Festive ideas for your Christmas cheeseboard

Create a Christmas cheeseboard

Rowcliffe’s marketing manager Lisa Kerr offers the best selection for a must-have cheeseboard

Blue – Colston Bassett Stilton
One of the smallest Stilton makers, which is unrivalled in the UK. Colston delivers a mellow flavour with melt-in-the-mouth texture and no sharp acidic taste.

Goat – Jacquin Flower and Honey Goat Log
This is a fresh goat’s cheese with honey and dried flower petals such as roses, cornflower and marigolds.

Washed Rind – Ambrosi Taleggio
A semi-soft compact cheese in a quadrangular shape, made from whole cow’s milk. Sweet, aromatic and with a hint of a truffle aftertaste.

Cheddar – Westcombe Cheddar
A truly artisan Somerset Cheddar made from fresh unpasteurised cow’s milk and aged for 12-18 months. It has a firm texture with complex flavours and long-lasting notes of citrus, hazelnut and caramel.

Soft/Brie – Baron Bigod
A traditional farmhouse Brie-de-Meaux-style cheese, handmade using their own raw grass-fed Montbeliarde cow’s milk. Creamy, smooth texture with long, warm, earthy and mushroom flavours.

Blended – Clemency Hall Truly Truffle
Mature Cheddar with flecks of black truffle and a delicate taste.

Alternative pairing ideas

Kevin Beer, director and co-founder of Millbrook Dairy Company takes us through new and delicious pairing suggestions

At Millbrook Dairy we think everyone should break with tradition. Rather than passing the Port over your Christmas cheeseboard, we think you should pass the Highland Malt Whiskey! Millbrook’s 1057 Scottish Extra Mature Cheddar and a ‘wee dram’ of Highland Malt Whiskey is the perfect way to round off a festive feast. Another winning combination for retailers to consider offering to discerning customers is Millbrook’s 1057 Cheddar and cider. There’s a long tradition of pairing cider with cheese and many good reasons to consider drinking it in place of wine. 

As for food combinations, there is one we can’t get enough of at Millbrook Dairy, and that’s cheese and fruit. These two food groups are a marriage made in heaven and offer retailers the opportunity to drive an uplift on sales. Millbrook’s 1057 pairs beautifully with festive fruits including apricots, figs, cranberries, pears, raisins… the list goes on. Another classic combination for retailers to showcase is Millbrook’s 1057 Cheddar with an array of festive nuts, including walnuts, almonds, pistachios and pecans. Or why not bring these two combinations together and try Millbrook’s 1057 Cheddar with a slice of delicious fruit cake? 

Image courtesy of Rowcliffe