Photo by Nina Gallant
The holiday season is here, and for us at culture, that means the excuse to indulge in special cheeses—those that are a bit more festive than the wheels and wedges we enjoy every day. As you might imagine, we often find that we’re the designated cheese person in the group and as a result we’re pretty good at curating the perfect selection for any gathering. Here are our favorite crowd-pleasing cheeses for your holiday cheese (or dinner) plate.
Cambozola
“The palates in my family range from always-up-for-something-new to uber-picky, so while no cheese will please everyone, I try to choose something that just might surprise the latter group. Cambozola, paired with honey, roasted walnuts, and juicy red grapes, has converted many a blue cheese doubter, but is still interesting enough for the adventurous. It’s also an excellent foil to another holiday favorite—local oysters on the half shell!” – Susan Sherrill Axelrod, Editor
Sweet Grass Dairy Green Hill
“I love a rich double cream like Sweet Grass Dairy’s Green Hill. Make it festive with fig jam + glazed pecans, and wash it down with something bubbly.” – Mallory Scyphers, Creative Director
Churchtown Dairy Coperthwaite
“I look for a style of cheese my friends and family might not be familiar with. Coperthwaite is what I refer to as ‘baby’s first stinky cheese.’ It’s an approachable washed rind with a super creamy paste and sweet grassy notes. Pair it with Raincoast crisps and honey or onion jam for a bite that will delight everyone, even the cheese-averse.” – Josie Krogh, Digital and Social Media Editor
Roquefort Carles AOP
Culture founder Stephanie Skinner will be serving Roquefort at her holiday soirees. A French classic, this scrumptious sheep’s milk blue cheese is only made by seven producers, and Delphine Carles is the only female Roquefort maker. Pair it with a sweet desert wine for the perfect after dinner cheese course.
Belper Knolle
Okay so maybe this isn’t the cheese you want to put on a cheeseboard, but it is certainly a delicious conversation piece. Belper Knolle looks like a truffle, with deep savory flavors of garlic and pepper. It has a hard texture meant for crumbling or shaving. “I recently had JUMI Belper Knolle and am trying to find it locally! I really want to try [it] on pasta. It’s gotta be insane.” – Matt Thomas, Publisher
Saint Agur
“I enjoy my own personal cheese plate to nosh on as I am cooking, especially when I will be in the kitchen a while. Saint Agur blue cheese gets tastier and creamier as it warms. Later that evening, when everyone is ready for a treat, I plate up a new wedge and serve it as a post-meal delight with Terrapin Ridge Raspberry Chipotle Sauce to make it festive.” – Natalie Herman, National Brand Manager
Josie Krogh
Josie Krogh is culture's Digital Strategy Lead. She earned her master's degree in Agricultural and Applied Economics from The University of Georgia. Josie developed a love of food while working at farmstands in the D.C. area as a young adult, and discovered her love of cheese while living and working on a dairy farm on Martha's Vineyard. Josie currently lives in Catskill, NY.
