Fill your Big Lunch with Cheese
This May, the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries will be marking the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla with an extended bank holiday weekend. Will you be joining your local community event, or perhaps hosting your own private party, and will you be going all out by recreating Buckingham Palace’s signature quiche for your guests? As much as I love quiche (they contain cheese, what more can I say?) I, for one, will be making things a lot simpler, by centre-piecing my table with a gloriously-regal, artisan British cheeseboard, fit for any King or Queen.
And it would seem that a lot of Brits will be doing the same, if the number of Coronation cheeses and hampers curated especially for this historic occasion is anything to go by.
King Charles’ Cheesy Recipe
It is easy to see why cheese is such a fitting ingredient to His Royal Highness’s celebrations. As a staunch advocate of sustainable farming practices and supporter of local, artisan producers, King Charles’ contribution to the British cheesemaking industry is unmistakeable. Check out his recipe for Cheesy Baked Eggs, which he shared with us during the British Cheese Weekender of 2020 to encourage the public to buy more British cheese. To honour his support, we have put together a selection of cheese boxes available from our fabulous British cheesemakers and mongers that will fit this royal occasion perfectly.
But don’t delay, order deadlines are approaching fast if you want them in time for your Big Lunch on the Coronation weekend.
Paxton & Whitfield’s Coronation Cheese Cake
A beautiful cheese cake designed to commemorate The Coronation of HM King Charles III and The Queen Consort, comprising three remarkable British artisan cheeses. Perfect to serve 15-20 people.
The bottom tier features rich and creamy Waterloo; a soft cows’ milk cheese with a white rind and deep-cream coloured paste. The second tier is limited-edition Kings Blue; a semi-soft blue cheese created by Hartington Cheese, especially for the coronation. Finally, the top tier features Paxton & Whitfield’s Smoked Ceodre; a creamy cheddar which has been naturally smoked over oak chips, giving a delicious, smoky flavour. This showstopping centrepiece perfectly celebrates the King’s coronation with the red, white and blue colours and is the perfect size to accommodate a sparkler at the top.
£60 Buy Here
Quicke’s Cheese Coronation Cheese Box
Celebrate the Coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla with a delicious selection of four red, blue and white British cheeses.
Inside Quicke’s limited edition box, you will find four stunning cheeses: Colston Bassett Dairy’s Stilton – a rich, creamy and well balanced Stilton, fondly known as the King of cheeses; Sharpham Dairy’s Camembert, which is made by hand in South Devon using the slow traditional methods, using the milk from Sharpham Dairy’s Jersey cow herd; Quicke’s very own Devonshire Red, a clothbound crumbly with fresh, nutty flavours and their Buttery Cheddar, matured for around three months to allow the subtle, smooth richness of their Devonshire milk shine through.
£33 Buy Here
The Patron’s Award Selection from Neal’s Yard Dairy
As Patron of the Specialist Cheesemakers Association, King Charles III donated The Patron’s Award, which began in 2019 and is awarded each year to a winning cheese and cheesemaker. The winner is nominated and selected by their peers. In honour of his upcoming Coronation, Neal’s Yard Dairy wanted to acknowledge the contribution King Charles has made to the British Cheesemaking industry, with this specially curated box, which includes 2019 winner Tunworth, 2021 winner Cashel Blue, and 2022 winner Ashcombe.
£33 Buy Here
Waitrose’s Royal Feasting Platter
This princely selection of some of Will Torrent’s favourite British cheeses and savoury bites from Waitrose in-store counters will look spectacular set on a large board, surrounded by fruit, celery, biscuits, pickles, Duchy meats, olives or antipasti. Slice the cheese or leave it in blocks and truckles. The cheeses Will has chosen include Cornish Yarg, Snowdonia Pickle Power, Somerset Brie, Cropwell Bishop Beauvale and Kidderton Ash. Or talk to the Partners at the cheese and deli counters and they will help you create a bespoke selection.
Prices vary Buy Here
George & Joseph Coronation Celebration Cheese Flag
The Leeds-based cheesemongers have cunningly crafted this cheese platter to resemble the iconic Union Jack flag, using three of the best “red, white and blue” British cheeses around. With approx. total of 800g of cheese, the box includes: Sparkenhoe Red Leicester – an unpasteurised cow’s milk cheese sure to add a pop of colour to your cheese board; Old Roan Wensleydale, a crumbly and creamy cheese with a rich history and Yorkshire Blue – a soft and creamy blue cheese with striking blue veining to round off this tasty trio.
£50 Buy Here
Snowdonia’s Coronation Basket
Snowdonia Cheese have created a glorious little bundle of treats: there’s Truffle Trove, an extra mature Cheddar with Black Summer truffles; Rock Star, their vintage cave-aged Cheddar; and Bouncing Berry, a mature Cheddar with bursts of real cranberries. They are presented alongside jars of Fig & Apple and Rhubarb & Gin chutney, handpicked to complement the rich flavours of the Cheddars, all presented in an attractive wicker basket, making it a perfect gift to send as well as enjoy yourself.
£30 Buy Here
The Courtyard Dairy’s Coronation Cheese Board
Cheeses from all corners of Great Britain, a selection of British charcuterie, malted barley crackers and English wine.
Includes an oozy St Sunday cheese, tangy Hafod Cheddar from Wales, the vintage Sparkenhoe red Leicester and a wedge of the powerful Scottish Lanark blue. Served with the award-winning Davenport dry white wine, outdoor-reared fennel salame and air-dried ham from Lishman’s butchers, and Yorkshire crackers.
£65 Buy Here
The Cheese Geek’s Coronation Selection
The Cheese Geek has worked closely with makers across the UK to develop their very own range of artisan cheese and brings them to you on this perfectly balanced board, enough for approx. 10 people. The cheeses represent modern interpretations of classic styles of cheese, hand-crafted by the finest British cheesemakers and include: Swift, a 9-month Gouda-style; Eastwood, a brie-style; Washington, a cider-washed rind and Hendrix, a mesmeric blue cheese. These are accompanied by British charcuterie, Fruit Cheese, piccalilli and crackers.
£59 Buy Here
The Cheese Society Coronation Celebration
Get together with friends and family to celebrate with this delicious ‘Royal’ themed cheese selection, paired with sourdough crackers and quince. The pack includes King Richard III Wensleydale: a fresh, delicate and zesty cheese with a mellow milky sweetness; Baron Bigod: the decadently unctuous, Brie de Meaux-style mould ripened cheese and Duke of Wellington: a soft, rich blue with a gentle kick.
£36 Buy Now
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Rachel Holding | Academy of Cheese Writer
Rachel loves a good cheese and wine session. Her love of all cheeses, artisanal or otherwise, has grown from her early years of working on the cheese counter at Fortnum & Mason. She has a personal mission to taste as many cheeses as possible and to encourage this passion in others.
