HARRIET ARKELL SAVVY SHOPPER: Christmas goes crackers! Cheddar with chilli. Stilton with Drambuie. Even one that looks like Xmas pud...
The supermarkets have come up trumps in the 'unusual' stakes this year with cheeseboards
Forget turkey and mince pies: there’s nothing more festive than the Christmas cheeseboard. No longer confined to ancient lumps of smelly Stilton, a proper Christmas cheese board is groaning with interesting cheeses, fat grapes, nuts, and a good selection of biscuits.
The fact you’re already full before the cheeseboard appears is neither here nor there.
Waitrose’s cheese buyer, Chris Dawson, says: ‘Guests will always make room for a cheese course, even after a big meal,’ he says.
‘To create the perfect cheeseboard, choose four cheeses including a blue, a hard, a creamy and then something a bit unusual.’
The supermarkets have come up trumps in the ‘unusual’ stakes this year, with options ranging from Sainsbury’s Wensleydale with Fig and Salted Caramel to Tesco’s Boozy Jewelled Cheese Trio where little cylinders of cheese have been topped with chocolate honeycomb pieces (I know!).
Tesco’s cheese buyer Georgina Wells says our appetite for unusual cheese is growing, particularly at Christmas.
‘While Stilton is still by far the single biggest-selling cheese variety at this time of year, it’s the newer types, such as those infused with fruit and alcohol, that are catching shoppers’ eyes’, she says.
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Here are seven cheeses that will help make your cheeseboard a showstopper this year:
Cornish Cove with a Mulled Fruit Wreath, 175g, £3, M&S
A seriously good mature cheddar, matured longer than average, with a pretty array of mulled fruits on top. The sweetness of the fruit balances out the salty cheese perfectly.
The Christmas Pudding White Stilton with dried cranberries, £5.49, from Waitrose, looks like a Christmas pudding covered in white icing but it is in fact a delicious white stilton covered in wax
White Stilton with a Cranberry & Orange Wreath, 175g, £3, M&S
This one is beautiful — a creamy white stilton with cranberry and orange decorations.
Stilton, but not as you know it: everyone will want to try a piece. Tastes presently sharp and even more creamy than blue cheese.
Christmas Pudding White Stilton with dried cranberries, 300g, £5.49, Waitrose
It looks like a Christmas pudding covered in white icing and a sprig of holly, but is in fact a delicious white stilton, covered in wax, with sweetened dried cranberries running through it.
Truly Irresistible Epoisses AOP, 125g, £2.59, The Co-operative, is an award-winning full-fat French cheese
Cheddar Bombe with chilli and red pepper, £3 or two for £4, Tesco
If fruited cheeses aren’t your thing, this tangy cheddar with sweetfire red chilli and dried red pepper flecks would be a good choice. It looks lovely, too. This also comes in a Christmas pudding flavour, with Grand Marnier, dried berries and orange peel — sweet and spicy.
Truly Irresistible Epoisses AOP, 125g, £2.59, The Co-operative
This full-fat soft French cheese won a gold medal at this year’s International Cheese Awards. It has a subtle fruity flavour and has been washed with Marc de Bourgogne brandy.
Tesco's Finest cheese trio includes two Stiltons and a cheddar, infused with different spirits and topped with chocolate honeycomb pieces and covered with edible glitter
Finest* Boozy Jewelled Cheese Trio, 155g, £4, Tesco
Three little cheeses — two Stiltons, one cheddar — infused with different spirits like Drambuie and rum, topped with chocolate honeycomb pieces and covered with edible glitter from a sachet that comes with it. Worth having for the fun factor alone, but they look lovely and taste even better.
Badoz Vacherin du Haut-Doubs, 350g, £9.29, Waitrose
This creamy cheese is a personal favourite of Waitrose’s buyer. It comes in a fine pinewood box and is only made for a few months of the year, so enjoy now while it’s at its best.
Badoz Vacherin du Haut-Doubs, £9.29, Waitrose is a creamy cheese, which comes in a fine pinewood box
To save money while you shop visit mysupermarket.co.uk
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