A good cheese board is not about quantity. It is three or four cheeses that are different from one another, served at the right temperature, on a board with room to breathe.
Choose three
Something hard and mature, like a cheddar. Something soft and creamy. Something blue or sharp, if your guests like it. More than that and nobody can remember what they have tried.
Bring it out early
Take the cheese out of the fridge an hour before you eat. Cold cheese tastes of very little.
Add something sharp, something sweet
A spoonful of chutney or pickle, a few grapes, an apple sliced at the last minute, some walnuts. A little bread and some plain crackers or oatcakes to carry it all.
Use a good board and the right knife
A wooden board that looks well on the table and a knife for each cheese, so flavours do not travel. Our kitchen and dining collection has boards and cheese sets chosen for exactly this.
Leave it out
A board is for lingering over. Put it in the middle of the table, pour something warm or cold, and let people help themselves.