Great British Food - Christmas 2025

MAKING CHEESE THE centrepiece Followour tips to ensure you get the verybest out of your cheese selection this Christmas H ands up if you spend hours lurking outside your local cheesemonger eachDecember, queuing patiently to collect (or select) what will land on your festive cheeseboard. Alongwith the turkey, the roast potatoes, the pudding and the bubbles, cheese is a central part of most people’s celebrations, The perfect ‘picky tea’ late into the evening on the 25th. An easy addition to the Boxing Day table, nestling neatly alongside slices of gammon, the last pickings of the turkey, bubble and squeak and the endless jars of pickles and chutneys you’ve pulled fromthe cupboards. If cheese is your ‘thing’, let us guide you towards themost cheese-ilicious Christmas ever with our expert advice. Buildinga festive cheeseboard As a rule, allow around 30g of each cheese per person, sticking to three to five types. Christmas might be a time of abundance and decadence, but will you really have room in the fridge for 10 different varieties? We recommend keeping it classic, and British, this year. The ‘holy trinity’ which absolutely should make an appearance are a good cheddar, a stilton (or other blue cheese) and a brie style. To these, add something quirky such as a truffle-infused or washed rind cheese, and a soft goat or sheep’s milk cheese. Visit the Great British Food Awards website to discover award-winning cheeses that will turn your guests’ heads. Intuition might tell you to decorate your board with snippets of holly and other seasonal greenery, but it’s important (especially when there’s potentially copious amounts of alcohol involved) that everything on the board is edible. Brined vine leaves are an attractive alternative to foraged foliage, and fill gaps with dried cranberries, frozen grapes, little pots of pickles and relishes, baby balsamic onions and halved pomegranates and oranges. Perfect pairings CHEDDAR What’s Christmas without a huge wedge of Cheddar waiting in the fridge to satisfy your cravings? Because it’s a special occasion, we think you should treat yourself and invest in the really good vintage or clothbound variety. You’ll be surprised at the difference in taste if you’ve never tried them before. Pairings: A bold cheddar should be allowed to ‘have its moment’ so don’t go too whacky. In winter we like to match it with tiny balsamic onions, sweet onion relish, and even baked apples. To drink: Cider will always be a winner with cheddar – they were made for each other. Farmhouse, vintage or West Country cider work especially well. 87 FEATURE | CHRI STMAS CHEESE greatbr i t i shfoodawards.com