think of much else!

Avery good cheddar, blue cheese, a soft cheese like Brie, something unusual then something stinky.

Serve with one type of cracker, celery and grapes and a good chutney. I make a simple spiced plum chutney.

I also serve butter for crackers on a cheese board.

Slice some cheese off the harder blocks ready for immediate consumption.

Got to have a camembert that is ripe enough to make its own way off the board!

Not keen on blue cheese.

A VERY strong cheddar - Lincolnshire poacher or Black Bomber for example
A smoked cheese like Applewood or the smoked version of Lincolnshire Poacher.

I want cheese now!

Depends what kind of cheese you like.

People here don’t like the ripe cheeses so we stick to cheese like chedar, gruyere, applewood smoked, and I like roule. Then I might put some fish pate on there and some charcuterie. Such as salami/Parma ham etc.

Then crackers and seedless grapes and apple wedges.

Caromalised onion chutney....

We have simple tastes:
A really strong Cheddar
A brie
A Stilton (but not for me)
A smoked one
Manchego
Something crumbly - Yarg is delicious, but I'd be happy with Cheshire or Wensleydale

Bath soft is very delicious, but I've not managed to find anywhere near us that sells it.

There has to be a good selection of crackers, sable grapes, celery, Garners pickled onions and red cabbage, red onion chutney, chilli jam

Stinky one - an epoisses. Needs triple wrapping in the fridge until ready to serve!

Oh and fresh figs, if nice ones can be found.

Black Bomber, Cornish Yarg (nettle covered), Camembert, Stilton, strong Lancashire.

Epoisses that is so runny it’s making a bid for freedom. We had one once that we had to keep in the garage it was so stinky. Heaven.

I wouldn’t know where to start.

CHEESE.

Just cheese and crackers, maybe a token grape...

A really vintage cheddar, Cornish cruncher or similar, a Stilton. Nothing with fruit. A chaorce. Roquefort, manchego, a hard goats cheese, a gruyere.

To start with....

Which crackers do you all have? I usually have Carrs' water biscuits, the little poppy and sesame seed crackers and Hovis digestives. Any other suggestions?

As no one has mentioned it.. Boursin and a fresh baguette 😋

I don't bother with meats, but I love pickles.
My absolute favourites are Mrs Elwoods haimisha pickles which I can only get on Amazon now, also pickled walnuts, Goldstar brand pickled onions and also Garners pickled onions.
Both types are needed.
McGerty's sweet chilli jelly is amazing too.

These all sound perfect. I am adding most of these to my shopping list as we speak

I may or may not be drooling...Gonna have to settle for crackers with boring cheddar tonight

Im currently pregnant, is there any cheeses I SHOULD avoid? I want them all

Camembert or Brie or both

Rocquefort
A soft sharp goats cheese
A strong cheddar
A sheep’s cheese - maybe Portuguese ?
Emmental
One further hard cheese maybe Italian - that lovely one shaped like a er football with tie around the top.
Then grapes, variety of crackers, walnuts, possibly a chutney but I’m not fond of chutney generally.
Good luck op.

Stokes chilli jam - buy it and thank me later.

If having guests then it's cheddar, oozy brie and a goat cheese.

I don't serve blue cheese because I'm allergic to it and other people tend to contaminate the other cheeses and butter by using the same knives.

Plain crackers or water biscuits, good butter.

However if I'm on my own I break out the good cheeses!!

I love a good stilton - Long Clawson is AMAZING. A brie, a nice cheddar, a smoked cheese, one with fruit - Wensleydale with Cranberries or similar. Um, what else? Oh the crackers! I tend to splash out on wanky Artisan type crackers for Christmas cheeseboards. Particular favourites are Rosemary and sea salt, and charcoal. Then I bulk it all out with some grapes, chorizo slices, etc. Always goes down very well.

I try to buy a mix of hard/medium/soft, cow/goat/sheep, at least one blue of some kind, to have a contrast of tastes and textures. Then assorted biscuits, oatcakes, grapes, dried fruit (pref apricots or figs), nuts (pref walnuts), a chutney or pickle of some kind, some quince cheese (membrillo), a dish of cornichons, and celery sticks!!

I would also say better to have bigger wedges and fewer cheeses rather than loads of smaller bits - it looks more generous.

For instance the last cheeseboard we had:
Brilliat-Savarin (soft, cow)
Ticklemore (medium, goat)
Barkham Blue (blue, cow)
Manchego (hard, sheep)

Or you can do:
Cheddar (hard, cow)
Chevre (soft, goat)
Ossau-Iraty (medium, sheep)
Stilton (blue)

You need a cheese like this.

These all sound delicious.

Do not put any form of meat on your cheese board.

Then your cheese board will be perfect.

Fabulous extras:
Pecan nuts
Those dried Christmas fig and date things
Dried cranberries scattered around
Sauternes
More cracker assortments than you can shake a stick at
Walnuts and a hammer
Ice cream

Ooh yes to cornichons. Never bought these but now I will.