Creating the cheeseboard at Christmas is one of the highest accreditations on the Christmas Dinner preparation honours. If you are asked to do so, you are the lucky one.
Emma Young, @thecheeseexplorer, has kindly created the perfect festive cheeseboard for us, using our delicious St Helen’s Farm mature and mild cheese and suggesting complimentary cheeses and accompaniments.
Emma says: “Knowing what to put on the cheeseboard can seem like a chore, however as life has taught us over the past few years especially, we need not take ourselves too seriously and we must enjoy life’s pleasures, like cheese.
When constructing a cheeseboard there are rules you can abide by to give structure, however it is a great thing to mix these up and think outside the box to give variety.
For texture, flavour, complexity, and visual variety it is common to go for a ‘Hard, Soft, Blue’ trifecta with the classic board being a Cheddar, Brie & a Stilton in the UK. This is a good starting point, however instead of a cow’s milk Cheddar, why not try a goat’s milk Cheddar style this year? The mild and mature hard goat’s cheeses from St Helen’s Farm are a fabulous alternative in this ‘hard’ category, giving flavours of sweet milk & refined acidity in a creamy, accessible package.
Instead of a Brie, why not try a different soft cheese like a French Époisses to give both a little funk in flavour and a bright orange, aesthetic addition to a board.
One of my favourite atypical cheeseboard cheeses this year for Christmas is Graceburn, a marinated soft cheese which you can serve in a ramekin for yet another point of difference. You don’t have to steer away from the classics, mind. Add a Brie and a Stilton and you have a perfect board. Lace this with your favourite crackers, chutneys, nuts and charcuterie and you are ready!”
Thanks Emma, looks and sounds delicious, we can’t wait to try it!