How to wow with cheese this Christmas

The key to a balanced cheese board is variety, says Diarmuid Cahill, cheese-buyer at SuperValu. “You want different textures and flavours through a mix of a hard, blue, soft, aged and speciality cheeses. SuperValu’s award-winning Signature Tastes Irish farmhouse and continental cheese range offers all these crowd-pleasing classics,” Cahill says.

He recommends you start with the 24-month vintage Irish cheddar. “It is versatile and it invites people in,” Cahill explains, while the sweet, creamy texture of its Irish Farmhouse Cashel Blue cheese, a recent Blás gold award-winner, offers a contrasting sharpness. He builds on that with the inclusion of the semi-soft Gubbeen, which took a super gold at the recent World Cheese Awards. “This is a multiple award-winning and fantastically well-made cheese, something I love to encourage people to try.”

For variety Cahill suggests adding Allenwood smoked mature Irish cheddar, which took a silver at the same awards and gives a “beautifully balanced smoked flavour”. He also suggests Greek feta for contrast, to add a “great salty, creamy, crumbly texture”.

The indulgent addition of the new Signature Tastes Irish baking Cooleeney, “a Camembert-style creamy cheese, that when baked in the oven, gives it a gorgeous slightly nutty flavour profile, is a real showpiece served with a pile of crusty bread,” he says. “It is a real comfort food while a rich addition to the board is Signature Tastes French Brie de Meaux.”

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In addition to crusty bread, Cahill says, the board should include a few types of crackers, plainer styles for cheese that you want to stand alone and a saltier selection that can help elevate flavours. Crackers like Food Academy’s Tim’s Table lavosh crackers or On the Pig’s Back poppy seed crackers are always a great choice. A classic cheese chutney like the Signature Tastes apple and plum chutney and something sweeter, like O’Mimo’s apple chilli sage jam, or Signature Tastes caramelised onion relish, lets guests layer up as they desire.

How to build your board

“The cheese course should be the star of the meal,” says food stylist Clare Anne O’Keefe. “It’s about creating a visual display that will have wow factor. Start by arranging your selection in order of texture or strength, going from mild to strong, to guide your guests on a taste journey. Then fill the spaces around the cheese with crackers and relishes. Next, add edible decorations. This can be fresh and dried fruits and herbs. They bring seasonality and add colour and a lovely aroma.”

A red and green palette says Christmas without shouting it. O’Keefe says red fruits like pomegranate sliced in half look great, as well as red apples and berries. “Add green with rosemary, basil, and green grapes. You could even build your cheese and fruits in the shape of a festive wreath.”

Or you can bedeck the table with jewel colours from a sapphire-coloured table cloth to ruby and garnet-coloured fresh fruits such as persimmon, figs, pomegranates, black and crimson grapes, stud the table with glossy hazel nuts and walnuts, still in their shells. Serve with platters of SuperValu Signature Tastes award-winning cheese cuts all piled high to set a painterly scene that guests won’t want to leave. A selection of crackers and condiments such as Signature Tastes apple and plum or tomato and chilli chutneys; caramelised red onion and fire roasted pepper relishes and A Bit on the Side red jalapeno jelly, along with lit pillar candles to complete the festive picture

Details such as honey and nuts will add a hint of luxury and a creamy contrast, especially if you also decant relishes and chutneys into ramekins or small bowls, or serve them with a spoon for dolling out.

Serve all on a flat surface, O’Keefe counsels. “It could be a big wooden board, a platter or even a tiered cake stand, just make sure you’ve got plenty of room for all the accompaniments.”

Wine pairings

When it comes to choosing wines to complement your cheese selection, SuperValu’s wine buyer, Kevin O’Callaghan, says you need to consider the intensity of the flavours that you are matching wines to. “A strong cheddar with a grippy texture will accompany the tannins of a bold red but a fragrant white might best suit a light creamy cheese,” he explains.

Champagne or a sparkling wine is a wonderful all-rounder choice, O’Callaghan says. “The texture of the cheese crystals get a lift via the brioche notes of quality sparkling wines.”

For after-dinner additions he recommends the sweet richness of port or the lush honey marmalade of a dessert wine like Sauternes. Both are perfect when paired with blue cheese in particular. He does stress though not to put too much pressure on picking the wines for your cheese.

The key, he says, is have fun and experiment. “The classics are classics for a reason, but everyone’s palette is different and the only way you’ll learn what you love is by tasting lots of options,” O’Callaghan says.

“Creating a Christmas cheese spread should be an enjoyable experience, so savour the process and have a little nibble as you go.”

