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.
🇬🇷 GreeceLadotyri MytilinisΛαδοτύρι Μυτιλήνης
A hard Greek cheese from Lesbos preserved in olive oil since ancient times.Sheep · Hard · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇹 ItalyPecorino di Filiano
A firm sheep's milk cheese from Basilicata with PDO status since 2007.Sheep · Hard · Salty
🇷🇸 SerbiaPulemagareći sir
A rare Serbian cheese made from donkey and goat milk, known for its crumbly texture and earthy taste.Other · Fresh · Nutty
🇫🇷 FranceSaint-Félicien
A creamy cow's milk cheese from France with a flower-patterned rindCow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh
🇮🇹 ItalySpressa delle Giudicarie
A semi-hard cow's milk cheese from the Giudicarie valley in Trentino-Alto Adige.Cow · Semi-hard · Nutty
🇫🇷 FranceAisy cendré
A washed-rind cow's-milk cheese rolled in wood ash and aged for two weeks.Cow · Washed rind · Smoky
🇬🇷 GreeceMetsovoneΜετσοβόνε
A semi-hard smoked pasta filata cheese from the Greek village of Metsovo.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇦🇹 Austria and 2 moreVorarlberger Bergkäse
A hard, nutty cow's-milk cheese from the Austrian Alps, aged for months or years.Cow · Hard · Nutty
🇪🇸 SpainGarrotxa
A semi-soft Catalan goat cheese with a powdery gray rind and earthy flavor.Goat · Semi-soft · Earthy and cellar
🇬🇧 United KingdomDorset Blue Vinny
A hard, crumbly cow's-milk blue cheese from Dorset with a strong taste and protected status.Cow · Hard · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇮🇹 ItalyCacioricotta
A southern Italian cheese made from milk and whey using a hybrid method.Sheep · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇹 ItalyCasciotta d'Urbino
A semi-soft Italian cheese from the Marche region made with sheep and cow milk.Mixed · Semi-soft
🇬🇧 United KingdomBuxton Blue
A cylindrical English cow's-milk blue cheese with russet veining, made under PDO rules.Cow · Blue · Savoury and brothy
🇳🇴 NorwaySnøfrisk
A soft, spreadable Norwegian goat cheese with a fresh, sour taste.Goat · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇮🇹 ItalyRobiola
A soft-ripened Italian cheese from Piedmont and Lombardy, made from cow, goat, or sheep milk.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sweet and caramel
🇳🇱 NetherlandsBoerenkaas
A Dutch semi-hard raw milk cheese with TSG protection, often spiced and farm-made.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty
🇮🇹 ItalyCaciotta
A mild Italian cheese made from cow, sheep, goat, or buffalo milk.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh
🇪🇸 SpainCasín cheesequeso Casin
A semi-hard cow's-milk cheese from southern Asturias with a protected origin status.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇭🇺 HungaryPálpusztai cheese
A pungent Hungarian soft cow's milk cheese aged for two to three weeks.Cow · Piquant and spicy
🇬🇧 United KingdomLanark Blue
A semi-hard blue cheese made from raw sheep's milk in Scotland.Sheep · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇷 FranceMottin charentais
A cylindrical French soft cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk with a creamy taste.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy
🇫🇷 FranceDélice de Bourgogne
A soft triple-cream cow's milk cheese from Burgundy with a bloomy rind.Cow · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇧🇷 BrazilCanastra cheese
A raw cow's-milk cheese from Brazil's Serra da Canastra highlands.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy
🇩🇪 GermanyNieheimer Käse
A sour milk cheese from North Rhine-Westphalia ripened in hops and flavored with caraway.Cow · Hard · Tangy and lactic
🇬🇧 United KingdomStichelton
A raw-milk blue cheese made in Nottinghamshire using traditional unpasteurised methods.Cow · Blue · Buttery and creamy
🇫🇷 FranceCathareCatara
A soft goat cheese from southern France with a charcoal-dusted rind marked by the Occitan cross.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreDubliner
A hard, granular Irish cow's-milk cheese aged for at least a year.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel
🇫🇷 FranceChavroux
A soft goat's milk cheese sold in small pyramid or cylinder containers.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇮🇹 ItalyBastardo del Grappa
A semi-fat cow's milk cheese from the Veneto foothills with a soft crumbly texture.Cow · Semi-soft · Savoury and brothy
🇫🇮 Finland and 1 moreAura
A Finnish cow's-milk blue cheese aged for six or twelve weeks.Cow · Blue · Salty
🇮🇹 ItalyDolcelatte
A mild, sweet Italian blue cheese made from cow's milk with a soft texture.Cow · Bloomy rind · Sweet and caramel
🇽🇰 Kosovo and 2 moreSharr cheeseDjathë i Sharrit / Шарски сир
A hard, salty cow and sheep milk cheese from the Šar Mountains of Kosovo.Cow · Hard · Salty
