Did you know that today is National Cheese Lover’s Day? As if a cheese fan needs an excuse to indulge…
To celebrate, we enlisted the help of local cheesemakers from Donegal Farmhouse Cheese for advice on how to build the perfect cheese board – packed with tastes of Donegal.
Cheesy grazing boxes and boards are a great way to feast at home. The secret is getting the ingredients and balance just right.
Created by husband and wife duo, James and Noreen Cunningham from Kilcar, Donegal Farmhouse Cheese is a distinctive cheddar cheese full of flavour that reflects the unique landscape and countryside of Donegal.
Kilard Cheddar Cheese is a semi-hard cheese that is made using traditional techniques. It’s handmade from pasteurised cow’s milk and contains no artificial flavours, colours or preservatives. Plus, it’s suitable for vegetarians.
James and Noreen revealed these top tips for a showstopping platter:
CHEESE ESSENTIALS
When you’re creating your cheeseboard, we’d recommend going for three types; a hard cheese, soft cheese and blue cheese. Of course, you don’t have to limit yourself to these, but it’s a great place to start if you’re new to cheeseboards. Donegal Farmhouse Cheese’s Kilard Cheddar makes a great addition to any cheeseboard.
ROOM TEMPERATURE
Always allow time for the cheese to reach room temperature. Take it out about one to two hours before serving.
QUALITY CHUTNEY
Always select a quality chutney to compliment your cheese. Filligans of Donegal has a great range of great tasting chutneys that go brilliantly with both soft and hard cheeses.
PALATE CLEANSER
Add grapes to your cheeseboard to cleanse the palate between each cheese. You should eat a piece of cheese and then a grape.
CHOICE OF CRACKERS
Keep it simple and go for a cracker that gives you a clean and sharp crack. There’s loads of varieties out there with herbs and spices, but that can take away from the cheese taste. Fresh crusty bread also goes great with cheese.
WINE PAIRINGS
People often opt for red wine to go with a cheese board but a white wine offers a much cleaner taste. Check out Counter Deli for great advice on what might work well.
CHEESEBOARD CHOICES
Choose a cheeseboard that can fit between three and five cheeses. Donegal based company, Missing Piece, creates stunning personalised cheeseboards which make a great gift idea. https://www.missingpiece.ie/copy-of-house-warming
Donegal Farmhouse Cheese is available from stockists nationwide and online donegalfarmhousecheese.ie.
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