What are your cheeseboard essentials?

[Rubyoffrails]

I'm doing a cheese and wine night for two friends on Friday and struggling for inspiration. So far I've got some nice Comté and a Brie. Thinking of getting olives, a sourdough loaf, grapes, celery/cucumber sticks and figs. Any recommendations for a third cheese, crackers, chutneys and other picky bits? (Just no meat please!)

Beltons red fox or a good blue stilton

Black bomber , Welsh blue (can't remember the name)

Blacksticks blue! Favourite cheese ever.

We love comté too! And Pie D’Angloise.
and love Sourdough crackers , I forget the brand but they are so crispy and good and called something or other Yard I think

I’d have a really sharp cheddar, like Cornish cruncher. And I’d also have to have a blue cheese. A bit of lovely honey is nice with cheese.

and/or a baked Camembert. And nice bread to dunk in.

I always like manchego and membrillo as an option, but if you're going for trad, don't forget a lovely goat cheese.

Walnuts
A really nice chutney from a farm shop or deli shop
Alternative pickles alongside olives (cornichons which I can't spell, pickled tiny chillies because they look pretty)

We do hard, soft, blue if doing only three cheeses. Would add a smoked and a second hard for 5 cheeses. I’m a British produce fan. As a basic: cheddar, Somerset Brie, Stilton, yarg, applewood.

I should add that I have a cheese made within yards of my front door.

Think the nice crackers are Peter's yard. They're gorgeous especially the ones with fig in

Caramelised nuts, preferable pecans. Love them with cheese.

Try to get at least one local cheese if you can. I'm from a major cheese county and we're lucky to have a fair few independent producers.
General rule is good mix of hard and soft cheeses and a blue. Quality not quantity. And good butter and crackers.

Definitely Peter's Yard, lovely!

Blue Stilton, the strongest cheddar you can find.
No dairylea 🙂

Colston Bassett Stilton, which is made a few miles up the road from me.
A rinded goat’s cheese, mature to the point of oozing across the plate.
A rich, nutty Gruyère.

To go with the cheese, I prefer simple biscuits such as Carr’s water biscuits or a freshly baked baguette & lots of butter.

If you've never tried a snippet of fresh sage on top of goats cheese on a water biscuit cracker you have no idea what a sublime combination that is! I was sceptical when my sister forced me to try it, but now I wouldn't have a cheese board without.

Really sharp pickley pickles.

Roquefort is my favourite.
Rosemary crackers are nice, too

You need a blue. Barkham Blue is the best blue I’ve ever tasted.twohootscheese.co.uk/our-cheese/barkham-blue/

can’t go wrong with a quince/membrillo paste to go with, and the Northerners on here will appreciate the addition of fruitcake!

God I love Black Bomber. I'm going to check out some of these interesting sounding blues too, I'm yet to find one that I really love.

The Isle of Wight Soft Blue was a big hit on our cheese board this weekend. Plus Black Bomber & a goat Gouda. We also had mebrillo & red onion Marmalade to go with sourdough crackers.

Fig jam.
Apple.
Butter (I hate it when there's no butter for the crackers).
Jacobs cream crackers. I like a cracker that doesn't crumble easily.
I like all cheese but I always have a Rutland Red Leicester without fail.

Get a blue cheese and a goat cheese to round it out.

agree with below, Peters' Yard crackers are a cut above

Some alternative side dishes

Cubes of Parmesan with a rocket leaf wrapped around followed by pancetta or vegetarian/vegan substitute wrapped around and all held in place with a cocktail stick.

Grilled halloumi with chillies.