Romanian Cheese
Cheese enjoys summer almost as much as we do. It just prefers to spend it in the shade.
Summer is made for picnics, garden lunches and long evenings outdoors. A sunny picnic, a barbecue or a long lunch in the garden can be exactly where a great cheeseboard belongs. Warm weather does change cheese, but with a little care there's no reason it can't be part of your summer table.
It's a well known fact that most cheeses actually taste better after a little time out of the fridge. The trick is knowing how to help them get there without letting the summer heat take over.
Here are five simple rules I always come back to.
1. Shade Is Cheese's Best Friend
If you remember just one rule this summer, make it this one.
Leave a cheeseboard on a table that's been baking in the sun and you'll notice the difference surprisingly quickly. Soft cheeses begin to lose their shape, washed rind cheeses become more pungent and even hard cheeses may start to sweat.
Most cheeses actually benefit from a little time out of the fridge before they're served. The trick isn't keeping them cold at all costs; it's letting them come to temperature gradually, somewhere shaded rather than in full sun.
2. Timing Matters More Than You Think
One of the most common mistakes is bringing the cheeseboard out far too early. It might seem like one less thing to think about while you're getting everything else ready, but an extra half hour in the summer heat can make a surprising difference.
Rather than putting everything on the table at once, bring the cheeseboard out when people are ready to enjoy it. If lunch turns into a long afternoon, keep some cheese in the fridge and use it to refresh the board as you go.
Cheese should be given enough time to reach its ideal serving temperature, but it doesn't need to spend the entire afternoon doing it.
3. Summer Calls for Different Pairings, Not Different Cheese
Summer is probably the easiest time of year to rethink what goes alongside the cheese.
It is also the time of year when certain cheeses naturally steal the spotlight. Burrata, mozzarella, young goat's cheeses, feta and halloumi all deserve their place on the table, and for good reason. They work beautifully with seasonal produce and have become firm favourites for summer lunches and barbecues.
But I also think it's a shame if that means putting the clothbound Cheddar or your favourite Alpine-style cheese back in the fridge until October. Pair them with ripe peaches, apricots or cherries, add a few crisp vegetables and pour a glass of sparkling wine, and they feel just as much at home on a summer table.
This is also when I am far more likely to leave the chutneys, caramelised onion relishes and rich fruit preserves in the cupboard. Fresh fruit and crisp vegetables bring acidity, freshness and texture, cleansing the palate between bites rather than adding another layer of richness. The cheese remains the centre of attention, while everything around it simply helps it taste its best.
4. Buy Less, Enjoy More
It's easy to overestimate how much cheese people will eat, especially when friends are coming over.
A generous cheeseboard doesn't translate in having as much cheese as possible, but having enough for everyone to enjoy while it's still at its best. Buying a little less usually means less waste, fewer leftovers and cheese that spends less time sitting in the heat.
If you're worried there won't be enough, keep another piece in the fridge. You can always add more, but once a cheese has spent a couple of hours outside, there's no putting it back where it started.
5. Cut As You Go
When I'm putting together a summer cheeseboard, I rarely cut everything before my guests arrive.
Leave whole pieces on the board where you can and cut more as people help themselves. Not only does it make the cheeseboard look more generous, but it also means less of the cheese is exposed to the warm air for longer than it needs to be.
This is particularly noticeable with softer cheeses, which can lose their shape surprisingly quickly once they're cut. Hard cheeses hold up better, but they also benefit from being cut as they're eaten rather than all at once.
Refreshing the board as you go keeps the cheese in better condition and means the last few pieces are just as enjoyable as the first. It takes very little effort, but it helps the cheeseboard stay at its best from the first guest to the last.
Perhaps that's what I enjoy most about summer cheeseboards. They don't ask us to change the cheeses we love, only to think a little differently about how we serve them. A few small changes are often enough to let every cheese show its best, even on the warmest days.
