Christmas is the perfect time for gathering family together (usually) and serving a wonderful cheese board packed with the very best flavours. If you’re stuck for ideas, we’ve asked some of our Cheese aficionados to give us there Christmas cheeseboards ideas.
Marcus Brigstock’s Christmas Cheese Board
Marcus Brigstock is a British comedian of the highest calibre, and a major cheese aficionado. He has even been a judge at the World Cheese Awards in 2019 at Bergamo, Italy. We asked him what will be on his Cheese Board this Christmas.
Mercifully British Cheese is exceptional and I like supporting our own farmers at the end of what has been difficult year.
Marcus choices
“My Christmas cheeseboard will be dependent on what can be got at the moment… Mercifully British Cheese is exceptional and I like supporting our own farmers at the end of what has been difficult year.
It’ll have a Stilton (obviously) – I like Colston Basset best. My wife is from Leicester so instead of a Cheddar (I’m a West Country boy so trust me this is true love) I’ll be hunting down a large wedge of aged Sparkenhoe. To be honest the chances of me slipping a Quickes vintage in are pretty high.
A Cheeseboard at Christmas wouldn’t be right without a Blue Stilton
My find of the year last Christmas was Golden Cenarth. It is exquisite and has taken the place of Mont D’or / Vacherin on our Cheeseboard. I’ll find a small soft west country goat for a bit of balance too. All served with Figs, Medjool Dates and some fruited biscuits…
If I find a Rogue River Blue anywhere I’ll break my British only rule. Got to. It’s still world champ!
YUM.
Can’t wait.”
Marcus passed his L1 this year, you can be like him too!
Discover new cheeses with our courses
Charlie Turnbull’s Christmas Cheeseboard
After 15 years running his own cheesemongers, deli, bistro and coffee house in Shaftesbury Dorset and working across the UK in cheese, Charlie has become an acknowledged expert in cheese. He further judges cheese and fine foods around the UK and abroad.
Socially distanced cheese – an opportunity to have the smelliest cheeses and no one will complain!
Let’s look at his choices:
Why choose these cheeses?
Charlies picked the smelliest cheeses going, because he intends to spend Christmas socially distancing, and hopes the strong aroma of these powerful cheeses will allow him some peace and quiet to enjoy them responsibly.
John Farrand’s Christmas Cheeseboard
Who is John Farrand
Some Cheese on a board
JF’s Christmas cheeseboard
I am an incredibly lucky man in that the Guild of Fine Food organise Great Taste and World Cheese. I therefore have a ready-made shopping list of the best food and drink. That means when it comes to our Christmas lunch, I can gather the best ingredients and put together the finest cheese board.
Due to the bloody obvious we cannot hold the World Cheese Awards this year and so I’m dipping
into 3-star Great Taste winners to impress my (rule of six) family and friends this December.
- Sparkenhoe Shropshire Blue
Raw milk cheese made on farm with milk from their own herd. Creamy, rich with a dense texture. Subtly flavoured with a slight creamy sweetness and a blue lacey mould giving some salty balance.
www.leicestershirecheese.co.uk - Riserva del Fondatore Fiorini Duilio (Italy)
A sheep’s milk cheese aged in a natural cave. Firm and hard, but creamy on the palate with a strong, intense and long-lasting flavour profile. A big vegetal note balanced with gentle fruity tones.
www.caseificioilfiorino.it - Cornish Yarg
The sister cheese to the Cornish Kern (World Champion in 2017) this nettle-wrapped, semi-hard
cheese is made from grass-rich Cornish milk. I find it tangy under its natural rind and slightly crumbly in the core. There’s a citrus zing to this that works really well with a proper bitter beer.
www.lynherdairies.co.uk - Wyfe of Bath – Extra Mature
A semi-hard pasteurised cheese from the team at Bath Soft Cheese is made with organic milk and
matured for at least twelve months. A unique firm bite with a nutty, fudgy and caramel flavour.
www.parkfarm.co.uk - Peter’s Yard Spelt & Fig Sourdough Crispbread
I’m not a huge biscuit-with-cheese man (I prefer a ripe pear) but this spelt crispbread made with
organic flour, organic British milk, real fig pieces and sourdough will work well with the Sparkenhoe.
www.petersyard.com - Pea Green Boat Cheese Sablés – Fennel and Chilli
These don’t work well with cheese at all but when I need something to nibble on pre-lunch (in
anticipation of cheese post lunch) these cheese sables go down a treat with a glass of good cider.
Made with mature cheddar & 24-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano, organic locally milled flour, cool
fennel seeds and chilli powder these redefine cheesy snacks.
www.shortbreadhouse.com
its Christmas so it’s the tradition!
I’d get bigger pieces of fewer cheeses to ensure the cheese lasts as well as it can over the Christmas period. There is nothing worse than having little bits left over.
Paxtons Stilton or Stichelton – whichever is tasting best. Cheese varies from batch to batch and I’d always want to visit the cheesemaker to taste the cheese I was going to eat over Christmas
Cheddar, probably Montgomerys – the paxton’s cheeses are typically 15 – 18 months old and chosen specifically for us. Its got a drier texture and we always aim for big meaty flavours.
Baronet (individual) – a washed rind cheese made by a small producer near to Bath. Made with Jersey milk so it is really creamy tasting, its made to a reblochon style recipe and the wash gives it good strong savoury, sweet notes.
Etoile de Gatine. A light, gentle goats’ milk cheese with smooth paste. They are star shaped so look great on any cheese board at this time of year.
Topic: Cheese Board
