Christmas may be over but we're still in the mood for feasting on all the festive foods supermarkets have to offer.
A cheese board is a decadent treat all year round, but there's something delightfully festive about tucking into cheese and crackers over the Christmas period. Supermarkets tend to roll out a range of reasonably priced cheese boards in the run up to the big day, with Asda, Aldi, Tesco, Marks and Spencer, Morrisons and more pulling out all the stops.
Whether you're a big fan of brie, camembert, blue cheese or a cheddar-only kind of person, a cheese board offers enough to satisfy all taste buds. With that in mind, this week, we snapped up cheese boards from four of the big supermarkets to put them to the test.
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We wanted to see how they compared in terms of flavour, presentation and value for money. Here's what we found:
Asda Classic Cheese Board
I absolutely adore cheese, though I don't eat too much of it as I try to have a predominantly plant-based diet, so this was quite the treat. Asda's Classic Cheese Board includes mini brie, mature cheddar, red Leicester, wensleydale and cranberry, and blue stilton. It comes in a slate grey box with illustrations of cheese on the front. I had expected some festive touches on the packaging design, but couldn't spot any Christmassy elements.
I thought it was an excellent mix of cheeses, but I am a bit of a cheese fiend. Naturally, I tried each one with a variety of crackers and found every morsel of cheese to be rich in flavour, and satisfyingly varied.
I was impressed with the quality of the cheeses - particularly the brie - and, quite frankly, my only complaint about Asda's cheese board is that I wish it was much bigger. This is a brilliantly priced selection, and I'll definitely be repurchasing it - but I think it's only worth the price if you're a fan of each of the five cheeses included.
It doesn't seem as worthwhile if you're only partial to brie and cheddar, as purchasing them separately alongside others you're more keen on would be far more cost effective. If you're hopelessly devoted to any and all cheese - like me - then this will be right up your street.
Where to buy: Online or your local Asda store
Price: £5.80
Rating: 4/5
Sainsbury's Favourite Cheese Selection
I've got to be honest, cheese is my absolute weakness, so you can imagine my reaction when I spotted the 'favourite cheese selection' in Sainsbury's. Just when I thought I'd eaten enough over Christmas, I stumbled across this heavenly box right before New Year's Eve and I'm so glad I did.
Down from £5.70 to £5, the cheese selection includes French Brie, Mature Cheddar, Red Leicester, Wensleydale with cranberries, Blue Stilton. Each of the cheeses are rated in terms of strength on the Sainsbury's website, with the mature cheddar being rated the strongest at 4.
I was actually really impressed with the sheer amount of cheese you got for £5, and I particularly loved the French Brie considering it's my all time favourite. My only criticism would be I wish there was a smoked cheese in the selection instead of a Wensleydale with Cranberries, but that's just all down to personal preference.
After trying literally all the cheeses (someone had to) I can confirm that each of the options were incredibly rich, creamy and tasty. I was very impressed.
Where to buy: Online or your local Sainsbury's store
Price: £5
Rating: 5/5
Marks and Spencer Continental Cheese Lovers Gift
I had a tricky time tracking down a cheese board the week before Christmas, so I've made a mental note not to leave it so late next year. Fortunately I found this M&S Continental Cheese Lovers Gift, which is packaged up beautifully to give as a present at Christmas, but I bought it as a gift to myself!
If you like more of a traditional festive mix like Cheddar, Stilton and Wensleydale, this might not be quite right for you, but I was definitely impressed with trying something a bit different. The cheese comes in a rustic looking but sturdy cardboard box, with a transparent front so you can see what's inside.
Each cheese is individually wrapped and the mixture includes Gorgonzola Piccante DOP, Manchego cheeses and Pave D'Affinois. If you're a big fan of blue cheese, you'll probably really enjoy the Gorgonzola, but it was so rich and strong I could only manage a small portion. The Pave D'Affinois on the other hand, I could've kept eating all night. It had a brie-like pungent taste and that same soft gooey texture as well. Absolute heaven!
The Manchego cheeses had a lovely nutty flavour and were more subtle on the palate, with a waxy finish. I found they went really well with a touch of chutney to add some fruitiness.
Overall, this was a really enjoyable cheese board that looked and tasted quality, whether you're giving as a gift or tucking into it yourself over New Year.
Rating: 4/5
Where to buy: M&S Food Halls while stocks last
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