Including Cheese in Your Wedding Menu

I adore cheese. In fact, I wish every meal included a smorgasbord of deliciously ripe savoury selections, and then a small but beautiful dessert as the finishing touch. In Britain we are spoilt for choice with the sheer variety of award-winning cheeses available on our doorstep, even before crossing the Channel to make the most of the continental selection.

If you are a foodie couple who want to say “Cheese please!”, here are some ways of ensuring your craving is sated on your wedding day.

A Cheese Cake

Use three to seven well selected wheels of cheese and decorate with figs and flowers — this can then used for a beautiful cheese table in the evening.

Beware when buying. Don’t look at the pictures, but consider the weight of the cheese. I have taken delivery of some tiny cheesecakes that are completely underwhelming.

A Sharing Board Per Table

This classic approach presents tables of guests with something at the end of the meal. Be sure to combine a blue, a soft and a hard cheese on the platter, and they should all be pasteurised.

Focus on well selected biscuits such as wheat wafers, charcoal or Duchy Organics digestives, with some delicious chutney, membrillo or bacon jam to make it even more special.

Assiette de Fromage

This is where we can have much more fun and make a real statement by serving individual portions in beautiful compositions to each guest, making it a dish in its own right rather than a small selection.

My favourite combinations are:

Whipped brie de meaux feuillete, apricot and onion chutney and corn mache
Ashed Chevreaux with slow roasted beets and walnut croustade
Organic Roquefort with heart of round lettuce, orange poached pear and homemade digestives
Tymsboro soft goat’s cheese with fresh mango, baby spinach and walnut bread

Cheese Canapés

Canapés are the simplest way of getting a variety of tasty and filling cheeses into your menu.

Winning cheese canapés include:

Dolcelatte and fresh fig on raisin bread with balsamic caramel
Pecorino and sundried tomato risotto balls
Halloumi, zucchini and mint tempura
Mini ploughman’s with extra mature reserve cheddar
Warm torte of Roquefort with sauterne poached grapes
Goats cheese macarons

The Ultimate Late Night Cheese Buffet

A well thought out and carefully planned cheese buffet can be a memorable talking point. For extra impact use a small table (6ft x 2ft should do) with logs or cake stands to create different heights of select cheeses and accessories. Decorate with labels and style to make it easy for guest to identify and interact with the display. Be sure to display the condiments prettily so they form part of the decoration and styling.