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EveryCheese

Cheeses for cheese boards

Served on its own, sliced or cut at the table, with bread, fruit and something to drink.

A cheese board serves cheese for its own sake, cut at the table and eaten with bread, fruit and something to drink. In France it comes after the main course and before dessert; in Britain and Ireland, often after dessert with a glass of port; in Spain and Italy, as tapas or antipasto. A good board balances styles, milks and strengths, so that each cheese shows off the others.

Building a board

Three to five cheeses are plenty for most tables. A common pattern is one of each kind: a soft bloomy or fresh goat cheese, a firm aged cheese such as Comté or Manchego, a blue, and perhaps a washed rind. Mixing cow's, goat's and sheep's milk adds variety. Allow about 30 to 50 grams of each cheese per person after a meal, and more if the board is the meal. Take the cheeses out of the fridge an hour before serving.

Order and cutting

Taste from mild to strong, so that a blue or a washed rind comes last. Cut each cheese so that everyone gets a fair share of rind and centre: wedges from the middle of a round, long slices along a wedge of hard cheese. An old rule of etiquette says never to cut the point off a wedge of Brie, which leaves the next person with only rind. Use a separate knife for blues and strong cheeses, so their flavour does not travel.

What goes with it

Bread and plain crackers, fresh and dried fruit, nuts, honey and fruit pastes are the usual partners. Spain serves Manchego with membrillo, quince paste; Britain serves Stilton with port; France eats its board with bread and red wine. In India, cheese boards from the country's growing number of artisan dairies set Bandel, Kalimpong and hill-farm cheeses beside chutneys, fresh fruit and roasted nuts.

Worth knowing

  • Comté: A firm, nutty anchor for any board
  • Brie de Meaux: The classic soft cheese
  • Stilton: Blue served with port
  • Manchego: Served with quince paste
  • Roquefort: Sheep's milk blue for the end of the board
  • Crottin de Chavignol: A fresh goat note
  • Époisses: A strong washed rind to finish
  • Kalimpong cheese: A mild Indian hill cheese

Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text by the EveryCheese desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Customs are described as tradition, not as advice. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Cheese boards on EveryCheese

The cheeses written up so far, best known first.

