There's plenty of reasons to love the Holidays. Sparkling lights, presents, mulled wine at every opportunity. But the best bit, hands down, is definitely the food. Pigs in blankets, mince pies slathered with brandy butter, crispy roasties piled high... I'm practically drooling as I write this.
I love hosting friends and family during the festive season, however it can be quite overwhelming trying to plan and cook meals during such an already busy time. Therefore my go-to has become a festive cheese board. It involves very little actual cooking or technical skill, and looks like you made far more effort than is actually required.
I'm a big fan of cheese boards year round, but for the holidays I love to add a festive twist. I picked up seasonal bits and pieces such as pigs in blankets, pork pies, and Christmas chutneys. Of course you can switch things in depending on what's available at your local supermarket.
I like to have a "standout" cheese to base the board off, in this case a camembert which I baked in the oven with a topping of rosemary, thyme, and drizzled honey. A brie could also work well for this, or a seasonal cheddar - Sainsbury's has a great selection of festive cheeses. Variety is important when choosing your cheese, so I also included an aged blue, a cheddar, and a Wensleydale. Personally I'm not a fan of hard cheeses so I kept them off, but that's just personal preference!
I then filled out the board with "picky bits" including the pork pies, grapes, and olives, and garnished with figs, walnuts and fresh rosemary. Garnishes aren't necessary, but they do elevate a board and add more visual interest.
An alternative I often include in my cheese boards is a goats cheese melted in the oven with a sprinkling of fresh thyme and rosemary. It pairs really well with a lightly toasted baguette, rubbed with garlic. So good!
Cheese Board Essentials
5 Tips for the perfect Cheese Board
- Use a range of cheeses. I usually try to include a baking cheese such as camembert or goats cheese, an aged blue, a hard cheese, and a flavoured cheddar.
- Include fillers and garnishes. In theory all you need is cheese and crackers, but that would be boring! I fill spaces with grapes and olives, and use garnishes such as herbs and nuts to add visual interest.
- Mix things up with a theme. Cheese boards are great as is, but I love mixing things up by curating around a theme. In this instance I went festive, but you could also choose a country such as France or Italy, or seasonal such as tropical summer or winter wonderland - fondue!
- Think about your colour scheme. If there's too much going on it's not going to be very appetising! For this board I stuck to neutral tones with pops of red and green as a nod to the festive season.
- Pair with wine. Because it's a festive board I served this board with mulled wine, and port is always a good shout with a cheese board.
Festive Cheese Board
Ingredients
- baking camembert
- brie
- blue cheese
- cheddar
- figs
- caramelized onion chutney
- christmas chutney
- crackers
- olive twists
- pigs in blankets
- pork pies
- mixed grapes
- olives
- cranberries
Garnish
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Walnuts
Instructions
- On a large serving platter or chopping board, start by placing your largest items, usually cheeses and chutney bowls.
- Next place your grapes and crackers around the cheeses and chutneys.
- Add your festive additions, in this case pigs in blankets and pork pies.
- Use olives, cranberries, and figs to fill in gaps.
- Garnish with optional rosemary, thyme and walnuts or other nuts.
Do let me know if you give this a go, as well as any tips and tricks you have for building the perfect cheese board!
