Obviously not!

​​When it comes to Christmas, few things bring as much joy as a delicious cheese board or a thoughtfully selected cheese gift. Cheese adds that perfect, indulgent touch to holiday gatherings, whether it’s served on a festive platter or gifted to a fellow foodie. So, if you're thinking about adding some cheesy goodness to your Christmas season, you’re in the right place! Let’s explore all the delightful ways to enjoy cheese this holiday.

In this blog, I'm looking at cheese and its role at Christmas.  Want to hear the extended blog?  Then, you can listen to it on my podcast.  Just scroll to the end of this blog to go to the recording

Why Cheese Makes the Perfect Christmas Gift
Christmas is all about joy, warmth, and celebrating togetherness, and cheese embodies all of that! Cheese gifts are great because they offer variety, are easy to personalise, and can feel wonderfully luxurious. Think of it as a gift that appeals to almost everyone. Artisanal cheeses, in particular, make a thoughtful present because you can find a flavour, texture, and style to suit any palate. Here are a few gift ideas:

• Aged Cheddar for the Classic Lover: Sharp, crumbly, and packed with flavour.
• Triple Cream Brie for the Decadent: Creamy, soft, and indulgent.
• Smoked Gouda for the Adventurous: Rich with a hint of smokiness that’s perfect for winter.

Each cheese can be beautifully wrapped with speciality crackers, a mini chutney jar, or even a unique cheese knife. For an added personal touch, include a handwritten note explaining why you picked that particular cheese for them.

Do remember to let the recipient know that their present needs to go in the fridge and avoid unpleasantness when they open it weeks later to mouldy cheese!

Creating the Perfect Christmas Cheese Board
A holiday cheese board is a work of art that will make your Christmas table look stunning. Aim to mix flavors and textures to keep things exciting. Here’s a quick guide to building a festive cheese board:

• ​Choose a variety: Include a mix of hard cheeses (like Manchego or aged Gouda), soft cheeses (like Brie or Camembert), and blue cheeses for some boldness.
• Add seasonal accompaniments: Cranberry chutney, candied pecans, and sprigs of rosemary add a lovely holiday flair.
• Incorporate fruit and nuts: Grapes, figs, dried apricots, and a handful of almonds or walnuts bring balance and add colour to your board.

Don’t forget crackers or fresh bread to bring it all together! Arrange everything on a rustic wooden board or a marble slab for an elegant presentation.

A Spotlight on Goat's and Sheep’s Milk Cheese
As more people become aware of lactose intolerance, alternatives like goat's and sheep’s milk cheeses have become popular. These cheeses tend to be gentler on the digestive system and often have unique flavours and textures that are perfect for adding variety to a cheese board.

• Why They’re Easier to Digest: Goat's and sheep’s milk contain less lactose than cow’s milk and have a different protein structure, making them more digestible for many people with lactose sensitivity.
• Unique Flavors for the Cheese Board: Goat cheeses, such as chèvre, are creamy with a tangy flavour, while sheep’s milk cheeses, like Manchego, offer a nutty richness that pairs wonderfully with figs, honey, or savoury crackers.
• The Artisanal Appeal: Small, artisanal farms produce many goat and sheep’s milk cheeses, adding a personal touch to holiday spreads and gift boxes.

Consider adding one or two of these cheeses to your board this Christmas to cater to guests with dietary sensitivities while introducing new and exciting flavours to the table.

The Gift of Cheese and JoyCheese is more than just food; it’s an experience. This Christmas, whether you’re gifting a beautifully aged cheese, crafting a stunning cheese board, or selecting a unique alternative for those with dietary needs, there’s a special kind of joy in celebrating with cheese. For more on creating the perfect cheese-filled Christmas, be sure to tune into this week’s podcast episode, where I chat about my favourite cheeses, pairing tips, and holiday traditions.

Wassail is a traditional drink that is associated with the Christmas season in many parts of the world.

A hot, spiced punch, wassail can be made from a variety of ingredients, including apples, oranges, spices, and ale or wine.

Traditionally, it was served from a communal bowl and was meant to be shared among friends and family.

The origins of wassail can be traced back to ancient civilizations, where it was used as a way to celebrate the winter solstice and welcome in the new year. In the Middle Ages, wassail was a popular drink during the holiday season, and it was often served at Christmas feasts and celebrations.
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In some parts of the world, it is traditional to go wassailing, which involves visiting friends and neighbours and singing carols while carrying a bowl of wassail. The tradition of wassailing is still practiced in some areas and is seen as a way of spreading good cheer and celebrating the holiday season.

If you fancy a warm, spiced drink for the New Year, but prefer something non alcoholic, then I highly recommend this recipe that was developed for me, when I ran the cook school, by a wonderful lady called Judith.

Last year I missed out on my Christmas Cheese order by a few days. 

So, when I was able to order early, this weekend, I was reminded of how my mum paid the milkman a pound extra each week so that at Christmas she had a 'hamper' delivered with special Christmas food.

​I think she would start around easter and it cost about £30 which, when the weekly shop was around £20 was a massive amount of money.

Although our milkman was Unigate, I found this ad from the period for Express Dairies which gives a taste of what you could save for.  We used to go for the cupboard food bundle as mum would put away a few pounds each week with the butcher, in order to pay for the meat at Christmas.

A Christmas biscuit selection box - one each of savoury cheese for biscuits and sweet biscuits. A packet of Cornish biscuits (I loved their texture). The classic McVitie's Tunis cake ... a joy to behold with its marzipan fruits on top (see the link for more on this 1970s delight) and some glace fruit.

There would be tins of soup ... Always Baxters... I still think of these as being posh because of that. Tinned vegetables;  including a tin of Heinz Russian salad, which was basically carrots, beans, peas and potatoes in salad cream .. in a tin!

A couple of packets of nuts would also be in there. Always KP. Always peanuts and a packet of either mixed nuts or cashews.

And for the tinned fruit ... tropical fruit cocktail. The same as a standard fruit cocktail, but with pineapple. And talking of pineapple, there would be that tin of crushed pineapple that no one knew what to do with and lived in the back of the cupboard until Christmas next year when mum would make us eat it for tea one day because you legally couldn't have two tins of it in the house or the world would end.

Pickles were always a big thing in the box. Piccalilli, which was so yellow with no forbidden food colours that it almost glowed in the dark. Those mini gherkins that were so hard, along with silver skin onions, rock hard olives and maraschino flavoured cherries because, at Christmas every woman would be whipping up a dry Martini for her husband and popping a maraschino cherry into her Cinzano Rousso and lemonade.

There would be a crate of soft drinks ... Always corona because 'every bubble has passed it fizzical'. I would be allocated one bottle of limeade and one bottle of cherryade to get through the festivities. There would be masses of lemonade because ... Well, you need something to add to your Cinzano. Although I strongly believe that mum and her friends had basically lemonade with a dash of Cinzano so it looked pink and smelt exotic.

If mum had a bit extra money, she would go for the top tier hamper which would also have two bottles of wine; always a choice between Blue Nun, Black Tower and Matteus Rose (do you like Demis Roussou?).

There would be an advent calendar (paper ... no chocolates in it in the 70s), some paper chain papers to make up and a card from the milk man.

It was such a big thing opening up the box. We'd all sit round and ooh and hah as each item was pulled out from the shredded wood and put into little groups on the carpet.