StyleFreshBrinedStretched curdBloomy rindLacticWashed rindSemi-softSemi-hardAlpineHardBlueSmokedWheyDriedProcessed
MilkCowGoatSheepBuffaloYakCamelMixedOther
FlavourMilky and freshButtery and creamyNuttySweet and caramelTangy and lacticSaltySharp and tangy-agedSavoury and brothyEarthy and cellarMushroomyPungent and funkySmokyHerbal and grassyPiquant and spicy
🇫🇷 FranceCamembert A soft-ripened cow's milk cheese from Normandy with a white mould rindCow · Bloomy rind · Earthy and cellar 🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreFetaφέτα A crumbly Greek brined cheese made from sheep and goat milk.Sheep · Brined · Tangy and lactic 🇨🇳 ChinaKefir cheese A tangy, creamy cheese set using kefir culture rather than rennet or acid.Mixed · Fresh · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇪 IrelandWicklow Farmhouse Cheese A range of handmade cow's milk cheeses from Arklow, Ireland, spanning soft bries to hard cheddars.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇦🇱 AlbaniaMishavin A soft, crumbly Albanian cheese aged in skins and wood from sheep or cow milk.Sheep · Buttery and creamy 🇦🇹 Austria and 1 moreTyrolean grey cheeseTiroler Graukäse A low-fat cow's milk acid-curd quark from the Tyrolean Alps with a moulded rind.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 France and 3 moreBrie A soft, pale French cow's-milk cheese with a white mould rind, aged for about five weeks.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇺🇸 United StatesLiederkranz A pungent American smear-ripened cow's milk cheese created in 1891 as a Limburger variant.Cow · Semi-soft · Pungent and funky 🇺🇸 United StatesBergenost A triple-cream Norwegian-style butter cheese from New York with green wax.Mixed · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy 🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreGvina levanaגבינה לבנה A soft, unripened cow's-milk cheese spread on bread in Israel.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic 🇹🇷 Turkey and 1 moreBasket cheesesepet peyniri A fresh, unsalted or lightly salted whey and curd cheese shaped in reed baskets from the Aegean coast.Goat · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 FranceBaguette laonnaise A soft, washed-rind cow's milk cheese from northern France shaped like a small loaf.Cow · Washed rind · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceClochette A small bell-shaped goat cheese from France with a wrinkled white rind and firm texture.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇮🇹 ItalyCastelrosso A rare semi-hard cow's milk cheese from Piedmont with a gray rind and mild lactic flavor.Cow · Semi-hard · Buttery and creamy 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreMarble cheese A processed cow's milk cheese with distinct colored marbling patterns.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy 🇮🇪 IrelandSt Tola Handmade goat's milk cheese from Inagh, County Clare, ranging from fresh logs to aged wheels.Goat · Fresh · Tangy and lactic 🇬🇧 United KingdomStinking Bishop A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from Gloucestershire, ripened in perry.Cow · Semi-soft · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceRoquefortRòcafòrt A raw sheep's milk blue cheese aged in the Combalou caves of southern France.Sheep · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 France and 2 moreBlue cheese A family of cheeses defined by blue-green mold veins created through deliberate inoculation and piercing.Cow · Semi-soft · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇮🇹 ItalyPecorino A family of Italian hard sheep's-milk cheeses with protected status.Sheep · Hard · Buttery and creamy 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandAppenzeller A hard, washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from northeast Switzerland with a herbal brine rind.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreMunsterMunster-géromé A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from the Vosges mountains of eastern France.Cow · Bloomy rind · Pungent and funky 🇪🇸 SpainCabralesqueso de Cabrales A pungent blue cheese from the Picos de Europa mountains of Asturias, Spain.Mixed · Blue · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇨🇭 Switzerland and 1 moreTête de Moine A semi-hard Swiss cow's milk cheese shaved into rosettes with a special tool.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceFourme d'AmbertForma d'Embèrt A narrow cylindrical blue cheese from the Auvergne region of France.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceLaguioleLa Guiòla A semi-hard pressed cow's milk cheese from the Aubrac plateau in southern France.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇳🇴 NorwayGamalostgammelost A firm, sour Norwegian cheese made from skimmed cow's milk and aged for several weeks.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic 🇬🇧 United KingdomCaerphilly A hard, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from South Wales with a mild lemony taste.Cow · Hard · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 FrancePicodon A small, spicy goat cheese from southern France with a rind that turns golden as it ages.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇵🇹 PortugalSerra da EstrelaQueijo Serra da Estrela A soft Portuguese sheep's milk cheese coagulated with thistle and aged for at least a month.Sheep · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy 🇬🇧 United KingdomRed Leicester A hard, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from England, aged for months and coloured with annatto.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇫🇷 FranceGaperon A dome-shaped Auvergne cheese with a white mold rind and garlic-pepper filling.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy 🇫🇷 FranceSelles-sur-Cher A small cylindrical goat cheese with a grey-blue mould rind from Centre-Val de Loire.Goat · Bloomy rind · Salty 🇫🇷 FranceSainte-Maure de Touraine A soft-ripened goat's milk cheese from Touraine, aged with a straw through its center.Goat · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 FrancePélardon A small, round soft-ripened goat cheese from the Cévennes mountains of southern France.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇭🇷 CroatiaPag cheesePaški sir A hard sheep's-milk cheese from Croatia's Pag island, aged up to eighteen months.Sheep · Hard · Salty 🇬🇧 United KingdomShropshire Blue A pasteurised cow's milk blue cheese with an orange rind and sharp flavour.Cow · Blue · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreWhey cheese A dairy product made from the liquid remaining after curds are separated during cheesemaking.Mixed · Whey · Sweet and caramel 🇪🇸 SpainMahónformatge de Maó / queso de Mahón A cow's-milk cheese from Menorca that ranges from soft and mild to hard and sharp.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy 🇪🇸 SpainAfuega'l pitu A soft, unpasteurised cow's milk cheese from Asturias, shaped like a mitre or sphere and often dusted with paprika.Cow · Milky and fresh 🇫🇷 FranceSaint AgurSant Agur A soft, double-cream French blue cheese with olive-green veins and a mild spicy taste.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇹🇷 TurkeyTulumtulum peyniri A traditional Turkish goat's milk cheese ripened inside a goatskin casing.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 FranceChevrotin A soft, washed-rind goat cheese from the Savoy Alps with a reddish rind.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 FranceSaint-PaulinSaint Paulin A semi-soft French cow's milk cheese with a washed orange rind and buttery flavour.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy 🇬🇧 United KingdomCornish Yarg A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from Cornwall wrapped in nettle leaves.Cow · Semi-hard · Tangy and lactic 🇸🇪 SwedenPrästost A semi-hard Swedish cow's-milk cheese with a mild, nutty flavour and a washed rind.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty 🇫🇷 FranceRigotte de Condrieu A small, soft goat cheese from the Lyonnaise region with a white mold rind.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic 🇫🇷 FranceChabichou A cylindrical French goat cheese with a natural rind, aged for two to three weeks.Goat · Semi-soft · Tangy and lactic
More cheeses

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

The weekly digest

Every Monday: seven cheeses you may not know, the cheese days of the week ahead, and one dish explained step by step.