Hosting during the festive season often centres on the big moments – Christmas lunch, Boxing Day feasts, and New Year’s Eve celebrations. But it’s the quieter hours in between, when friends drop by for a drink or the family is searching for a bite to eat after a winter walk, that call for something delicious without demanding hours in the kitchen.
A festive cheeseboard is the perfect answer: abundant, comforting and effortlessly impressive. Yet crafting one that truly makes guests ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ is an art.
To help us master it, we spoke to Heather Taylor, Head Cheesemaker at Nettlebed Creamery in Oxfordshire, whose award-winning organic cheeses have become staples on British festive tables. From curating a balanced selection to pairing seasonal fruits, wines – and even chocolate – Heather shares her expert advice for creating a cheeseboard that feels generous and joyful.
What are the essential elements that make a perfect cheeseboard?
Great quality cheese must be the hero! It’s good to have fruit, crackers and bread, and cold meats as a way to enhance the board – all of those things bring elevation and interest – but taking the time to choose fantastic cheeses is essential.
How do you recommend balancing different cheese styles on a single board?
A great cheeseboard should have a variety of styles, textures and even milk types. Choosing one of each style – soft, hard, blue and washed rind – will bring a good balance to your board and makes for a much more interesting experience.
How many cheeses should you serve for a small gathering versus a larger group?
For a small gathering, three or four cheeses is plenty. For a larger group, I would suggest between five and seven. The amount of cheese is relative: if it’s being served as part of a larger meal then 70-90g per person would be ample. If it’s going to be served as the main catering for an event, then a figure closer to 100-150g would be more appropriate.
What accompaniments best elevate the flavours of Nettlebed Creamery cheeses?
Witheridge in Hay, aged as the name suggests in hay to lend grassy notes to the rind which keeps the cheese moist, has the strength of a mature cheddar, but the sweetness and umami notes of an Alpine cheese. It pairs well with stone fruit such as plums and sour cherries, which are high in acidity as well as sweetness. It’s also very good at Christmastime with a slice of spiced panettone and a glass of port.
Bix – a soft, triple-cream cheese with a dense, buttery texture and tangy flavour often compared to French cheeses such as Brillat Savarin – is delicious with gooseberries or green grapes with charcoal crackers as part of a cheeseboard, or hot honey or chilli jam for a stand-alone course. It pairs well with sparkling wines.
Highmoor – a semi-soft washed-rind cheese inspired by French cheeses like Pont l’Eveque – when eaten with ham hock or charcuterie, the brothy notes in the cheese are really accentuated. It pairs very well with a pint of stout or porter.
Are there any unconventional pairings you love that people should try?
We think that our Witheridge in Hay pairs extremely well with dark chocolate – give it a go!
Nettlebed Creamery cheeses clockwise from bottom: Bix, Witheridge in Hay and Highmoor
What’s your advice for presenting a cheeseboard so it’s both visually appealing and easy for guests to enjoy?
Start by placing your large pieces of cheese in space on the board, perhaps cutting a few slices to display how best to cut each cheese, allow for a cheese knife per cheese to prevent contaminating the various flavours. Fill the space around the cheeses with crackers of your choice and sliced fruit. Condiments work well both on the board or as accompaniments around your display.
How long before serving should different styles of cheese be brought to room temperature?
As a general rule, we advise that our cheeses should be given around 30 minutes to come to room temperature before serving. If your house is particularly warm, then this can be reduced.
Which of your cheeses do you consider a “must-have” on any cheeseboard?
Witheridge in Hay is a must. As far as we are aware, we are currently the only creamery in the UK to age cheese in hay, so not only is it delicious, it’s also a great talking point! A semi-hard cheese with umami, grassy notes, this is a fabulous option for the ‘hard cheese’ spot on your board.
For Christmas hosting, what festive flavours, accompaniments or serving ideas pair particularly well with your cheeses?
Bix is wonderful with sparkling wine; an ideal option for drinks parties over the festive season. Witheridge in Hay pairs beautifully with fruit cake – why not serve it as the dessert course after Christmas lunch? Highmoor is the ultimate flavoursome melting cheese – perfect for making toasties after a family walk!
Serve in Style
Always ensure you have some napkins to hand when serving cheese. These linen Rythmo napkins by Charvet Éditions are available in a choice of embroidery colours.
We think this stoneware dessert plate by Laetitia Rouget is quite simply a must-have for any cheese lover.
You can never have too many small serving bowls for dips and condiments. Serve your cheese with chutney, pickle or quince paste in these useful handcrafted rustic condiment bowls by Neutra Kitchen.
No cheese course is complete without a glass (or two) of good red wine. These crystal Ultralight Important Aged Red Wines glasses by Zafferano have a generous bellied shape to allow the wine to breathe and release its full flavour profile.
This rustic olive wood board is a beautiful surface on which to serve cheese, and doubles up as a very handsome bread board.
Make your cheeseboard the main event and elevate it. This fine bone china cake stand by Feldspar is the perfect pedestal.
We love the vintage-inspired design of this oval Refectoire serving dish by Jars, and it's available in three sizes.
Laetita Rouget's Swimmers fruit platter is generously sized and sure to be a talking point once empty.
Serve your accompanying red wine in optimal conditions with Peugeot's Capitane glass decanter.
Discover more inspiration on the Jack & Abel Journal here.
