Step-by-step Guide in Creating a Cheese Board for any Gathering

If you are like us, you have passed the stage of serving crisps and sausage rolls as party food. After seeing all the healthy snack pictures on Instagram, we all want to bring that bit of glamour into our gatherings, isn't that right? 

And we are here to help! We believe that an easy and delicious cheese board appetiser is perfect for a party, holiday entertaining, and any get-togethers! In this step-by-step tutorial, we will show you how to create an outstanding cheese board platter in just seven 7 simple steps. It is easier than it looks - promise! 

So let's dive in! First of all - presentation matters! And we always start with...

STEP 1: Choosing the right dishes. 

Since it is a cheese appetiser, pick out the board for your food. This could be a cutting board (never plastic though, please!), a cheese platter, or even a few plates that you put next to each other on the table.

If you feel you do not have the right plate, we have recently introduced our own amazing Star Grazing boards and you can get them here (click here). It is a lovely option if you are looking for a simple but cute, ready to go cheese board. 

Cheese knives are great too. But if you don't have special cheese knives, it’s fine to cut thin pieces of cheese ahead of time, so your loved ones can just grab and go and then of course leave a butter knife around for the soft cheeses.

Make sure you grab a few little bowls and place them on the board first. 

STEP 2: Start with the little bowls.

Place them on the board first because they just simply fill most of the room. And lay your other foods around them. The little bowls are perfect for dips, relishes, jams, olives. Just to be clear - even if you cringe at the thought of relishes or olives, give your guests a choice! Olives are just a classic, so we are begging you not to ignore them :) Relishes and jams go very well with most of the cheese. Plus - this will add some colour to your plate! 

STEP 3: Pick your cheese. 

This is a big one! It is a cheese board at the end of the day :) Hence, we recommend having a good selection of a different type of cheese so everyone could find a pairing that they love. Go for 3-5 different types of cheese (honestly, variety is your friend here). If possible, go for a few different types of hard cheese and a few soft or semi-soft. Here is a little guide for the startups ;) 

HARD CHEESES:

• Sharp white & red cheddar 
• Emmental (yep, the one with the big holes)
• Parmigiano Reggiano
• Manchego
• Smoked Gouda
• Roncal (Its aroma is intense and its flavour is strong)
• Cheddar cheese with chives, cranberries, spicy ones - whatever you desire really...

SOFT CHEESES:

• Brie
• Goat cheese 
• Soft blue cheese or gorgonzola
• Burrata or fresh mozzarella
• Camembert (served baked, still warm, all melted and topped with cranberry sauce - my oh my, no one will be able to resist).
• Cream cheese (Most people don’t think of cream cheese as an actual “cheese”, but it is, in fact, a very rich kind of cheese that works perfectly spread on cracker or baguette).  

Don't be afraid to experiment. Go for some familiar flavours AND choose some new exciting ones too. To be truthful, just go to the shop and pick the one that catches your eye! Something in different flavours and milk types (cow, goat, or sheep’s milk cheese). And you will have a winner!

STEP 4: Cured meats fancy people call it 'charcuterie'

If you are a meat-eater, add a variety of cured meats to your cheese plate! Most cured meats go very well with cheese. We recommend using basic deli salami, sliced chorizo, prosciutto or anything else you can find at the supermarket.

You can add your meats a few different ways: In a simple stack (saves time if you’re in a rush), fanned out in a line or half-circle (works best on large boards since this takes up more space) or by folding larger pieces into fun shapes like a chain or salami rose (takes up less space and adds some visual interest).

Then we would move on to... 

 

STEP 5: Bread and crackers

If you are serving bread, heat it or toast it for a few minutes - this will add even more flavour to your board. Choose various crackers of different shapes and colours. We recommend 2-4 different types. Fan out crackers along the edges of the cheese plate to make them easy to grab. 

STEP 6: Veg & fruit

And now this is the step that will make your board looking colourful and filled will natural beauty! We recommend choosing at least 1-3 fruit and vegetables (the more the merrier in our honest opinion). Get your five a day in this simple way :) 

Where would you start? Grapes are an essential part of any cheese board of course! We would always go for a mix of green and red grapes to add lots of vibrant colours and contrast. Go crazy with various veggie sticks like carrots, cucumbers, celery sticks, peppers and even tomatoes! You will be surprised how quickly these will disappear from the board! Various fruit (slices of apples, pears) and most berries go extremely well with almost every cheese - do not leave them behind ;)

STEP 7: Get some nuts! 

For so many reasons various nuts are just a way to go! Now that the big pieces are on our cheeseboard are filled, it’s time to have some fun and start filling in the gaps! This is where a cheeseboard starts to come together (and where you get the WOW factor that will have your party guests asking you to teach THEM how to assemble a cheese platter!) Choose 2-3 types of any kind of nuts (the most popular ones would be walnuts, almonds, cashew, brazil nuts, macadamia nuts are superb yet they are a bit pricy... Sprinkle them over or fill in any gaps and Voilà! 

Tuck some greenery into any space that is still empty. Any greenery like rosemary, thyme, parsley laid around the edges adds so much life to any cheeseboard. Add a few pieces of your greenery anywhere there’s a gap, and tuck some around the edges to help frame the cheese plate (there’s that “visual interest” thing again!) And...

TA-DAAAAAA! See what we mean? YOU CAN TOTALLY DO THIS! 

When it comes to styling your cheese board (yes, this is a thing- trust us!) keep an eye on our Instagram feed for inspiration. 

Don’t be afraid to get creative and have fun with it – you’re already on your way to making a perfect cheeseboard every time!

Sending lots of love,