Guide to Cheese

To get the best out of your cheese there are three things to consider: selection, storage and serving. Get these right and you will maximise both the flavour and shelf life of your cheese.

Selection

Quantity
As a guide, allow around 50–100g of cheese per person. For a cheeseboard, three or five cheeses usually gives a good balance, although one generous piece can sometimes work better than several small ones.

Variety
A classic combination is one soft, one blue and one hard cheese. Another option is to explore one style in more depth — for example three goat cheeses with different textures and ages.

Balance
Think about texture as well as flavour. A soft white mould, a firmer blue and a crumbly hard cheese will give the board contrast and make each cheese easier to appreciate.

Storage

Do not wrap cheese tightly in plastic
At K-SEIN Fromagerie we wrap cut cheese in specialised cheese paper. Keep it in that paper in the fridge. Waxed paper inside a loose food bag is a good alternative.

Give your cheese a little breathing room
A large container in the fridge can help protect cheese from drying out and from absorbing other food aromas.

Use a less-cold part of the fridge
The vegetable drawer is often a good place for cheese because the temperature and humidity are usually more stable.

Avoid freezing artisan cheese
Freezing damages texture and aroma. The exception is hard-cheese rinds such as Parmigiano Reggiano, which can be frozen for stocks and sauces.

Serving

Serve cheese at room temperature
Take it out of the fridge, still wrapped, around 30–60 minutes before serving so the texture and aroma can open up.

Biscuits and bread
Choose something that supports the cheese rather than overpowering it. Crispbreads suit many hard cheeses, while fruit bread can work beautifully with rich triple creams.

Accompaniments
Fruit pastes and honey balance salty cheeses; pickles and chutneys work especially well with firmer styles. See our cheese accompaniments.

Drink matches
The key is balance: the drink should match the intensity and richness of the cheese rather than overwhelm it.