How to Create an Instagram-worthy Cheeseboard from Adam Woolven

⁣There’s no doubt about it, Britain is a nation of cheese lovers. A cheeseboard never disappoints us Brits, but it’s even ‘feta’ when this party favourite looks ‘gouda’ enough for Instagram.

Adam Woolven, Head Chef at the eco-friendly Island Grill, created the 40-Mile Cheeseboard with four cheeses all sourced from within forty miles of the restaurant. Here Adam lends his tips on how to fashion a cheeseboard that looks as good as it tastes.

Mix It Up
Ensure your cheeseboard has a mixture of textures (soft, hard, and crumbly), strengths and sources, such as cow’s, sheep’s and goat’s cheese. Include at least one soft cheese and one blue cheese, but cheddar, stilton and brie are the go-to cheeses for a board. 80g per person should be enough for an after-dinner board and your cheeseboard should always be served at room temperature!

Get Fruity
If you are looking to make your cheeseboard appealing to the eye, consider filling the board with a range of colours and shapes. Adding fresh and dried fruit to a cheeseboard is effortless but looks impressive, as well as adding a vibrant touch. In the spring and summer it is best to add cherries and berries; where in the winter you should go for dried apricots, fresh grapes and apples. Cooked apples pair particularly well with cheddar, brie and sheep’s milk cheese!

Savoury Touches
A solid cheeseboard should include a variety of savoury and salty items such as balsamic onions, olives and roasted nuts - walnuts paired with stilton makes for a classic combination. Other savoury accompaniments could be celery (a
great palate cleanser between cheeses!), and of course some crackers, bread and breadsticks.

Matching Condiments
It goes without saying that condiments should complement the cheese. While a drizzle of honey tends to go well over blue cheeses or goat’s cheese, for something a bit different, pair a strawberry black pepper jam with brie, which is less sweet than a traditional jam. Chutney tastes best with aged cheddar and quince paste can be spread onto crackers and eaten with Manchego cheese. Make sure you don’t forget the butter!

Make it Insta-Friendly
Sprinkle some edible flowers, dried vine leaves or herb sprigs on the cheeseboard. As well as adding a rather elegant touch, they will create a fragrant aroma to the board when you serve it to your guests.

Island Grill, Royal Lancaster London, Lancaster Terrace, London W2 2TY
Tel: 020 7551 6000 or www.islandrestaurant.co.uk

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.