— Find all the Christmas cooking inspiration you need with the Festive Feasts—
Kid in a candy store, adult approaching a cheese board – there’s a familiar visceral excitement for the flavours that lie ahead: old favourites, new discoveries. Cheese boards also have transformative powers, creating an instant sense of celebration, sparking conversations, and offering a warm welcome.
Whether it’s a casual gathering with friends or a , creating the perfect cheese board is a life skill worth mastering. To help you build a showstopper, we’ve engaged the expertise of cheese specialists the Stubb family – father , and , co-authors of – and Valérie Henbest, owner of , for their top tips.
What to put on a cheese board
A cheese board starts with quality cheese. As Will puts it, “Delicious, interesting cheese with a story.”
Fewer, well-chosen cheeses make a bigger impact than a crowded board. Valérie explains, “Three to five impressive cheeses you know the story and the provenance of are better than 12 chosen randomly to fill up space.” Sam goes further to say that “even one great cheese is better than six average ones”.
When selecting cheeses, make sure you include a diverse range, with varying milk types (cow, goat, sheep), different textures (soft, hard, creamy, crumbly), and a range of flavour intensities.
Ellie suggests including at least one crowd-pleaser, such as a “creamy, dreamy brie,” along with a couple of adventurous cheeses to introduce guests to new flavours.
“It’s all about contrast,” says Sam. “Begin with a creamy bloomy rind, move to a nutty hard cheese, add some funk in the trunk like a washed rind, and finish with a blue. As we like to say, go from mild to wild – it’s a journey for your palate.”
Credit: Lauren Bamford
Classic cheese platter ideas for pairings include:
- Fresh seasonal fruits
- Nuts (candied, toasted, smoked)
- Honey
- Fruit pastes
- Pickles and cornichons
- Good quality and/or crackers (gluten-free crackers and veggie sticks are a good to cater for gluten intolerances)
For Valérie a crunchy piece of honeycomb mixed with a decadent triple cream is ‘heaven.’ The key, she says, is to “make sure your garnishes enhance the cheese and don’t steal the show.”
For something unconventional, Sam recommends “Aged gouda with dark chocolate? Mind-blowing. Blue cheese with candied ginger? Offt. Push the boundaries – it’s where the magic happens."
How to make a Christmas cheese board
Seasonal elements can elevate a cheese board’s presentation. Will suggests using “the fruit of the season – apples and pears in autumn, berries in spring, and grapes in summer.”
Sam adds, “In spring, edible flowers like nasturtiums brighten the board. In winter, rosemary brings a cosy vibe. Feeling a bit Aussie? A sprig of eucalyptus works a treat.”
If you’re looking for Christmas cheese board ideas, try incorporating festive greenery. “I’ve been known to do centrepiece foliage like a branch of lemon tree with lemons, holly, pine needles, or native gum leaves wrapped loosely in twine. It looks and smells gorgeous,” says Ellie.
Some other ‘left-of-field for Christmas combinations from Ellie include Normandy camembert with nori, panettone with clothbound cheddar, shortbread with Gorgonzola dolce, and a ginger snap with Stilton.
Credit: Kirsten Jenkins
What is the best cheese platter to use?
Your base can set the tone for the entire cheese board. “Wooden boards are warm and rustic, slate is sleek and modern, and marble keeps things cool and elegant,” says Sam.
Valérie favours wood for its neutrality and elegance. “There’s a sense of nobility in wood... Whatever you choose, make sure the cheese is what attracts your attention, not the board.”
Ellie suggests thinking outside the box, with ceramic plates, cake stands, glass, books, tiles, marble, wicker, granite, stone or even directly only a countertop with butcher paper underneath. “Just make sure the surface is nonporous, so it doesn’t absorb cheese odours,” she advises.
And if you want to take things to the next level, you can always create your own edible cheese board a la the trending focaccia cheese board.
For cutlery, there is one hard and fast rule – one knife per cheese. “Use a thin blade for soft cheeses, a chef’s knife for hard cheeses, and a fork-tipped knife for crumbly blues. Spreader knives or small spoons work for creamy cheeses and condiments.” says Sam.
Styling a cheese board like a pro
A cheese board is a canvas for creativity. Ellie likes to follow a clockwork technique. “I create a zigzag across the board, starting at either 3 o’clock and heading to 8 o’clock, or 9 o’clock heading down to 4 o’clock. This draws the eye to each cheese,” says says, adding odd numbers work well – typically three or five cheeses.
Keep the cheeses whole, if possible, “with some suggestive cutting… guests can follow suit and feel confident.”
Valérie suggests starting with a hero cheese, like Comté or Gruyère, as the centrepiece and arranging from there. “Get a big chunk. It will keep longer than soft cheeses.” She advises placing cheeses in order of intensity, moving from milder to stronger flavours from left to right.
For extra visual intrigue, Ellie recommends grouping accompaniments by height and shape. “A baguette cut into long diagonal strips or a stacked tower of crackers can add architectural interest,” she says. Use small vessels for items like honey, chutney, or olives to introduce additional shapes and textures.
It is important to absolutely not have cheeses touching, and to leave negative space so the platter is easier for guests to navigate. “Space is your friend,” says Sam.
Tips for serving and storing cheese
Cheese should always be served at room temperature to unlock its full flavour and distinctive characteristics. Take it out of the fridge at least an hour before serving. To prevent drying, Will suggests covering cheese with a damp cloth. For very large pieces of cheese, Valérie says to serve a chunk and refresh the board as needed – “The cheese will start deteriorating if it is left in the heat for too long.” If your hard cheese starts to sweat, she recommends patting it dry with paper towel.
Credit: Lauren Bamford
So pour a glass of bubbles, and let the assembling begin. After all, as Ellie reminds us, “Creating a cheese board should be a pleasurable experience.”