A simple supper tray

Pair semi-soft Gubbeen, winner of super gold at recent World Cheese Awards, show above, with Signature Tastes apple and plum chutney, tart slices of a granny smith apple and a glass of pinot noir. Try Albert Glass Pinot Noir from Germany.. Create contrast by adding chunks of Signature Tastes Greek feta topped with pomegranate jewels and serve with an aromatic white Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire such as La Perrière Côteaux du Giennois.

Melt in the mouth

Full rounds of Signature Tastes Irish baking Cooleeney, sold in their own oven-friendly terracotta dishes, can be a delightful snack to eat solo. Shared with crackers or crusty bread, it also makes a delicious supper. Bake as per pack instructions. Dress it with blackberries, pecan nuts, sage leaves and rosemary sprigs. Drizzle with honey to finish. If you are feeling especially decadent you can scoop out some of the rind and fill with a large spoonful of Sauternes before you bake. Serve with Tim’s Table lavosh crackers and a well-rounded dry Chardonnay, preferably an unoaked option such as Chablis Andre Goichot.

Solo Serving

Sit down with a hunk of Signature Tastes 24-month vintage Irish cheddar with a Grenache, syrah, Mourvedre (GSM) blend such as Vacqueras Remy Ferbras, some rye crackers and slather with Food Academy’s A Bit on the Side red jalapeño jelly

Cheese and wine pairings, by wine buyer Kevin O’Callaghan

• Signature Tastes Irish Farmhouse Cashel Blue Cheese with a dessert wine like Chateau Roumieu Sauternes.
• Signature Tastes Irish Farmhouse Gubbeen Cheese with a pinot noir, try Albert Glas Pinot Noir from Germany.
• Signature Tastes Allenwood Smoked Mature Irish Cheddar with a big Bordeaux like Chateau Lacombe Cadiot or Lady de Mour Margaux.

Please drink alcohol responsibly

What do you do with all the leftover cheese?

The big day may be over but leftover cheese need not go to waste. Wrap it up and then empty your larder to create easy-to-prepare bites that will go down a treat while watching a movie with your family or friends. Reusable Bee’s Wraps, a natural alternative to plastic that can be sealed using the warmth of your hands, cost €18.99 for a set of three at SuperValu

A whipped cheese butter board that is built for sharing

This is a delicious way to use up lots of cheese to create a snack that will go down a treat while watching Christmas TV.

Method:

1. You will need an electric handmixer and a wooden chopping board. Place the butter and left-over cheeses in a mixing bowl. Break up the remaining blocks – Brie, feta and Cashel Blue work well – and beat with an electric handmixer until they are well combined but some of the texture remains.
2. Use a palette knife or a large spoon to spread and swirl the mixture over the board, spreading to all corners.
3. Sprinkle chopped nuts, chopped herbs and pomegranate seeds over the board. Serve the board with crackers, grissini and crusty bread for dipping into the cheesy dip.

A decadent TikTok-worthy cheese toastie

Turn the remnants of your festive cheeseboard into the ultimate comfort food. This pan-fried cheese toastie takes full advantage of the rich assortment of cheeses that remain from your festive spread and can be layered on to leftover bread.

Method:

1. On a cutting board, lay out your bread slices. Grate or thinly slice your cold or frozen selection of Christmas board cheeses.
2. This mixture could include Signature Tastes vintage Irish red cheddar which will work beautifully. Mix the prepared cheese with one teaspoon of soft butter and a few grinds of black pepper in a microwaveable bowl.
3. The trick here is getting the cheese warmed before adding to the pan. Microwave the cheese mix for 30 seconds on 750 watts, then mix the leaves in with the warm cheese.
4. Spoon the cheese on to one slice of bread, carefully spreading out to the corners of the slice. If you fancy an extra kick, spread a thin layer of Signature Tastes harissa sauce or Signature Tastes wholegrain mustard with honey on the other slice of bread. Sandwich the two slices together.
5. Heat a heavy-bottomed frying pan on a medium-low setting. Thinly butter the top of your assembled sandwich, then place it, butter-side down, in the pan.
6. Apply gentle pressure using a spatula and fry for four to five minutes until golden brown. Butter the top slice, flip the sandwich, and toast the other side for another four minutes.
7. Once the cheese inside is irresistibly melted and the outside is crisped to perfection, remove from the pan, slice, and enjoy the oozing festive flavours – ideally from the comfort of your couch.
8. Cheese fans may wish to substitute the butter with whipped cheese to amp up the cheesiness.

Advice:

Pop cheese ends and rinds in a bag in the freezer and keep them on hand to infuse stocks and sauces. Feta and blue cheese freeze particularly well and can be crumbled directly into salads or scattered on to the top of a shepherd’s pie, moussaka or a pizza to enrich the flavour.