How To Build The Perfect Cheeseboard
Amidst the general mayhem and challenging logistics of getting Christmas dinner on the table, a cheeseboard stands out as beacon of no-stress simplicity. It’s the same logic that has seen grazing boards and grazing tables triumph as one of the biggest food trends for occasions ranging from cosy girls-nights in and no-cook dinner parties to weddings, company celebrations and more. However there is an art to composing the perfect cheeseboard – not just in terms of balancing flavours, textures and regions, but also in terms of maximising the sensory experience whilst minimising waste.
It’s estimated a shocking 2 million kilos of cheese ends up in the bin after Christmas. Research by Borough Market shows the average seasonal platter will be heaving with up to 5 seasonal cheeses, but 1/3 of respondents admitted there was always an entire cheese left over that no one likes, and many admitted they didn’t know how long cheese could be kept once opened, or what to do with leftovers.
To help you achieve that wow moment and minimise waste this Christmas, we’ve pulled together some top tips on building the perfect cheeseboard, and bringing you a fantastic zero-waste recipe for Cheeseboard Remnants Rarebit!
How to build the perfect cheeseboard
There are no rules!
Make sure you taste before you buy and choose the cheeses you enjoy the most rather than feeling obliged to serve traditional varieties if these aren’t what you fancy. If you buy cheese that tastes amazing to you, you’re far less likely to waste it, and guests will appreciate smaller portions of really good cheese rather than huge wedges of generic, uninspiring cheese.
Support British Cheesemakers
The British Isles produces over 700 varieties of delicious, diverse cheeses ranging from Lincolnshire Poacher to Cropwell Bishop Stilton, Britain’s own Brie in the form of Baron Bigod from Suffolk, to Sinodun Hill, a goats milk cheese from Oxfordshire and Appleby’s Cheshire cheese from the heart of rural Shropshire. However, the UK farmhouse cheese industry has faced its biggest challenges in recent years, with the Covid-19 pandemic forcing many small cheesemakers out of business. Christmas is a brilliant time to support these local cheesemakers whilst bringing some of the best-tasting native varieties to your table. Concerned about cost? Have a conversation with your cheesemonger about what they have available, including any odd-shaped pieces or shorter-dated pieces they can offer at a discounted price!
Variety is King
Whilst there are no rules, including a variety of contrasting cheeses from different families will tantalise and satisfy your tastebuds without having to go overboard on quantity. Select an Aged, Soft, Firm and Blue cheese to maximise the sensory experience.
Temperature Matters
Take cheese out of the fridge at least an hour before serving, allowing it to come to room temperature where the flavour notes are expressed best and you can enjoy the textures at their best. By contrast, wrapping individual cheeses well and storing in the fridge will extend their life and prevent aromas mingling so this is best practice when you’re not serving them.
All About The Accompaniments
Elevate your cheeseboard with delicious accompaniments which could include crackers, crispbreads, or crusty bread (a slightly stale loaf makes excellent crostini), great butter, chutneys (sweet, spicy, tangy flavours all work), honey, dried or fresh fruit and nuts. Serve modest quantities and offer to replenish rather than overfilling your board and risking leftovers that will be difficult to repurpose.
Dig in!
Encourage guests to enjoy heartily and positively invite people to finish off your cheese. There is a peculiar etiquette that makes people feel they ought not to have the last piece, but you can expressly communicate that you want to see it enjoyed. You can offer for guests to take home leftovers in manageable quantities, whilst also having a plan of how to store and use remaining cheese.
Recipe: Cheeseboard Remnants Rarebit
A deliciously luxurious way to use up leftover scraps and chunks of cheese from that Christmas cheeseboard. It is the ultimate comforting weeknight supper on those days between Christmas and New Year but also makes a spectacular cheese course to serve at the end of a New Year’s Eve dinner, or as a late night offering whilst you countdown to midnight, that will impress guests whilst using up what’s left!
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 Slices Sourdough; thickly cut
20g Butter
20g Plain Flour
100ml Whole Milk or Ale
300-400g Cheese; whatever is left on your cheeseboard or in your fridge, grated or crumbled
2-3tsp Mustard; English, Dijon or wholegrain
1tsp Worcestershire Sauce
Salt
Pepper
Method:
1. In a small saucepan heat the ale or milk over a gentle heat until steaming.
2. In a separate pan, melt the butter over a medium heat and then add in the flour. Stir for 2 minutes, until the flour is ‘cooked out’.
3. To the butter & flour roux, add in the heated liquid a little bit at a time. Whisking all the time to avoid lumps.
4. Once all of the liquid is added, add in the cheese and stir until mostly melted but chunky.
5. Season with the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt & pepper to taste.
6. Meanwhile, turn on and heat up the grill and toast both sides of your bread.
7. Lay the bread on a baking sheet and top each one with the rarebit sauce mix, place under the grill for approx. 2 minutes or until bubbling and golden on top.
8. Serve with chutney, fig jams, or whatever you have and love in your fridge!
