How to Create the Perfect Christmas Cheese Board

A good cheese board is one of the easiest parts of Christmas entertaining – and often one of the first things to disappear.

Whether you're putting one together for Christmas Day, Boxing Day, a drinks party or a relaxed evening with family and friends, the secret isn't having dozens of cheeses. It's choosing a good mixture of flavours and textures and adding a few simple accompaniments.

At Farmhouse Deli, we've been serving Gloucester and Cheltenham since 1969, so cheese at Christmas is something we know a thing or two about.

Here's our simple guide to creating a Christmas cheese board everyone will want to tuck into.

How Many Cheeses Should You Choose?

For most Christmas cheese boards, three to five different cheeses is plenty.

Rather than choosing lots of similar varieties, try to include different styles.

A simple combination could be:

• A good mature Cheddar

• A soft cheese such as Brie

• A blue cheese such as Stilton

• A traditional local cheese such as Single or Double Gloucester

• Something a little different, such as Snowdonia Black Bomber

This gives your guests a good variety without making the board overwhelming.

Don't Forget the Gloucester Cheese

If you're celebrating Christmas in Gloucestershire, it seems only right to have a local cheese on the table.

Single Gloucester and Double Gloucester are two of the county's best-known cheeses and make a great addition alongside more familiar Christmas favourites.

They're also a lovely way to introduce visiting family and friends to something produced closer to home.

How Much Cheese Do You Need Per Person?

It depends on when you're serving it.

If your cheese board is coming out after a large Christmas meal, around 50–75g of cheese per person will often be enough.

If cheese is a more substantial part of your buffet or evening food, allow closer to 100g per person.

And if your family really loves cheese, we'd always suggest erring slightly on the generous side – Christmas leftovers aren't necessarily a bad thing!

What Should You Serve With a Christmas Cheese Board?

Once you've chosen the cheese, you don't need to complicate things.

A few well-chosen accompaniments can turn a selection of cheese into a proper Christmas board.

Try adding:

• Crackers and biscuits

• Chutney

• Grapes

• Apples or pears

• Dried fruit

• Nuts

• Pickles

• Olives

Something sweet works particularly well alongside stronger cheeses, while chutneys and pickles add a little acidity to balance richer varieties.

Take Your Cheese Out of the Fridge

This is one of the easiest ways to make your cheese taste better.

Cheese generally has much more flavour when it isn't fridge-cold.

Take it out of the fridge before you plan to serve it and allow it to come closer to room temperature.

Just don't leave it sitting somewhere warm for hours.

How to Arrange Your Cheese Board

You don't need any special equipment or elaborate presentation.

Start by placing your cheeses around a large board or serving plate, leaving space between them.

Add crackers separately or around the edges, then use the gaps for grapes, fruit, chutneys and other accompaniments.

It's also helpful to provide a separate knife for particularly strong or soft cheeses so that flavours don't get mixed together.

And that's really all there is to it.

Cheese Boards Make Great Christmas Gifts Too

If you know someone who loves cheese, a cheese hamper or selection makes an easy Christmas present.

It's particularly useful when you're buying for parents, grandparents, couples, hosts or those people who insist they don't need anything for Christmas.

Food gets enjoyed rather than put in a cupboard – and you can choose a selection to suit their tastes.

Christmas Cheese in Gloucester & Cheltenham

Farmhouse Deli has been part of Gloucestershire since 1969, with shops in Gloucester and Cheltenham.

Our cheese range includes traditional favourites alongside local Gloucestershire cheeses and speciality varieties, with Christmas hampers and cheese selections also available during the festive season.

If you'd rather have some help choosing, pop into one of our shops and tell us what you like. We'll be happy to help you put together a selection.

Or browse our Cheese & Dairy and Hampers & Cheese Boards ranges online and get your Christmas cheese sorted before the festive rush begins.