🇺🇾 UruguayColoniaQueso Colonia
A semi-hard Uruguayan cheese with pale yellow paste and small eyes, inspired by Emmental.Cow · Semi-hard
🇳🇱 Netherlands and 1 moreKanterkaas
A hard Dutch cow's milk cheese flavored with cumin and cloves, aged in Friesland.Cow · Hard · Sharp and tangy-aged
🇨🇦 CanadaOka
A semi-soft washed-rind cow's milk cheese from Quebec with a copper-orange rind.Cow · Semi-soft · Pungent and funky
🇫🇷 FranceCharolais
A soft, natural-rind goat cheese from Burgundy with an AOC and PDO status.Goat · Bloomy rind · Nutty
🇮🇹 ItalyCaprino
An Italian goat's-milk cheese made in fresh or aged styles across several regions.Goat · Fresh · Tangy and lactic
🇫🇷 FranceExplorateur
A soft-ripened triple cream cow's milk cheese from France with a squat cylindrical shape.Cow · Bloomy rind · Buttery and creamy
🇫🇷 FranceP'tit Basque
A small, medium-firm sheep's milk cheese with a basket-weave rind, aged 70 days.Sheep · Semi-hard · Earthy and cellar
🇮🇹 ItalyRed Pecorinopicurinu rusu
A red, stretched-curd sheep's milk cheese from Sicily, coloured with tomato sauce.Sheep · Stretched curd · Savoury and brothy
🇮🇹 ItalyPallone di Gravina
A firm pasta filata cow's milk cheese from southern Italy, aged for at least a year.Cow · Stretched curd · Nutty
🇫🇷 FranceChabis
A soft, white-moulded goat cheese from western France, often spiced.Goat · Bloomy rind · Tangy and lactic
🇬🇧 United KingdomDerby
A mild, semi-firm cow's milk cheese from Derbyshire with a buttery taste and smooth texture.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy
🇳🇱 Netherlands and 1 moreMaaslander
A mild Dutch cow's milk Gouda with reduced salt and distinctive striped rinds.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty
🇳🇴 NorwayKraftkar
A Norwegian blue cheese made from cow's milk and cream in Nordmøre.Cow · Blue · Salty
🇨🇦 CanadaLe Pied de Vent
A soft raw cow's milk cheese from Quebec's Magdalen Islands, aged for sixty days.Cow · Bloomy rind · Milky and fresh
🇺🇦 UkraineHutsul sheep bryndzyaгуцульська овеча бриндзя
A soft, crumbly sheep's-milk cheese from the Ukrainian Carpathians, ripened and salted by hand.Sheep · Bloomy rind · Salty
🇧🇬 BulgariaCherni VitЧерни Вит
A soft sheep's milk cheese from Bulgaria with a naturally green mold crust.Sheep · Salty
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Dorset Blue Vinny: Jon Sullivan, Public domain, source
- Charolais: Jackydarne, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Friesian Clove: Takeaway, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Oka: User Y6y6y6 on en.wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Aisy cendré: Pierre-Yves Beaudouin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sharr cheese: ThinkTank123, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pálpusztai cheese: JezWegierski, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Caprino: Number55, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- P'tit Basque: Havang(nl), CC0, source
- Saint-Félicien: Coyau, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ladotyri Mytilinis: C messier, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Metsovone: C messier, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dolcelatte: Richard Rutter, CC BY 2.0, source
- Vorarlberger Bergkäse: Hubertl, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Garrotxa: Government of Catalonia, Attribution, source
- Pallone di Gravina: Antucco at Italian Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Pecorino di Filiano: Rlucia, CC BY 3.0, source
- Casín cheese: Shalbat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Derby: Compro, Public domain, source
- Caciotta: Peachyeung316, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Robiola: Andrea Marchisio, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cacioricotta: Andrew Green, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Mottin charentais: Cobber17, CC BY 3.0, source
- Délice de Bourgogne: Beprost, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Canastra cheese: [https://www.flickr.com/people/8100764@N03 Marcelo Costa ], CC BY 2.0, source
- Nieheimer Käse: Tsungam, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Stichelton: Jeremy Keith, CC BY 2.0, source
- Dubliner: B137, CC0, source
- Chavroux: Tangopaso, Public domain, source
- Bastardo del Grappa: Krenakarore, Public domain, source
- Aura: Suvi Korhonen, CC BY 2.0, source
- Colonia: Coquimbo58, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Cathare: Paul Munhoven, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kraftkar: Bernt Rostad, CC BY 2.0, source
- Le Pied de Vent: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hutsul sheep bryndzya: Ukrinform TV, CC BY 3.0, source
- Kanterkaas: AlexanderVanLoon, CC BY-SA 3.0, source