The Art of the Festive Cheeseboard: A Guide to Perfection
As Christmas approaches, the pressure to create a memorable cheeseboard can be as intense as the quest for the perfect turkey. For many, the cheese course is the crowning glory of the festive feast, but where to begin? We consulted leading experts from the UK's cheese scene to help you curate a selection that will delight your guests.
Selecting Your Cheeses: Quality Over Quantity
According to Bronwen Percival, technical director of Neal’s Yard Dairy, the key is to choose three or four handsome wedges rather than offering slivers of too many options. A board that requires extensive explanation can overwhelm guests. Mathew Carver, founder of Pick & Cheese, The Cheese Barge and Rind, suggests the perfect five would encompass a hard, a soft, a blue, a sheep and a goat’s cheese. On portions, Carver is generous: while the general consensus is 30-40g per person, he recommends 50-60g each at Christmas. "At Christmas you need more than you can fathomably eat," he advises.
To keep his own festive selection interesting, Carver often adopts a thematic approach, focusing on cheeses from a specific region. Last year, for instance, he served only Scottish cheeses while celebrating there.
Expert Cheese Picks for Your Board
Percival champions classic regional cheeses that deserve more attention. Her top recommendations include Stonebeck Wensleydale, which she says is incredibly creamy with a lingering flavour that will make you rethink the cheese entirely. She also praises Appleby’s Cheshire for its succulent, mineral quality and citrus brightness, perfect with salted butter and crackers. For a Christmas Eve treat, she suggests Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire with gingerbread.
Carver highlights the excellence of British sheep's milk cheese, recommending Wakebridge, made in Derby. He describes it as similar to a Lancashire or Cheddar but with a delightful sweetness.
Accessorising Your Cheeseboard
A great board is more than just cheese. Percival recommends accompaniments like plum and red onion chutney, a drizzle of good honey, or spiced poached quinces, alongside essential crackers such as sourdough or oatcakes.
Carver prefers more adventurous pairings. He suggests trying a mild goat’s cheese with rose Turkish delight, kimchi with Stilton, or a honey and roast garlic paste with a soft, bloomy-rind cheese like Brie. A simple parsnip puree also makes an excellent companion for soft cheeses.
The Great Debate: When to Serve?
The timing of the cheeseboard sparks friendly debate. Percival, who is from the US, often serves cheese before the main meal as an appetiser with something fizzy. Carver, however, is firmly in the traditional British post-dessert camp. His ideal Christmas Day involves finishing dinner around 4pm, eating chocolate for a few hours, then enjoying cheese and port around 6pm. "And then that’s Christmas Day done," he says.
Whether you serve it before, after, or as the main event, a carefully curated cheeseboard, built with quality, balance and a touch of creativity, is sure to be a festive highlight.
