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

@IHaveBrilloHair - how very dare you with your melting cheese situation.

Celery, pickled onions to go with the stilton, cheddar etc.
Slices of quince jelly to go with soft cheeses.
Pickled walnuts thinly sliced to go with Tallegio or similar. A drizzle of honey works perfectly with this.
Home made chutney, green tomato or pear are some of my favourites.

@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie - cornichons???? this is getting out of hand. I raise you hot bread, lashings of butter, and fresh chillies on the side for extra danger.

[quote AmandaHoldensLips]@RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie - cornichons???? this is getting out of hand. I raise you hot bread, lashings of butter, and fresh chillies on the side for extra danger.[/quote]
Not my idea. Stolen from Xia, below.

If you're giving me hot bread with lashings of butter, I can manage without anything else at all. Just me, the loaf and a tub of salted Lurpak will be fine.

A walnut and a drop of honey is the only way I can manage stilton.

Ooh, caperberries are delicious too and look good if entertaining.
I prefer unsalted butter with cheese as cheese is v salty anyway.
As for crackers, I generally buy a fancy supermarket mixed box, then some plain oatcakes, rosemary breadsticks for anything runny, and ryvita thins seeded ones.

OH isn't allowed alcohol now but before we always had port, only time in the year we did.

Depends how many you're having there but basically just go for what you like plus try and find one or two you haven't tried. Crackers, oatcakes, bit of bread and some butter. One of the better parts of Christmas.

I love a really good blue current favourite is a yellow cheese with blue vein from M&S
Soft cheese - baron bigod is a favourite
Goats cheese - soft one coated in ash
Smoked hard cheese
Weird cheese for people who dislike goat or blue

Ideal accompaniments are:
Dried apricots
Fresh figs
Salt and pepper crackers
Green apple slices
Grapes
Walnuts

If it is out as a daytime nibbles board I will add:
Meats
Salami
Cornishons
Pickled onions
Olives
Hummus
Pitta
Quiche

I’ll likely do this Xmas day as we don’t have dinner until about 4pm

If you have a local Facebook group try asking if there are any good cheese shops nearby and if there are pay one a visit and try some. Lots of good new cheeses available and a decent cheese shop will usually let you have a taste.

I think bigger pieces of fewer cheeses too.

I always have a really good cheddar, which is Dd2's favourite, then DH and I clash over the blue cheese - he likes Stilton, I prefer something softer like St Agur or Roquefort. For Christmas I'll get both.

Dd1 likes hard cheeses like gruyere, manchego, Lincolnshire poacher or Ossau-Iraty. I'll get one of those.

Then a perfect Brie, and a soft goat's cheese, and lastly something novel.

I like a mix of crackers - I usually buy the selection boxes for Christmas - and crusty baguette, and maybe some fruitcake.

A couple of chutneys - something fruity and tangy, maybe apple and pear chutney, and something a bit sharper, like piccalilli.

Balsamic pickled onions, really good olives, cornichons. DH swears by pickled cauliflower.
Perfectly ripe pears if I can get them, and black grapes.

I like to serve pate at the same time, as an alternative to cheese.

Alongside the cheese, I usually serve celery, grapes, slices of pear, walnuts, some dried apricots, quince jelly and a piece of proper honeycomb.

Butter on the table, plus a variety of biscuits of different densities.

No meat or pickle-y things; it's not an antipasto platter.

Everything already mentioned cheese wise, plus cambozola.
Not fussed about having meat on my cheese board, but some nice chutney and pate is good.

I had some m and s balsamic onion cheese last night. Was fab.

We had the cheddar and chorizo cheese bake from Aldi last night with fresh bread and lurpak to dip. It was delicious!!

Jarlsberg is actually a big favourite of mine even though I'm generally a fan of blue/soft/mature/ stinky cheese, but I love the slightly sweet flavour.
It is brilliant with salty meat, but not for a cheeseboard.

Stilton
St Agur
Blacksticks blue
Wednesleydale and cranberries
Strong cheddar
Water biscuits, or Morrisons the best cracker selection.

Can't wait for Christmas!

Fruitcake or mince pies with Wensleydale is amazing too.
Plain Wensleydale, not that horror with bits in it.

I have ordered from the cheese society
Delice de Bourgogne
Gorgonzola Dolce DOP
Quickes Extra Mature Cheddar
Lincolnshire Red
Comte AOC

I’ll buy a Brie de Meux from waitrose in my Christmas shop but I also might get a Stilton.

It's my birthday tomorrow and as a treat to myself I went out today and bought this lot. I am eating nothing else all weekend! I also have a Stilton and a red Fox in the fridge and a chipotle honey I'm dying to try. I imagine my Christmas board will be similar.

cheeeeeeeesseee
Good red wine and or port
Blue cheese - for me a decent yellow blue (Stilton type cheese) AND a creamy blue St. Agur type .
Digestives as perfect (IMO) with blue cheese
Really good cheddar - Aldi "specially selected " West Country Vintage which is amazing.
Brie / Camembert
Y Fenni - mustard cheese (can then use on cheese on toast)
Chilli cheese - hotter the better
The cheddar with onions and a green rind (can't remember the name)

Different crackers- I like Cornish and butter puffs but water biscuits are also popular!
Caramelised onion marmalade
Grapes

Loves a cheese board !

Oh wow, that looks delicious.

@HotPatootiebootie

It's my birthday tomorrow and as a treat to myself I went out today and bought this lot. I am eating nothing else all weekend! I also have a Stilton and a red Fox in the fridge and a chipotle honey I'm dying to try. I imagine my Christmas board will be similar.

See you in a cheese coma on Monday. Enjoy and happy birthday!

For a wide variety of both cheeses and pickles have a look at Dorset Meat Company.
Obv they’re meat first, but I bought 2 lovely cheeses (Dorset Brie and Brillat-Savarin) with my last meat order, & have added several more, plus pickles etc, for Christmas.
(We have Booths here, which is great for cheese, but I’m always overfaced by a huge counterful. It’s nicer to scroll through & read the descriptions )

www.thedorsetmeatcompany.co.uk/product-category/cheesemonger/

My latest thing is a fig/almond wheel
And chutney- various
And quince jelly
And honey
And these crackers www.finecheese.co.uk/toast-for-cheese-set-of-4?utm_source=google_shopping&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIz-C8spG17QIVWODtCh3Cng1hEAQYASABEgLWa_D_BwE

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/food/article-9018793/Which-reveals-formula-perfect-cheeseboard.html