Spring Seasonal Cheeseboard

“In a world so wonderfully diverse and seasonal as that of artisan cheese – with around 1,000 different varieties in Britain and Ireland alone – choosing the perfect cheeseboard can often be a mind-boggling, albeit exciting, decision to make” explains photographer and cheese expert, Angus D. Birditt.

A well thought out cheeseboard always promises many a murmur of ‘ooh, that looks delicious!’ in sheer celebration and anticipation - before being tucked into. But what is the right marriage of cheeses that complement each other, feel seasonally in tune, and take you on that mouthwatering journey?

Helping to guide us through the seasons, we’ve collaborated with Angus to curate the most delectable cheeseboards, starting with our spring edition. And if this one has your tastebuds tingling, look out for his summer, autumn and winter boards coming later in the year.

First thing's first… how much cheese?

To start any good cheeseboard, it must have an assortment of at least four different cheeses – my recommendation is 50g of each cheese per person, in other words, 200g of total cheese per person. 

What should we know about artisan cheese?

Artisan cheese is astonishingly diverse with its various styles - fresh lactic, soft, semi-hard and hard, types of rind - mould-ripened, natural-rind, washed-rind, and types of milk - cow, sheep, goat, buffalo, and, lastly, its seasonality. 

What makes this spring cheeseboard so special?

I have chosen four different artisan cheeses that are as special in their flavour, texture and aroma, as they are in their individual stories that tell us how, where, what and who made them - often in small batches with traditional methods and long-standing family traditions, or a new, innovative recipe. 

This Fortnum’s cheeseboard selection celebrates the new life of spring. This is the time of year when you’ll see the animals hop, skip and jump, turned onto fresh spring pastures and it’s this that is celebrated through cheeses like Pevensey Blue, Spenwood and Yarlington. Spring is also the season for foraging fresh wild foods like dandelion, three-cornered leek and wild garlic. 

Yarlington

This relatively new cheese is a collaboration between two foodie giants, King Stone Dairy and Oliver’s Cider, brought together by food podcaster and filmmaker Sam Wilkin. It’s made by the team at King Stone Dairy in Gloucestershire, who source their organic, pasteurised milk from Manor Farm, a mere stone’s throw away.

Yarlington is a soft, washed-rind cheese that’s washed in Yarlington Mill Cider made by Tom Oliver. It’s supple, fresh, slightly tangy, and once you get eating it’s quite hard to stop.

Milk: Organic, pasteurised cow’s milk

Rennet: Traditional Rennet

Spenwood

Spenwood is a hard cheese made using raw, unpasteurised ewe’s milk, and it’s utterly delicious. It has a natural rind and is matured for nine months to develop its familiar nutty, sweet flavours.

This is a wonderful example of how the same cheese can develop different flavours during its ageing process. The longer it’s matured, the more moisture it loses and therefore harder it gets, producing more rich Parmesan-type notes. Spenwood has won a ‘Super Gold’ twice at the Guild of Fine Food’s World Cheese Awards.

Milk: Thermised, unpasteurised ewe’s milk

Rennet: Vegetarian Rennet

Nettle Cornish Yarg  

Cornish Yarg is a semi-hard cheese made using pasteurised milk from local Cornish farms. It is most often wrapped in nettle leaves but do look out for the few batches produced during springtime that are generously wrapped in wild garlic leaves which produce fragrant garlic notes around the cheese.

The cheese itself is a beautifully textured cheese, full of creamy, lemony notes and it’s a winner for any cheeseboard.

Milk: Pasteurised cow’s milk

Rennet: Vegetarian Rennet

Pevensey Blue

Martin Tkalez and his wife Hazel make Pevensey Blue, a delectable blue cheese which echoes the soft, sweet nutty flavours of Gorgonzola – the style of cheese that inspired Martin and Hazel to start making cheese. Pevensey Blue is made using organic milk sourced from David and Marian Harding at Court Lodge Farm, whose cows graze the nearby Pevensey Levels in East Sussex. 

Milk: Organic, pasteurised cow’s milk

Rennet: Traditional Rennet

A beautiful, (and we can confirm) delicious cheeseboard fit for any spring table. Be sure to check back soon for Angus’ summer board, which is equally as impressive. In the meantime, explore our range of artisan cheeses in store or online.