Impress Your

Take a trip to your local market to stock up on delicious ingredients. Olives, arugula, roasted peppers, sliced pears, fresh tomatoes drizzled with quality olive oil, deli meats, plump grapes, pieces of cantaloupe, a crusty baguette, nuts, a few crackers, and there you have it! These flavours will perfectly complement and enhance smoothness of Mild Cheddar Cheese and the more pronounced taste of Extra Old Cheddar Cheese. Then, surprise your guests with a little Garlic & Herb Cheddar Cheese or Monterey Jack Cheese with Jalapeño. Add a few cubes of delicate, buttery Havarti Cheese, as much as your heart desires.

Don’t forget to have fun! There are no rules. Play with colours, shapes and textures and mix and match sweet, salty, sour and bitter flavours.

Planning on serving a cheeseboard at a party as an appetizer? Set out 75 g of cheese per guest, focus on fresh ingredients, and opt for fruit and light crackers over bread. If your cheese plate will be a main dish, prepare 200 to 250 g of cheese per person and serve twice as many accompaniments. Want to shake things up a little by serving your cheeseboard or dessert? Plan for 50 to 75 g of cheese per person and add sliced apples, peaches or figs, salted caramel, spiced bread or other sweet quick breads, and nuts.

Then, for a presentation that’s anything but ordinary, add levels by placing the nuts or fruit in martini glasses in the centre of the round cheese platter, or serve all the ingredients at the centre of the plate, with parchment paper for protection.

While wine is a natural choice for pairing with your cheeseboard, beer is also marvellous when served with firm cheeses. Serve it cold and alternate between cheese and beer, taking the time to appreciate each flavour. At a cheese tasting, you can even serve several different beers, starting with a mild, pale ale and gradually introducing beers with more pronounced flavours. Amber lager, dark lager, red beer and stout are particularly delicious with firm cheeses like Extra Old Cheddar Cheese.

A cheeseboard is great in any season, beside the fire or out on the deck. Plus, it requires so little prep that you can even serve it outdoors, at a park or campsite. All you need to do is accompany your cheeses with fresh ingredients, spreads and fruit preserves. After all, the cheeseboard is an art anyone can master. So be creative!