Beginners Luck: A fancy pants cheese board for beginners
For those who are less confident when it comes to cheese, for those who don't know their Roquefort from their Stilton I've written a beginners guide to making a slightly more upbeat cheese board from what you might find in a supermarket.
I think it can be quite intimidating going into a cheese shop such as Paxton and Whitfield or La Fromagerie and knowing where to begin or what to buy as it's a completely different kettle of fish to the average Tesco selection. Lets assume you want a mixed selection and you don't quite know where to start I would suggest seeking out a blue, an English cheese (maybe a cheddar), a goats cheese, a soft cheese and a hard cheese. This way you get a mixture of textures and strengths.
Starting with the blue cheese, depending on your personal taste I would say always ask a shop assistant so you can sneak a taste and make sure you get exactly what you want. If I'm making up a cheese board I tend to include a Gorgonzola as it's a familiar crowd pleaser and has an incredible creamy texture while packing that blue punch. Alternatively if you felt like venturing out I would suggest Stichelton which is a raw milk cheese that is similar to Stilton but possibly creamier in it's texture.
For the English cheese I would recommend Harlech. It's from Wales and is surprisingly addictive. It's got the flavors of Horseradish and Parlsey running through it so gives you a bit of heat as well as freshness. However, this cheese is hard to come by and not to everyones taste. So if you have milder taste buds I would suggest a classic Red Leicester. When sourced from a good cheese mongers Red Leicester can be surprisingly special and is also a popular choice.
Now with goats cheese not everyone likes it so for a cheese board I would say go for a relatively mild and creamy one- those tend to be a bit more popular than the really strong ones. For this I would suggest Sinodun Hill goats cheese (they sell it at Paxton and Whitfield). It's incredibly creamy and delicate in flavor and embodies everything I would want in a goats cheese without overpowering your senses.
For the hard cheese I have to suggest Comte. It isn't my personal favorite but I think it goes so well on a cheese board. The more aged it can be the better (Vivat Bachhus in Farringdon have a 48 month aged one!). It's nutty, sweet and has a lovely hard texture to match everything else on the board.
Now, for the soft cheese it can be difficult to know what to go for. I would say if you can get your hands on Brie De Meux then that will be a huge success. It is the brie of all bries; it's nutty, indulgent, oozy and makes the perfect brie.
Alongside all of your fantastic cheese put different chutneys (my favorite is caramelized red onion which goes particularly well with gorgonzola), crackers and pieces of fruit such as grapes. A cheese board is a lovely sociable way to eat and by going to a proper cheese mongers you're guaranteed to find some really excellent stuff. This is only my beginners guide- if you want more cheese tips of recommendations please comment!
For those who are less confident when it comes to cheese, for those who don't know their Roquefort from their Stilton I've written a beginners guide to making a slightly more upbeat cheese board from what you might find in a supermarket.
I think it can be quite intimidating going into a cheese shop such as Paxton and Whitfield or La Fromagerie and knowing where to begin or what to buy as it's a completely different kettle of fish to the average Tesco selection. Lets assume you want a mixed selection and you don't quite know where to start I would suggest seeking out a blue, an English cheese (maybe a cheddar), a goats cheese, a soft cheese and a hard cheese. This way you get a mixture of textures and strengths.
Starting with the blue cheese, depending on your personal taste I would say always ask a shop assistant so you can sneak a taste and make sure you get exactly what you want. If I'm making up a cheese board I tend to include a Gorgonzola as it's a familiar crowd pleaser and has an incredible creamy texture while packing that blue punch. Alternatively if you felt like venturing out I would suggest Stichelton which is a raw milk cheese that is similar to Stilton but possibly creamier in it's texture.
For the English cheese I would recommend Harlech. It's from Wales and is surprisingly addictive. It's got the flavors of Horseradish and Parlsey running through it so gives you a bit of heat as well as freshness. However, this cheese is hard to come by and not to everyones taste. So if you have milder taste buds I would suggest a classic Red Leicester. When sourced from a good cheese mongers Red Leicester can be surprisingly special and is also a popular choice.
Now with goats cheese not everyone likes it so for a cheese board I would say go for a relatively mild and creamy one- those tend to be a bit more popular than the really strong ones. For this I would suggest Sinodun Hill goats cheese (they sell it at Paxton and Whitfield). It's incredibly creamy and delicate in flavor and embodies everything I would want in a goats cheese without overpowering your senses.
For the hard cheese I have to suggest Comte. It isn't my personal favorite but I think it goes so well on a cheese board. The more aged it can be the better (Vivat Bachhus in Farringdon have a 48 month aged one!). It's nutty, sweet and has a lovely hard texture to match everything else on the board.
Now, for the soft cheese it can be difficult to know what to go for. I would say if you can get your hands on Brie De Meux then that will be a huge success. It is the brie of all bries; it's nutty, indulgent, oozy and makes the perfect brie.
Alongside all of your fantastic cheese put different chutneys (my favorite is caramelized red onion which goes particularly well with gorgonzola), crackers and pieces of fruit such as grapes. A cheese board is a lovely sociable way to eat and by going to a proper cheese mongers you're guaranteed to find some really excellent stuff. This is only my beginners guide- if you want more cheese tips of recommendations please comment!
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