The Cheeseboard #5

Eaten:29th Novemeber 2014

Location: The White Horse, Compton Basset, wiltshire

Price: I don't remember as this was a Birthday meal.

This was my birthday cheeseboard from a while ago but and a highly recommended one which is why i wanted to share. Described as a 'Selection of West country Cheeses' this did not disappoint. Unfortunately i cannot remember the cheeses as it was back in November, but i would really recommend if you were in the area and one i would like to sample again.

 Additionally on the menu it was advertised as coming with 'baked apple' their own take on quince, this addition was delicious, really nice tasting, i would definitely say it was homemade, this was joined by a chutney and grapes. The biscuits were nice, i would have preferred more variety.

The Cheeseboard #4

Eaten: 17th March 2015

Location: The Grazing Goat, New Quebec Street, Marylebone, London

Price: £9

The previous cheeseboards have all been 'back-dated' ones that id had before i decided to start this blog, however this was one that was slightly more recent i still have a few more older ones to back date including one at my favourite location however i wanted to share this one while it was still fresh in my mind. 

Following a two course meal, i opted for this board described as 'A selection of British Cheese, quince, grapes & biscuits'  instead of a desert. I do like it when the cheeses are listed on the menu but i suppose this gives the opportunity for change, once my cheese board was served the staff were happy to explain the cheeses which were:

Cheddar - this was a hard cheddar, not a traditional cheddar ( not my favourite )

Shropshire blue

Quebec way/whey - this was a soft cheese, very nice, that they described as their own cheese (i guess this name is to do with the location of new Quebec Street)

The biscuit selection was very good, it included the thin large round biscuits, these were light and crisp , three water biscuits a normal addition to most cheeseboards and then finally two oatcake style biscuits, these were soft and crumbly and possibly homemade, if not they were still very nice. It was such a filling cheeseboard - i must shamefully admit i couldn't finish all the crackers (maybe there were a few too many for the amount of cheese, then again on the other hand i had already eaten rather a lot.)

The Cheeseboard #3

Eaten: 2nd January 2015 

Location: The Rising Sun, Christian Malford, Wiltshire

Price: Between £6-8 I think– Forgot to record the price but don’t remember it being overly expensive

One of the nicest cheeseboard I have eaten in a long time, really want to go back for another cheese board (well cheese slate) here. Such a good selection of cheese and biscuits and very good value for money.

There were 6 different varieties of cheese, all served at room temperature a combination of blue, Brie, and hard cheeses., would have been nice to know the cheeses but they were all every enjoyable and the portions were not mean, nice to have a

The section was served on a slate with the biscuits (4 different types) on a separate slate, which sort of shows how impressive this cheeseboard was. In addition to the cheese there was butter, half an apple-beautifully cut, chutney and red and green grapes. 

If I was ranking these cheeseboards out of ten, which maybe is something I should start doing, then this would be pretty high up.

The Cheeseboard #2

Eaten: 7th February 2015

Location: The Landsdowne Arms, Derry Hill, Wiltshire

Price: £6.95

Following an enjoyable meal this cheeseboard was served on a wooden board. There was a selection of 6 local cheeses- from an Oxford Blue, Double Gloucester to the Wookey Hole Cheddar, I selected the following:

Somerset Brie

Wookey Hole Cave Aged Cheddar (Wookey hole is a place id like to visit to taste the different ages of Cheddar – and stock up.)

Cerney Pyamid (A local Goats Cheese)

There was thought into the look of the board as the cheeses were stacked rather nicely.

Alongside the cheese was celery grapes and apple, served in a bowl, this was nice to give height to the plate however I cannot stand Celery, the bowl was slightly wet but good to know the fruit was washed, perhaps the celery is stored in water. There was also an onion chutney and butter. This selection was served with two types of biscuits, water crackers and some more unusual seeded more like rye/dark-seeded crackers, these were nice and made a change from Jacobs crackers selection.

Lovely cheeseboard overall - a nice way to finish to the meal. 

The Cheeseboard #1

Eaten: 11th February 2015

Location: The Old Boathouse Pub, South Cerney, Gloucestershire

Price: £8.95

Lovely cheeseboard served on a slate, enjoyed as part of a birthday celebration. There was a choice of 7 cheeses to choose from, I picked: 

Simon Weaver Brie

Black Bomber Cheddar

Wigmore,

Lincolnshire Poacher,

Cerney Goat’s Cheese

Unfortunately the Black Bomber Cheddar was unavailable so I had double of the Brie, all very nice cheeses, served at room temperature, although each piece was small there felt like plenty of cheese - a nice sized board overall. It was nice to have a selection of biscuits and hazelnut fruit bread, normally it's either/or, and I felt there was just the right amount of biscuits for the volume of cheese.

My favorite cheese was the Cerney Goat’s Cheese, with a nice creamy texture a local cheese I will look out for in the future.

I really like boards that have fruit even if its just a few grapes, as it breaks up the cheese and adds a sweet note, no butter served with this board which was a shame, however quince jelly is a favorite of mine which I prefer over most chutneys so this was a good addition to the board. 

Very enjoyable board, just a shame they were out of one of the cheeses.