CROOME CHEESE
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Honestly? It’s not about having the most expensive cheese in the room. It’s about having the right ones and knowing how to put them together so that your guests are still talking about it the following week.
A good cheeseboard has contrast. Something soft and yielding next to something aged and crumbly. Something familiar sitting alongside something that makes people lean in and ask, “What is that?” That push and pull of flavour and texture is what makes it memorable.
Here at Croome Cheese, we live and breathe this stuff.
More is not always more, but too few and your board can feel a little sparse. A good rule of thumb we always come back to:
The key is variety across styles rather than quantity. One soft, one hard, one blue, and one wildcard- something a little unusual that gets people curious- and you’ve got the makings of something really special. If you’re not sure where to start, that’s exactly what we’re here for.
This is where the real depth lives. A properly aged hard cheese, think crystalline, crumbly, full of those little flavour pockets that come with time, is the backbone of any serious cheeseboard. Nutty, savoury, sometimes almost caramel-sweet, a great aged cheese is the one guests keep returning to throughout the evening. We take a lot of care choosing ours, and it shows. Our Jubilee Fig - a sweet cheese- is the perfect option.
We know, we know, not everyone is a blue cheese convert. But hear us out. A well-chosen artisan blue, served properly at room temperature with something sweet alongside it, has a way of winning people over. It’s the cheese that gets the most raised eyebrows going in and the most surprised appreciation coming out. Don’t skip it.
Something quietly brilliant has been happening in British cheesemaking over the last couple of decades. Small producers, often family-run, have been crafting cheeses that genuinely rival anything from France or Italy. When you choose British artisan cheese, you’re supporting real people, real craft, real flavour. We’re proud to stock it, and even prouder to talk about it.
This is the bit people overthink. It doesn’t need to be complicated; just give yourself a bit of time and follow these steps:
1. Get the temperature right. Take your cheeses out of the fridge at least an hour before your guests arrive. Cold cheese is flat cheese. Room temperature is where the flavour comes alive.
2. Pick your surface. A wooden board, a piece of slate, a marble slab- anything with a bit of presence works. The bigger the better, so you’ve got room to breathe between each cheese rather than everything crowding together.
3. Build out with accompaniments. Crackers, sourdough, oatcakes. Chutney, honey, fruit. A few walnuts, maybe some charcuterie. These aren’t decorations; they’re part of how each cheese gets eaten and enjoyed.
4. Label things up. Little flags or handwritten labels do two things: they help guests know what they’re eating, and they start conversations. “Oh, where’s this one from?” is exactly what you want to hear around your table.
5. Think about the journey. Place milder cheeses at one end and work towards the stronger ones. It’s a small thing, but it means guests can navigate naturally without accidentally overwhelming their palate with blue cheese before they’ve tried anything else.
A farmhouse cheddar with proper bite, a soft and oozy brie-style, a good blue, and a washed-rind to keep things interesting. This is the crowd-pleaser, familiar enough to feel comfortable, quality high enough to feel special. It never fails.
If you’re putting real thought into your wine, your cheese should match that energy. Lighter, delicate softs alongside a crisp white. Aged hard cheeses with a full-bodied red. A rich blue with a glass of port or dessert wine.
For the table that likes to explore. This is where we get to have fun, unusual varieties, lesser-known regions, raw milk cheeses, and interesting rinds. Think of it less as a cheeseboard and more as a guided tasting. Your guests will love it.
Sometimes the cheeseboard isn’t one of several courses; it’s the whole show. A generous, abundant spread that anchors a grazing table and draws people in all evening. If this is what you’re planning, talk to us about quantities, and we’ll make sure nobody goes home hungry.
The honest answer: a bit more than you think, but less than you fear. Here’s how we generally advise people:
The accompaniments aren’t an afterthought; they’re what ties everything together. A few things we always come back to:
We’re not a supermarket, and we wouldn’t want to be.
When you come to us, you get someone who will actually listen to what you’re planning, ask the right questions, and help you put together something that fits your occasion perfectly. We’re not handing you a pre-packaged selection and wishing you luck. We’re having a proper conversation about your dinner party and making sure you leave with exactly what you need.
That’s the difference. And we think it matters.
If you’ve made it this far, you’re probably already imagining the board. Let’s make it happen.
Get in touch with the team at Croome Cheese and tell us about your dinner party, how many people, what kind of evening, and whether you want guidance on pairings or just want to place an order. We’re happy to help with all of it.
Contact us today and let’s put together something your guests will genuinely remember.
