There’s nothing quite as satisfying as a cheese board, is there? Believe it or not, whipping up one that’s both mouth-watering and gorgeous is as simple as following five easy steps. In this post, we’re going to teach you how to make the perfect cheese board every time. One that’s sure to impress your friends!
Selecting Your Cheeses
The first thing to decide upon when building your cheese board is what kind of cheese you’ll include. A good rule of thumb is to have two to three cheeses to place on the board.
How much you use of each depends on how many people you’re serving. It will also depend on whether the cheese board will be served as an appetiser or the primary food source at your gathering.
You also don’t want to pick all of the same kinds of cheese. It’s nice to have a little variety, which you can do by mixing different textures and flavours.
For instance, you can create a mix of textures by opting for a soft cheese (like brie or camembert), a cheddar cheese (like a Club style), and a blue cheese (such as a Danish-style blue).
Or you might prefer to try different strengths by combining mild and strong cheeses on the same platter. This gives your guests options depending on what suits their personal preferences.
You can even choose various colours and shapes of cheeses to create a more visually attractive cheese board. After all, presentation is essential when making the perfect cheese board.
What to Put on a Cheese Board (Besides Cheese)
While cheese is certainly the star of the show, what makes an amazing cheese board is the other complementary elements you choose to add. Here are a few cheese board essentials to consider:
Preserved Products & Dried Meats: Prosciutto, salami, and pepperoni are meats that pair nicely with various cheeses. You can also add olives (black, green, or stuffed), pickles, and even marinated artichoke hearts.
Preserved Products & Dried Meats:
Prosciutto, salami, and pepperoni are meats that pair nicely with various cheeses. You can also add olives (black, green, or stuffed), pickles, and even marinated artichoke hearts.
Fruit & Veggies:
It’s smart to add a healthy element, making fruits and veggies a great choice. Try adding grapes, apple slices, or some berries. You might also like blanched veggies like asparagus or broccoli. Tomatoes and peppers can be a nice addition as well.
Sweet Treats:
Satisfy a sweet tooth by adding chocolates, chocolate or yoghurt-covered nuts, or even some dried mango. This is perfect if the cheese board will be served after dinner in place of a traditional dessert.
Biscuits:
Some sort of biscuit is a must, as they provide a base to hold meat and cheese when needed. Your cheese board can have wheat or rice crackers, breadsticks, or even pita bread slices. Just make sure to keep the flavours simple so they crackers don’t overpower the delicious cheese.
Garnishes:
And finally, you’ll want to add a few garnishes to spruce up the overall presentation of your cheese board. Rosemary sprigs, mint, or coriander are all great options here.
The ideas are endless when making the best cheese board, as these suggestions are only the beginning. For many cheese board enthusiasts, condiments like jam and honey are also a must. You can pair your cheese board with some of our wooden accessories like a honey dipper or a mustard spoon. Just remember, there’s nothing worse than an overcrowded board. Keep it simple as not to overwhelm your guests with options.
How to Assemble the Perfect Cheese Board
Once you’ve stocked up on all the cheese board essentials, the next step is to assemble everything. After all, it’s not just about the flavours!
The presentation of a cheese board is a huge part of the experience. Here at Wild Wood, we like our platter to look organised and smart, not too messy.
These five steps will teach you how to make the perfect cheese board every time:
1. Place Your Cheese on the Platter
When assembling a cheese board, you always want to start with your two to three chosen kinds of cheese. There are two ways you can go about cheese placement.
You can opt to group them all together in a bunch on one side or corner of the board or spread them out. Once you’ve done this, the next few steps will be a breeze.
As you’re placing the cheeses, don’t pre-slice anything. We recommend providing knives and allowing guests to serve themselves.
They can choose how much or how little of a particular cheese they’d like to take this way. Plus, it looks more appealing this way.
Don’t you think a whole wedge or wheel of cheese looks much more beautiful when presented on a wooden platter?
2. Add Your Salty Elements
Next, you can start adding things like meats and other salty items. As mentioned, prosciutto, salami, and pepperoni are great options for a cheese board.
All you need to do is add neat piles surrounding your cheese. Olives and nuts can be added during this step as well. If you’d like, you can use bowls to keep everything (like those olives) in place, so things stay tidy.
3. Incorporate Your Sweets
A variety of flavour profiles is part of what makes a successful cheese board. That’s why sweets provide a nice change of pace.
Add some fresh or dried fruit and even some chocolate-covered nuts to give your guests something to snack on between bites of cheese and salty meats. Create a few piles of sweet treats across your cheese board.
4. Stack on Some Crackers
Now, wherever you see empty space on your board, you can begin stacking your preferred crackers. Nestled in between cheeses, meats, and other foods, the crackers will sit perfectly in place and will be accessible to anyone reaching for a snack.
5. And Finally, Garnish the Board
Adding a few garnishes is really what will take your cheese board to the next level. A few sprigs of fresh rosemary can make a huge difference, as they not only look smart, but they smell amazing too.
Sometimes we’ll even use a small, leafed vine straight from the garden because it looks great while also adding a little something unique.
Try Our Wooden Cheese Boards for a Better Presentation
If you want to create an Instagram-worthy cheese board, it all starts with the base. A gorgeous wooden cheese board makes a huge difference when it comes to the overall styling and presentation.
And here at Wild Wood, we have some beautiful options for you to choose from.
Check out our best wooden cheese boards to find one that suits your style.
