Selecting Your Cheeses:

Hard Cheeses: St. Malachi, Havilah, Runnymede, Seven Sisters

Soft Cheeses: Fresh Chevre, Hand Wrapped Mozzarella, Blooming Clover, Kidchego, Honey Bell

Crumbly Cheese: Birchrun Blue Cheese, Farmhouse Feta, Der Edel Bleu Kase, Foxtail

Interesting Cheeses: Smoked Gouda, Mountain Home Woodsmoked Cheddar, Minced Garlic Cheddar, Felsa Yehr

To balance your salty, funky cheeses like blues and strong bries, you'll look for something a bit sweet to bring balance, which you find with honey or jam, along with fresh fruit like pears and apples. With smooth, creamy flavored cheeses, you can pair them with something salty like olives or cornichons, and even a touch of mustard is great! You can also do a savory jam to complement the cheeses. Adding a bit of crunch with your favorite nuts is also a great addition. Softer cheeses often are spreadable, so you'll be using your crackers or bread for these. They're often perfect with chocolate or fresh fruit. When choosing your accompaniments, keep these things in mind; however, there's no need to overthink it or overcomplicate the board.

Choosing Accompaniments:

When choosing your accompaniments, you'll want to make choices to balance the profiles of the cheeses.

Preserves & Spreads: Harvest Plum Jam, Cherry Apricot Jam, Cut Comb Honey, Maple Mustard, Mango Chutney

Pickles & Briny Items: Castelvetrano Olives, Sweet & Spicy Cornichons, Capers

Fruits & Veggies: Apples, pears, grapes, melons, berries, beans, carrots, radishes (choose what's in season and showcase fresh fruit on the board)

Nuts: Roasted Cashews, Hazelnuts, Pepitas

I always add a bit of chocolate when I'm crafting cheese boards. My current go-to is the Zuta & Orange Chocolate bar. Just break it into small pieces and add a small section to the board. Last but not least, don't forget crackers and/or bread. We love Crispbread, which is available in five flavors, so you can't go wrong.

With these tips, you're well on your way to crafting a delightful cheese plate!