Although every day is a good day for a cheese board, we usually only whip them up for special occasions. Which makes the holidays a wonderful time to plate your favorite cheeses, charcuteries, and various accompaniments and wow your guests or host with a cohesive spread.

But with everything going on during the holiday season, finding the time to research the perfect pairings can leave you feeling like the Grinch.

Well, don’t stress. Farmers’ is here to save your holiday spirit! We’ve asked some of our cheesiest (and by that, we mostly mean cheese-obsessed) staffers to curate manageable cheese boards for you to share this holiday season.

These simple recipes include everything you need for a well-rounded appetizer platter; however, feel free to add your own personality to the plate as well! Try picking out more of your favorite cheeses and pairings such as olives, nuts, jams, and fruits!

Elle’s Kid-Friendly Cheese Board

Elle, our inventory manager (and former cheese manager), has compiled a cheese board with approachable flavors that everyone at your gathering will enjoy! Read on to learn what inspired her to create this board!

This summer my seven-year-old and I flew out for my sister’s wedding in Montana. When it came time for the rehearsal dinner, I walked into a beautiful dining room large enough to fit the table and chairs… half-filled with kids running and roaming around. Parents were attempting to wrangle the kids, and we hadn’t even sat down to order yet.

My sister’s in-laws are geniuses and immediately had cheese boards come out to the table. The kids not only devoured them, but they had a lot of fun picking out what they wanted to eat and finding their favorites! And, paired with the coloring books and crayons which have a permanent home in my purse, they were content until dinner was served which was the real win.

Learning from that experience, going into this holiday season, a kids-friendly cheese board will be mandatory wherever I will be if I’m going to keep the hungry littles at bay. My cheese board this season is going to replicate the fan favorites.

CHEESES

• Shelburne Farms’ 2-Year Cheddar
• Sweet Rowan Farmstead’s Cheese Curds
• Vermont Farmstead’s Lille (ok, this one is actually for me…)

CHARCUTERIE

• Summer sausage

ACCOMPANIMENT

• Candied walnuts (although plain walnuts work well too)
• