Summer Cheeseboard

summercheeseboard (1 of 1)

Which cheese should you put on your cheese board? It’s almost the end of August, the height of British Summer Time, the sun is very occasionally popping its head out from the clouds and the odd wild blackberry is beginning to appear. Temperatures are really trying to rise but still only stretching to about 25 degrees on a good day. Yet English enthusiasm never wains, and with the same stoicism we supported Eddie the Eagle with in 1998, we flock to the beaches to lessen the pale glow and invite everyone we know over to eat burnt sausages in the garden. And for dessert? You know the answer. A delicious cheese board.

cheese board ideas how to buy the best cheeses for your board

How to Choose your Cheese:

1. Non-melty – steer clear of the very soft cheeses that will melt in this lovely hot weather. Yes, that means no brie on this cheeseboard(!!) Cheeses with a Camembert-esque texture can get very sticky, and if left in the sun after being cut they often develop a thin skin and won’t be as fresh. So lean towards harder cheeses, or if you include a softer cheese make sure you keep it in the fridge until right before serving. One way around this is to go for a goat’s cheese, as they are traditionally soft and velvety but don’t melt in the same way as cow’s milk cheeses do.

2. A good range – Pick a good variety of cheeses, because even though you may love one cheese what other people like most will always surprise you. A good way to do this is to choose cheeses made from a range of milks (cow, goat and sheep being the most popular but we’ve heard you can technically milk a pig….).

3. Strength – Although you want to keep the strength of the cheeses varied, remember that people eat less in summer and tend to prefer lighter food (nobody wants a Raclette!) With this in mind, ask to try some of the cheeses before you buy them and steer clear of the really strong ones.

 

Our Board:

cheese board idea comte cheese summer how to which to buy

 

incredibly

Comte, 12 months – £1.80/100g

A medium-hard cheese with a very more-ish flavour. A non-controversial, popular cheese that most people will love.

 

 

cheese board ideas which cheeses to buy how to castel viel

 

incredibly cheesy

Castelviel, pasteurised sheeps milk – £2.80/100g

Sheep’s milk cheese is our favourite. This french one is a lot like Manchego, crumbly and hard.

 

cheeseboard ideas

cheese board ideas which cheeses to buy how to picodon goats

 

summer cheese board

Picodon goats cheese – £2.80 per round

This one converted someone who claimed to dislike goat’s cheese. It’s not too strong, but still very creamy and won’t melt in the boiling English sun…

 

cheese board ideas which cheeses to buy how to st nectaire

 

ideas, rehecipes, and cheese

fromage

St Nectaire £1.85/100g

A bit of a wild-card. This one could get melty, so we kept it in the fridge right until the last minute.

 

 

incredibrie cheesy

cheese board ideas which cheeses to buy how to morbier ash line

cheese

summer cheese board

Morbier, with ash line £2.20/100g

Another dangerous choice, but this one was so different to the others we couldn’t resist. This one absolutely stinks, but the taste is not nearly as strong. And it’s from the Franche-Comté region, which is the holy land of cheese making.

cheeseboard ideas summer

Pairings:cheese board ideas parings which cheeses to buy how to choose

Honey honey honey honey honey. We love honey with our cheese. We first tried it on an English vineyard in Chichester (they do exist!) who farmed their own honey for the cheeseboard and we have been completely converted. We also added some dehydrated strawberries to our board for a fruity, palette-cleaning kick which worked well instead of a fruity chutney which could be a bit heavy for summer. Fresh seasonal fruit would work. Go for some classic grapes or something a bit more exciting like blackberries.

incredibrie

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