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Christmas cheese board

Christmas cheese board

Cook 15 min 4 servings

Christmas is all about entertaining – curating some quality time with the people you love. And a well-crafted cheese board will give your guests the perfect pre- or post-dinner dining experience, filled with delicious Castello® cheese and delightful pairings.

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ingredients

Cheeses

Accompaniments

  • honey almonds
  • fresh cranberries with sugar; defrosted frozen cranberries also work
  • orange marmalade
  • crackers (a mix of dark, salty, and classic white crackers)
  • fresh figs
  • fresh thyme or rosemary

preparation

1. Start by arranging the cheeses on your board from mildest to strongest in a clockwise order. Tasting in this sequence will allow your guests’ palates to fully appreciate the subtle flavours of each cheese before moving on to a more intense variety.

2. Choose moderate serving sizes to avoid cluttering your board and overwhelming your guests. Cut the cheeses into various formats: small dice, slices and wedges. Serve some cheese as large wedges and remember to include cheese knives.

3. Place crackers loosely beside your cheeses and fill spaces on your board with bowls of figs, cranberries and almonds, preferably matching your board. Serve marmalades in small glass jars. Finish your board with a sprig of rosemary.

4. Place assembled tasting bites around your board in small plates as a starting point for your guests.

Celebrate Christmas with a luxurious cheese board

A Christmas cheese board brings warmth and indulgence to your festive gatherings, offering an experience that goes beyond just eating. Whether served before or after dinner or as the main meal, it invites your guests to linger and savour the rich, complex flavours of a carefully selected range of cheeses.

A variety of cheeses to allure your senses

Each cheese on the board has been chosen to evoke a unique sensory experience, making it an ideal centrepiece for your Christmas table. Castello® Extra Mature Cheddar brings a sharp and bold richness, while Castello® Creamy White offers a smooth, velvety texture that melts in your mouth. Our Creamy Blue adds an intriguing depth with its savoury sharpness, perfect for those who enjoy a more complex flavour. For a hint of sweetness and tropical flair, our Pineapple & Almond Cream Cheese Ring combines a creamy base with subtle nutty and fruity undertones, adding a refreshing twist to your Christmas cheese board.

Served with well-chosen accompaniments

A cheese board is only as good as its accompaniments, and this selection elevates each bite to a new level. Honey almonds provide a sweet crunch, while sugared cranberries add a tart contrast. Orange marmalade offers a citrusy brightness that pairs beautifully with creamy cheeses, while fresh figs add their natural honey-like sweetness.

Arrange bite-sized treats with the right pairings

Our professional chef and a food scientist have collaborated to select the cheeses and pairings below based on their complementary flavour profiles, textures, and hues.

  1. Castello® Creamy White on a spoon with dried cranberries, dried flowers, and a small piece of honeycomb.

  2. Castello® Extra Mature Cheddar on a cracker with fig marmalade, fresh fig, and thyme.

  3. Castello® Creamy Blue on a dark cracker with a piece of dark chocolate of about 70-80% cocoa and sugared cranberries.

  4. Castello® Pineapple and Almond Cream Cheese Ring on a cracker with coconut flakes and fresh mint leaves.

The bites offer a delightful mix of hue, flavour and texture. For more on how these elements will taste and feel on the palate, and how to make this cheese board the centrepiece of a sensorial festive get together, read our article, How to make a Christmas tasting experience.

You can also make a personal tasting box for loved ones so they can make a cheese board of their own.

Tips

Although everything is utterly delicious, do not overcrowd the board. It is better to add more as you go than present a cheese board with so much food that guests find it hard to know where to begin.

Give the presentation of the accompaniments a thought, too. Arrange marmalades, honey, and other liquids in small, decorative glass jars with small spoons that match their size. Use small bowls that match your board for drier accompaniments, such as nuts and fruits. Crackers can be stacked decoratively and tied with a ribbon to create an exclusive look.