Hi there!
Can you believe how close we are to Christmas already?…Where has this year went to? I am slowly starting to think about the big Pre-Christmas decoration house clean and getting the social diary organised. Our social life normally revolves around food (!!!) and we rarely have a gathering in Rose Cottage without a cheese board making an appearance…any excuse eh?!
Cheese boards are a quick and easy way to impress your guests and there is something on there to suit everyone’s tastes; So here are my top 5 tips to make a simple cheese board for this festive season:
Tip 1 : Buy a wide selection of high quality food.
Your local SPAR store is packed with goodies to make entertaining this Season as simple as possible. Head there and pick up a variety of produce including cheeses, crackers, fruit and dips – keep in mind colours, as you want to make your board as interesting on the eye as possible.
Tip 2: Pick the perfect board.
Board shape will dictate the way you style your food. If you have a bigger gathering, be creative with what you use to display your food on; I have used a wood effect floor tile sample before which is a cheap and effective alternative.
Tip 3: Start by positioning your food on the board with the biggest items first.
I place my cheese and bowls before anything else, these take up the most room – you will tuck everything else into the blank spaces later on! I like using bowls to hold things like dips, pesto and smaller items; plus the height and round shapes helps break up the cheese board and makes it more fun to look at. I always choose to serve cheeses in a variety of shapes to add visual interest. SPAR have a fantastic range of cheeses in store, our favourite being the Wensleydale and Cranberry which is perfect for this time of year especially.
*Remember cheese is best served at room temperature which means you should take it out of the fridge and let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour before serving.
Tip 4: Place your crackers/ breads and meat around these.
Make little piles of crackers and put bread on its side to add height to your cheese board. Don’t forget to have some cutlery, especially knives close by to allow your guests to easily add extras on top.
Tip 5: Use fruit, nuts and sweets as fillers.
This is where the magic happens!! Filling the gaps in your cheese board is what really gives the professional and finished feel. Also these are the little extras which keep people coming back to the cheese board for more!
And lastly enjoy! As I said before, it’s any excuse here in Rose Cottage to crack out a cheese board and with SPAR stocking such fab produce, it couldn’t be any easier.
Be sure to tag me and SPAR over on Instagram if you make one using the tips so we can droll over it too!
Hope you enjoyed reading, as much as I enjoyed writing!
