How to build the Ultimate Cheese Board – Holiday Edition

For more holiday appetizers, side dishes and desserts, click here.

For holiday baking ideas, including cookies (!), click here.

For tips on making a cheese board, read on!

Original post…

Every celebration deserves a cheese board and in our house that means one that’s Gluten-free with Vegan options too.

When my family arrives for a holiday or celebration of any kind, some of them head straight for the cheese board!

It is place to gather, settle in and enjoy good conversation, so I always make sure it has something for everyone.

And it’s always a hit because it has it all going on…

This one has:

one soft cheese (Robiola)

two hard cheese (Challerhocker and a gouda)

several types of olives

dried figs

dried apricots

fig jam

honey comb

fresh grapes

strawberries

raspberries

pomegranates

cashews

and 4 gluten-free crackers– Absolutely Gluten-Free original, Breton Gluten-free Original with Flax and two types of Mary’s Gone Crackers.

Truth be told, I used to be intimidated to make a cheese board but I’ve learned some tricks along the way to keep it simple.

Caveat: I am by no means a cheese expert.

The cheeses I’ve chosen were recommended by a cheese store.  So definitely ask your local cheese store or cheese department of your local store for recommendations… they will often let you tastes the cheese as well.

How to basics:

1. Choose your board.  We used a Slate board but a wooden board or serving plate of any kind will do
2. Choose your cheeses so that there are different textures and/or different cheese sources (i.e. cow, sheep, goat) — we chose a soft cheese, hard cheese and vegan cheese spread.  If I weren’t including the vegan option, I might have added a fresh cheese like a goat cheese or a blue cheese for something stronger.
3. Add different flavors and textures: Add salty foods (we did olives), crunchy foods (we added a nut mix), sweet foods (dried fruit is a great options — we added dried figs and dried apricots) and fresh fruit (I always love added fresh grapes because they stay fresh the entire evening and are easy to eat)
4. Add condiments or spreads– fig jam, honey, olive tapenade.
5. Add your favorite gluten-free crackers.  We looked for different shapes.
6. Overall tip: in choosing all the above, think about choosing things are are different colors, different shapes and different textures to add interest to your board including something seasonal.
7. Have fun with it!

And you can make the board as big or as small as you like depending on how many people you’re serving and what else you have going on.

Here are two smaller versions of a Holiday cheese boards…

And you can switch it up based on the holiday…

Here’s one I did for Thanksgiving.

You can see how the I used the same basic “rules” as above but by leaving out the holly it’s a completely different feel.

No matter how big or small you make it, have fun with it and enjoy!

And don’t be intimidated… just start by laying out some cheese and crackers and enjoy!

Scroll down for printable tips and leave a comment if you also love cheese boards!