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Home » Recipes » The ultimate cheese board

The ultimate cheese board

November 8, 2021 by Alida Ryder 11 Comments

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Assembling an impressive holiday cheese board is easy as pie and will knock your guests’ socks off. Easy entertaining? Sorted!

The ultimate cheese board with meats, fresh fruit, olives and crackers.

Cheese. Glorious, wonderful, fantastic cheese. I love a good cheese platter and the holidays simply don’t feel like the holidays unless I work in at least one epic cheese board. What I love so much about a cheese board is that it is completely adaptable to different seasons and occasions. For my festive cheese boards, I always like to include something really Christmassy (think Mince pies or festive chocolate).

The secret to a really good cheese board is variety. You want to give your guests loads of choices and so I always recommend at adding four or five different cheeses. Add pickles, preserves, crackers and breads of your choice and add a few slices of good charcuterie or a pot of Pâté for the meat lovers.

To make things super easy for you, I’ve included a list of all the goodies I love to include on my cheese boards. Mix and match as you please but I would definitely do at least one (more of the cheese, obvs) in each category.

What to put on a cheese board

  1. Cheese: Parmesan, Pecorino, Cheddar, Asiago, Gruyere, Gouda, Comte, Swiss, Camembert, Brie, Gorgonzola, Stilton, Roquefort, Danish blue, Chevin (soft goat cheese), Mozzarella, Manchego, Boursin, Havarti, Raclette, Fontina. It’s easy to get overwhelmed. There are so many cheeses and it’s a good idea to go to the cheese counter and ask for guidance if you aren’t sure what to choose.
    A good idea is to include at least one hard (or semi-hard cheese), one blue cheese and one soft cheese. I also always like to add something unusual and a cheese made with goat’s or sheep’s milk. Remember to take your cheese out of the fridge at least 30 minutes before serving to get to room temperature. This way the cheese won’t be rock hard or too cold. Slice the cheese into different shapes to add visual interest to the board. This also makes it easier to serve. Remember to add cheese knives just before serving.
  2. Meat: Cheese and charcuterie go hand-in-hand. My favorites to include on a cheese board are Prosciutto or Parma ham, salami and slices of chorizo. Coppa, Mortadella, Sopressata and Nduja are also good options.
  3. Crackers and bread: Anything goes here but I usually like to do a few crostini, breadsticks, crackers and sliced fresh baguette.
  4. Jams, Preserves and Pickles: Cheese is good friends with anything preserved/pickled. I always include some onion marmalade because I think it works with most types of cheese. Cornichons, pickled onions, pickled radishes, capers and olives are all perfect additions. Sweet elements like jams, chutney or honey add much needed sweetness to your meat and cheese board.
  5. Fruit and nuts: Fresh fruit is a must on a cheese board in my opinion. Allow the season you are in to dictate what you use. Fresh berries and grapes are great in summer while figs, sliced apples, pears, plums, clementines and pomegranate will be perfect in Winter. Dried fruit like apricots, dried cherries, dried figs or mango are also delicious additions. Nuts like Marcona almonds, walnuts or pistachios add great texture and more variety.
  6. Extras: I love adding something a little whimsical and fun to my cheeseboard. Here I’ve added mince pies to add Christmas cheer but you could add chocolate Easter eggs for an Easter cheeseboard or Halloween candy for a Halloween board. Artichokes, roasted peppers and other pickled, marinated or roasted vegetables are also delicious. Adding finishing touches like fresh herbs (rosemary is particularly pretty) just adds a bit of finesse but is optional.

Making ahead

The board can be assembled up to four hours ahead. Keep loosely covered in the fridge and remove from the fridge 30-60 minutes before serving.

The ultimate cheese board

Platters and boards for easy entertaining

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  2. Greek mezze platter
  3. Breakfast Pancake board
  4. Easy holiday dessert board
  5. Halloween Charcuterie board
Holiday cheese board

The ultimate cheese board

Assembling an impressive holiday cheese board is easy as pie and will knock your guests' socks off. Easy entertaining? Sorted!
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer, Cheese
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Cheese board, cheese board ideas, meat and cheese board
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Author: Alida Ryder

Ingredients

  • 4-5 Cheese varieties of your choice (at least one hard, one soft, one blue and one interesting cheese)
  • crackers/bread (fresh sliced baguette, crackers, bread sticks, seed crackers)
  • Pickles (Olives, cornichons, pickled onions or pickled peppers.)
  • Preserves (Jams, jellies and fruit preserves like figs and melon are delicious and go well with a variety of cheeses.)
  • Fresh fruit / nuts (Berries, apples, pears, clementines, pomegranate. Pecans, hazelnuts and almonds.)
  • Something interesting or quirky (Mince pies for Christmas, Halloween candy, chocolate Easter eggs. Something to tie in the season you are in.)
  • Charcuterie (optional but delicious. Salami, Prosciutto, Parma ham or Coppa. A pot of Pâté is also a good idea.)

Instructions

  • Using your largest board or platter, start by adding the cheese first.
  • Some can be kept whole and others can be cubed or sliced, ready to serve.
  • Add bowls of pickles and preserves. Then fresh fruit, crackers and meat if using.
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Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, Lunch, Recipes, Salads & Starters, Snacks, Vegetarian Tagged With: cheese, cheese board, cheese plate, cheese platter, Christmas food, Chritmas recipes, holiday recipes, how to make a cheese board, how to put together a cheese board

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Comments

  1. Vicky

    December 14, 2019 at 8:50 PM

    I love a good cheeseboard. Your tips are excellent!

    Reply
  2. Karen @ Seasonal Cravings

    December 1, 2016 at 6:52 PM

    I love this! I have my Yankee Swap next week and I am totally unprepared. A good cheese board is the best app ever!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      December 1, 2016 at 6:53 PM

      Thanks Karen. It definitely is!

      Reply
  3. Mary Ann @ thebeachhousekitchen

    December 1, 2016 at 4:45 PM

    Cheese is one of my favorite things in the world too Alida. I love all your tips. Such a gorgeous cheese board! Perfect for the holiday season! Happy weekend!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      December 1, 2016 at 6:53 PM

      Thanks Mary Ann! Have a great weekend!

      Reply
  4. Anita

    December 1, 2016 at 2:23 PM

    Delicious!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      December 1, 2016 at 6:54 PM

      Thanks Anita.

      Reply
  5. Camilla

    December 1, 2016 at 2:22 PM

    I could eat cheese everyday. I am hosting a few parties this festive season and I am definitely going to be adding a cheese board to my menus. Yours looks too pretty to eat!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      December 1, 2016 at 6:56 PM

      Me too! A cheeseboard makes a party, I’m sure of it!

      Reply
  6. Jenni

    December 1, 2016 at 2:20 PM

    I LOVE a good cheese plate! Your Christmas version looks so great.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      December 1, 2016 at 6:54 PM

      Thanks so much Jenni!

      Reply

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Hi! I'm Alida, mom of twins and creator of Simply Delicious. I hope to encourage a love for cooking by creating fool-proof recipes that are easy and delicious. Read More…

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