Whether you are hosting a casual drinks night, an extravagant dinner party, or simply bringing a dish to picnic with friends, a well-curated cheeseboard is sure to tantalise everyone’s palate.
Crafting the ultimate cheeseboard for your next get-together has never been simpler with our comprehensive guide to the cheeses to include, how to make it look great and the best drinks to accompany it – ensuring you make an impression and provide a delectable experience for your guests.
Which cheeses to feature
When it comes to creating the perfect cheeseboard, remember the rule of three. You should feature at least one hard, one soft, and one blue cheese. This ensures a variety of textures and flavours to cater for a diverse range of palettes.
Hard cheeses, such as Parmesan, Gouda, Cheddar, and Gruyère, are essential for their robust textures and rich flavours. Ranging from rubbery to crumbly, hard cheeses provide substantial bite, and their firmness allows them to act as edible plates for other accompaniments on the board. Consider using aged versions of your cheeses to add complexity to your cheeseboard.
Soft cheeses like Brie, Camembert, Mozzarella, and Burrata are crowd-pleasers with their mild flavours and creamy textures. Ideal for spreading on crackers or bread, these cheeses blend beautifully with nuts and chutneys, offering a plethora of savoury combinations to experiment with.
Though not universally popular, blue cheeses, such as Stilton, Roquefort, Gorgonzola, and Danablu are savoury treats for cheese connoisseurs. Tangy and sharp, with various textures, they make an intriguing addition to the board, especially when paired with honey and dried fruits.
While cheese from each type forms the heart of your cheeseboard, you don’t have to stick to just three. Consider incorporating other cheeses, such as goat’s, feta or Havarti. A great cheeseboard should offer a variety of flavours and textures, ensuring there’s something for everyone to enjoy.
Cheeseboard ideas – accompaniments
Beyond the cheeses, adorn your cheeseboard with various accompaniments to help elevate the taste experience.
Crackers, toasted baguette slices, and seasoned crisps add a delightful crunch. Fruits, from fresh grapes and blackberries to dried apricots and figs, add colour and sweet accents that balance the savoury cheeses. Drizzles of honey and sprinkles of herbs like thyme, fennel, lavender, or oregano, as well as chutneys, olives, and pickles, further enrich the flavour profile. Popular nuts such as walnuts, almonds and pecans pair well with most cheeses, so add a few of each to your platter.
How to serve your cheeseboard
How you serve your cheeseboard matter, too – requiring a mix of aesthetics and practicality.
Use a large flat board, slate, or platter for an appealing presentation and easy access. Remember to take the cheeses out of the fridge half an hour before serving to reach the ideal tasting temperature.
To create a visually striking arrangement, segment your board into sections for each cheese type, making it easier for guests to locate their preferred cheeses. Fill the gaps with suitable accompaniments — fruits with blue cheeses, honey and jams with hard cheeses, and nuts and herby crackers with soft cheeses. Leave soft and blue cheeses whole or in large chunks to prevent them from spreading, while pre-cutting some pieces of hard cheeses.
Wine and cheese – the perfect partner
Wine is the perfect partner to cheese – and pairing the right wine with your cheeseboard can help enhance the flavours. When it comes to red wines, you can choose from both full-bodied and light-bodied wines. Remember to pair like with like – so, heavy with heavy, light with light. For example, a bold Shiraz complements robust cheeses like Gouda, whereas a delicate Cabernet Sauvignon pairs excellently with lighter cheeses like goat cheese.
White wines, too, are excellent cheese pairings. A dry, light Chardonnay goes well with mild, soft cheeses like Mozzarella, and a less-known variety, Semillon, pairs perfectly with big-flavoured, creamy cheeses like Manchego, Camembert, and Double Gloucester.
You may be interested in…
Best-selling cheeseboards
Stuck for inspiration when it comes to serving your cheese? Check out our list of best-selling platters and boards.
- WHY NOT CHOOSE OUR LUXURIOUS CHEESE BOARDS AS THE GIFT FOR YOUR LOVED ONE？ Whoever he or she is, maybe your Loved ones Mom, Dad, Grandparents, Wife, Son, Daughter, Boyfriend or Girlfriend, the...
- PREMIUM CRAFTSMANSHIP: The craft of quality, style and practical design are standards in all our cheese boards, so each charcuterie board is using bamboo which is durable to use; Also elegant bamboo...
- DURABLE & MULTIPURPOSE: With this , TONIGHT! you can host the Most Breath-Taking Cheese-Tasting Nights! Using it to serve cheese, appetizers, fruit, delicious meat ,Sushi and other snacks is truly...
- 𝐀𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐅𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍 – The CUQOO Cheese Board Set enhances your wine and cheese party experience with...
- 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐅𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐒𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐅𝐓 – This cheeseboard gift set is an ideal gift for any cheese connoisseur. The cheeseboard gift set includes a...
- 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐔𝐌 𝐐𝐔𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘 𝐁𝐀𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐎 – Crafted entirely from premium quality bamboo the CUQOO Cheese Board is exceptionally solid and durable. Bamboo's...
- PREMIUM BAMBOO BOARD: Crafted from bamboo, this cheese serving platter's nonporous structure will absorb less food's liquid and odour, so the flavour will not be mixed while you use it. The cheese...
- VERSATILE SERVING PLATTER: Measures 40.5 x 25.5 cm, this charcuterie platter has ample surface area to serve your guests a variety of cheeses, hams, nuts, fruits, and charcuterie. The unique design...
- BUILT-IN DRAWER FOR CUTLERY: Our cheese board comes equipped with a slide-out drawer, allowing you to conveniently store and access the stainless steel knives included in the set. Make full use of the...
- Add elegance to your entertaining with this beautiful bamboo Cheese Board with knives set. Designed with premium craftsmanship and attention to detail, this cheese board set is perfect for serving...
- This Cheese Board Set includes a cheese board, stainless steel cheese knives, and a cheese serving guide. The board measures 13.3 x 13.3 x 1.4 inches and features a sleek and smooth surface that can...
- The set comes with 4 stainless steel cheese knives, each designed for different cheese types, and all housed in a drawer that slides seamlessly. These knives are perfect for slicing, dicing, and...
- 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐓𝐄 𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐄𝐒𝐄 𝐁𝐎𝐀𝐑𝐃 𝐒𝐄𝐓: The cheeseboard and knife set offers the complete serving solution. The charcuterie board set includes 2...
- 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐌𝐈𝐔𝐌 𝐂𝐑𝐀𝐅𝐓𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐏: Our bamboo cheese board and knife set is made from sustainable bamboo wood. The knives and fork feature wooden...
- 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐆𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐘𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐇 𝐒𝐄𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐍𝐆: The generously sized cheese serving board accommodates a variety of...
- This acacia cutting board with Grip Handles is good for Meat and Vegetable, fruits, olives, breads, appetize and for every food prep.
- Its simple to carry the board whereas you’re putt the sliced ingredients within the cookery pot. This ensures that your counter-tops stay clean and tidy.
- Cutting boards for kitchen are made of 100% hard acacia wood which is known for being sturdy, much more durable than bamboo and healthier than plastic.
Last update on 2024-03-29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
This article may include affiliate links to products and services where we may receive a small fee to support the running of this site if you make a purchase or is a sponsored article from one of our select editorial partners providing valuable advice and information to our readers.
