BUILD THE PERFECT IRISH CHRISTMAS CHEESEBOARD

Start with a hard cheese that will appeal to all, and ensure you have double the amount of this as it will go quickly. We love the Specially Selected Irish Vintage Selection, made up of 24-month matured vintage cheddar sourced from a selection of three Irish creameries in Newmarket, Carbury and Wexford. Available in Aldi stores nationwide.

Goats’ cheese is always popular, and St Tola is notably delicious in its young original form – smooth, creamy and lactic – and this is heightened by the addition of a food grade ash coating, as seen in Loire Valley cheese-making tradition. St Tola Ash is available in SuperValu stores nationwide.

Although it is already buttery, rich and unctuous within, popping white rind Cooleeney Dunbarra Brie into an ovenproof dish whole and allowing to gently melt before placing the gooey cheesiness on the board is just heavenly. Available in Tesco stores nationwide.

Your board isn’t complete without a pungent blue cheese even if it is a love/hate fromage for most. Try Blas na hÉireann Gold award-winning Simply Better Mature Cashel Blue Cheese from Dunnes Stores.

To accompany the cheese, Foods of Athenry Hazelnut Cranberry Multigrain Toasts are the perfect vessel for any of the delicious options above. Wafer thin and crisp, these are perfectly light, meaning you can fit in more cheese.

Add in sliced figs, apples and grapes, et voilà!