Cheeseboard Ideas | How to Make a Cheese Board

There are plenty of cheeseboard ideas to choose from if you love cheese! A cheese board or cheese platter is always a popular sight at the table, whether served as a starter or after the meal.

There are no hard and fast rules about setting up a cheese platter but I can offer some tips about putting together a tasty selection of cheeses. Once you know how to make a cheese board you will be able to rustle up this snack, appetizer or dessert alternative anytime the mood strikes!

Cheeseboard Ideas: Choosing the Cheeses

Aim for diversity in appearance, flavor and style. You might want to offer a hard cheese, a soft cheese and a blue cheese for example. Or you can serve three semi hard cheeses which are similar in texture but offer different flavor. Cheeseboard ideas are largely about getting creative and finding interesting combinations.

A Guide to Hard Cheese and Soft Cheese

The hardness or softness of a certain cheese depends how much moisture it contains. Hard cheeses are usually sharp, salty and gritty. Examples include Pecorino and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Semi hard cheeses are smoother but will have some small grainy particles from aging milk enzymes in them. Gouda and Cheddar are good examples of semi hard cheeses. Jarlsberg and mozzarella are semi soft. They contain plenty of moisture and they are pliable and easy to chew with a low melting point.

Soft cheese is anything spreadable, so Torta del Casar, Saint-Felicien and brie all fall into this catagory because they are paste-like inside their rinds and can fall apart easily. Bear all this in mind when considering cheeseboard ideas.

Cheese Board Ideas and Tips

You might like to have cheeses made with different types of milk, so maybe a sheep cheese, a goat cheese and a cow cheese. Or you could have different nationalities, maybe a French cheese, an Italian cheese and a Dutch cheese.

Taste the cheeses before buying them, especially if they are cheeses you are unfamiliar with. Any good fine food store will allow this and understand that you’re discovering how to prepare a cheese board everyone will appreciate.

As a rule you will need a couple of ounces of cheese per person if you are serving a cheese board starter. If there are only a few people, you can serve more rather than present a few tiny chunks of cheese. What is not eaten will keep.

Cheeseboard Ideas: How to Store Cheese

Knowing how to prepare a cheese board is all very well, but what’s the best way to store your cheeses? Cheese is best when you buy it at peak ripeness or near peak ripeness and eat it on the same day.

The best storage area for cheese is a cheese cave but most people don’t have one. Any cool, dark, humid place will do. Cheese stored in the fridge does best in the vegetable drawer where there is more humidity.

Wrap semi hard and hard cheese in plastic wrap or wax paper to keep it fresh. Long term storage in plastic will result in storage. Hard rinded cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano are fine if you wrap the exposed parts with plastic wrap and leave the rind open so the cheese can breathe.

Havarti and other semi hard cheeses should be wrapped in wax paper or butcher paper then in plastic wrap. Soft cheese normally comes in a container so just replace the lid or cover it with plastic wrap.

Blue cheese gets bluer if it is exposed to the air and it becomes tastier. This might sound good but the mold eventually destroys the dairy flavor and makes the cheese too harsh tasting to enjoy. Wrap blue cheese tightly in foil then plastic wrap and keep it away from other kinds of cheese so the mold doesn’t spread. Store other smelly cheeses such as raclette in a different container.

Serving a Cheese Board

Let the cheese reach room temperature so the flavors get more intense. Cut hard cheeses into slices so guests do not have to try hacking off their own. You can choose whichever cheese board design and cheese knife set you find appealing. You might like to serve flat breads, crackers, toast, fresh fruits, dried fruits or nuts with the cheese board.

As for wine pairings with cheese, this can be tricky if you are serving different cheeses. Try matching the wine nationality to the cheese, so if you are serving a Spanish cheese for example you can serve a Spanish wine. Beer is also a good accompaniment if you are having a cheese board as a starter course.

A cheese board is traditionally served after the main course but why not defy convention and serve it as a starter (appetizer) instead?

There are many exotic cheeses and traditional cheeses you can choose from. Perhaps you would like to serve a combination of your favorite cheeses – Stilton, Brie, Camembert, cheddar, Wensleydale, goat’s cheese and mozzarella are all good.

More cheeseboard ideas: serve some grapes or nuts with the cheese as well. If you are making food for a buffet, a selection of cheeses is another nice idea. Don’t worry about keeping the cheese cold. Most cheese has a superior flavor when it reaches room temperature. Now you know some mouthwatering cheeseboard ideas you can make a really great one!