Cheese boards may not be the main important thing at Christmas tables, but with the right creation, it can be a perfect addition to any Christmas party or dinner.
With tips from a specialist cheese retailer, Slate Cheese, this is how you can go about creating a perfect Christmas cheeseboard.
Fewer cheeses - bigger pieces
Don’t be tempted to crowd the board with a dozen different cheeses. Generous pieces of three or four excellent cheeses allow your guests to focus on each one and savour them. Sometimes one outstanding cheese is just enough.
Cheese boards may not be the main important thing at Christmas tables, but with the right creation, it can be a perfect addition to any Christmas party or dinner. Picture: Supplied
Balance is the name of the game
You should aim to create a balance of flavours, textures, colours and shapes - something creamy and soft, something hard and mature, and something blue and crumbly.
How much cheese to serve
We would suggest working on the principle of 50g per person if the cheeseboard appears at the end of the meal, going up to 100g per person if the cheese is the centre-piece.
Put out only what you need
Although big pieces of cheese look impressive, to keep your cheese at its best throughout the festive season, only put out as much as you need each time.
Warming up
Take your cheese out of the fridge about an hour before you want to serve it to bring it up to room temperature. However, keep it wrapped until the last minute to prevent it from drying out. Warming them allows the cheeses to wake up, their flavours to unfold and their aromas to strengthen.
What else do you need?
After a big Christmas or New Year feast you may not need lots of biscuits and crackers but if you can’t do without them we recommend an authentic oatcake to go with blue cheese and a light cracker to go with soft cheeses.