Foodie Friday: Cheeseboard with grapes.

One of my favourite things to eat as a meal is cheese. Macaroni cheese, melted cheese on a pizza, cheese fondue or a simple toasted cheese sandwich will do me just fine. But, one of the most simple suppers to have which definitely wins on taste is a cheeseboard with grapes.

 

Now, different people will have very different tastes when it comes to which cheese to have on your cheeseboard. Some people like relatively mild cheese, perhaps more creamy and soft then the more mature versions. Some people love blue cheese, ones that you can smell a mile away, or maybe a mixture of the two.

 

These are the cheeses that I like to put on a cheeseboard if we’re having one:

– Brie. Oh my goodness, without a doubt my favourite cheese, Brie is always on there. I tend to like the creamier Bries, but any will do. I like to buy a big wedge of this, mainly because it’s my favourite!

 

– Mature cheddar. A cheeseboard wouldn’t be complete without a nice bit of cheddar. I didn’t use to like mature cheddar at all but I now choose it because it does have a better depth of flavour. Plus my husband prefers it, so I don’t mind having the more mature one on there.

 

– Some kind of smoked cheese. Not too strong on the smokiness, but still a definite smokey flavour within the cheese. A different dimension of flavour and very good with a rosemary cracker.

 

– Goats cheese. Ooh I love me some goats cheese. I’m not particularly choosy on the type either, whether its a log that is really smooth or a circle which you can cut bits out of, goats cheese is also a good addition. Great with a grape!

 

– Wensleydale. On a couple of occasions, me and my husband have taken the (fairly) long drive to The Wensleydale Creamery in the Dales, to sample some of their beautiful cheese. Plain Wensleydale or with cranberries is a good one to choose. The texture is more crumbly than the others, so again is a different texture. This goes well with the humble Hovis biscuit.

 

If there are other people in our house joining us on our cheese-fest, then I’d add some blue cheese and perhaps another flavoured cheese, such as cheddar with caramelised onions. The more the merrier on there!

 

Now, for the additions. In my opinion, you cannot have a cheeseboard without some grapes. Red and green both work well and cut through the richness of the cheeses with the freshness and crispness of the fruit. Just scatter these alongside the cheese and some crackers. I normally get some rosemary ones as I love the flavour paired with the cheese and then some water biscuits and some Hovis. Oh, and good quality butter. This would make a perfect Valentine’s Day supper with a loved one.

 

Yum! I’ve made myself hungry now!

 

And finally, Lavender and Lovage often has yummy pictures of cheese on her Instagram account…