Cheese Selection

• Colour and Shape: Select 3-5 cheeses that vary in shape, size and color for a visually interesting platter. Your choice depends on whether you are serving before dinner, (milder cheeses), or after dinner, (include some sharper cheeses). I might choose Igor Gorgonzola (or a Gorgonzola Piccante), a Tre Monti Crotenese and a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for after the meal.
• Texture: Choose a mixture of soft (e.g. Igor gorgonzola), semi-soft, (e.g. Savello di Roma), and hard (e.g. Soresina Grana Padano).
• Milk Type & Flavour: The three main milk types for cheese are: cow, sheep and goat. It is okay to choose from different milk types, the variety of flavour is more relevant, experiment and explore something new every time.

Choose your surface:

• Use a platter, rustic board or earthy marble or stone, making sure it is a large enough to fit cheeses comfortably with enough space between them so your guests can cut them easily.
• You can also mix up different size platters and surfaces for your display, one plate for each type of milk, for example.
• You can line the platter with greens such as fig, grape or fern leaves, but fruit and complementary foods is even better.

Before Serving

• Make sure you remove your cheeses from the refrigerator in time for them to come to room temperature, approximately 1½ hours, depending on the temperature of your room.
• Keep the cheeses wrapped until ready to serve.

Cutlery

Use a different knife or spoon (for the runny types!) for each cheese. I find that butter knives are a good choice because they don't take up a whole lot of space on your platter.

Most importantly, have fun and enjoy all of the flavors, textures and aromas that cheeses have to offer!