Tips for a tasty NZ Cheese Board
Entertaining? Check out these simple tips to help you put together a NZ cheeseboard combining different flavours and textures which will wow friends and whanau.
The basics
Decide on the cheese you want to use and gather up some interesting and delicious local ingredients to enhance those cheeses.
Use fresh, seasonal ingredients - they are full of flavour.
Bunch individual ingredients together – they will appear more luscious and tempting.
Put small dishes and bowls on the board or platter, then arrange the cheeses. Think about how you would like to group flavours to match the cheeses, e.g place the Piccalilli alongside the aged Gouda.
The board or platter
Choose a board or platter that will take a good selection of ingredients. Think about the number of people sharing your cheeseboard to gauge size.
Give texture to the board before placing ingredients – a sheet of torn baking paper, scattered fig leaves or grapevine leaves, when in season.
Use small bowls or dishes to hold ingredients where there is liquid involved, such as olives in olive oil, chutneys or relishes.
Knives and spoons
Offer a different knife for each cheese. This keeps the character of each cheese separate as well as not having to continuously pass one knife around.
Put a small spoon in with the Piccalilli and have one for the small olives.
NZ Cheeses
We used a wonderful selection of cheeses on our board pictured above. Of course, you can use larger pieces and less variety, but try to mix up the varieties to provide flavour and texture.
Bringing cheese to room temperature is essential to give the best eating experience. Up to four hours is generally the recommended time, with the exception of fresh cheeses where up to 30 minutes is plenty.
Crackers and bread
Oat crackers are a favourite with cheese. Try making them yourself with our recipe, or make your own seed crackers.
Breadsticks give texture and interest and are a great way to add some cured meat. Wrap a small amount of very thinly sliced Prosciutto around each breadstick.
You can add sliced sourdough bread or oven-toasted bread slices as well as crackers.
Accompaniments
Fill spaces with ingredients with flavour, texture and colour. Add a subtle sweetness with Rutherford & Meyer Quince Fruit Paste or you could add, fresh honeycomb. Fresh strawberries refresh the palate and look stunning on a cheeseboard as do raspberries. Out of season raspberries can be replaced with a handful of Fresh As° whole freeze dried raspberries.
Dried fruit, such as apricots, figs or golden raisins fill empty spaces as do handfuls of nuts.
Piccalilli adds juiciness and that piquancy we all love especially when paired with the Meyer Fenugreek Gouda or Barrys Bay Maasdam.
A handful of yellow or red cherry tomatoes will add juiciness too.
Cured meats add saltiness and spiciness - A Lady Butcher Free Range Coppa and The Hungarian Artisan Co. Salami.
Finish your cheeseboard with a few sprigs of fresh herbs.
Share & Enjoy 🧀💕