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For blues, Brits are spoilt for choice. Wilkin’s latest favourite is Pevensey, from artisan producer Martin Tkalez in Sussex. ‘It’s a Gorgonzola-Dolce style cheese – really wonderful. But if you can’t get your hands on it, opt for a classic Cropwell Bishop Stilton. Buttery, smooth, complex, savoury, it’s everything you want from a blue.’
After a tough year in which cheese makers lost much of their restaurant trade, Paxton & Whitfield’s head cheesemonger, Hero Hirsh, sees Christmas as the perfect time to support the cheese industry.
To add some personality to your board, she suggests subbing out big-hitter classics for more unusual British selections. Instead of Cheddar, traditionalists might enjoy a wedge of Lincolnshire Poacher or, for the more adventurous, Irish Mossfield Organic. ‘It’s more of a gouda-style, and it’s such a crowd pleaser,’ Hirsh says. ‘I always say it’s the kind of cheese you can take to parties: not too hard work and very easy to get on with.’
Instead of Stilton, she recommends Lincolnshire’s Cote Hill Blue, a blue brie with a soft consistency and a full flavour. And the French brie? Try a wedge of Baron Bigod instead, or the unctuous Rollright made by Gloucestershire’s David Jowett, which Wilkin holds in high regard. ‘It’s akin to a Vacherin Mont D’Or,’ he tells us. ‘The light, peach rind offers notes of smoky bacon and roasted peanuts, all encasing an incredibly smooth middle.’
When it comes to getting your board on the go, you should be getting the cheese out the fridge half an hour before you serve – or an hour if they’re large chunks. When at room temperature, cheese becomes more expressive in flavour. ‘It’s like uncorking a bottle of red an hour before you drink it,’ says Wilkin. ‘You allow it to relax and the flavours to mellow. Straight out the fridge, you aren’t seeing it or tasting it at its best.’
On the board, Hirsh prefers to use larger pieces that look more impressive and provide plenty of leftovers. Avoid spreading the variety too thin – you might be tempted to fill up a slate with seven or eight types of cheese, but you’ll just end up with dinner guests missing out on a few of the wedges.
Keep your crackers humble, according to the experts. ‘I tend to go very, very simple,’ Hirsh told us. ‘A plain biscuit will let the cheese be the star and that’s important when you’ve spent time selecting cheeses for their flavour.’
Wilkin agrees: ‘For something simple try a Peter’s Yard sourdough. Although, I’m also a sucker for a McVitie’s digestive biscuit paired with blue cheese. That sweetness mixed with the maltiness works well.’
To tip your toes in the more exotic, try matching the strength of the cheese’s flavours. At Paddington’s Cheese Barge Wilkin pairs more unusual combinations to individual cheeses, include green kimchi with Cheddar. ‘Those big, bold pasture-led flavours work well with fermented notes,’ Wilkin says.
Texture, again, is key. ‘I like a bit of crunch,’ Wilkin tells us. ‘Add radishes or celery and a few slices of apple or pear. It’s about a texture contrast: match something with big crunch with a soft, smooth cheese and it’s very satisfying on the palate.’
If you struggle with stronger flavours, avoid the nose of the cheese (the tip of a wedge) as it’s the centre of a wheel and therefore the cheese’s most mature section. Make sure you provide ample knives, too. A simple mistake many hosts make is not providing enough steel.
‘If one person is cutting the stilton and that same knife is used to cut the goat’s cheese, you’ll completely lose the flavours of the lighter cheese.’ says Wilkin.
‘You want something that complements the cheese, and shares its flavour profile,’ according to Wilkin. ‘Say you’re serving Loire goat’s cheese – all crisp, fresh, lemony minerality. You should be pairing it up with a Sauvignon Blanc which shares the characteristics.’
At the other end the spectrum, for bigger, bolder flavours, the easy choice is marrying port with its comfortable bedfellow stilton. ‘But a chocolate stout works really well with blue cheese – all those sweet, malty coffee notes,’ says Wilkin.
He also advises to avoid bosomy reds. ‘A full-bodied white wine is your best bet across the board. It has the acidity to deal with a goat’s cheese but the body and fruitiness for a lighter blue and full-flavoured hard cheese.’
For a sure-fire pairing, try matching up cheese with a local tipple. ‘My personal favourite for cheese pairing is some of the British cider being produced at the moment,’ says Wilkin. ‘Try pairing clothbound Westcombe Cheddar with Oliver’s The Next Big Thing, a partially keeved cider that’s full of baked apple fruitiness. It has enough tannins to deal with the fat in the cheese, so together offer a refined rusticity.’
With Covid-19 causing problems across both the British and European cheese industry, both our experts suggest returning to old favourites for a Christmas star. ‘Look for the people who have been doing this for years,’ says Hirsh. Her top pick this year is a Mont d’Or. ‘It’s a seasonal cheese, from the Jura region of France, and it’s at its peak in December. You can peel back the fluffy rind to find a totally liquid inside.’
For Wilkin, the British blues take 2020’s gold. ‘Caws Cenarth make a beautiful smooth and creamy blue called Perl Las. It’s almost malty in flavour.’ He also recommends checking out Young Buck, a Northern Irish raw milk cheese that’s made to the Stilton recipe. The best way to eat it? ‘The guy who makes it has a favourite pairing: atop a chocolate digestive.’
Because you read about cheese
Also by Lucy Kehoe
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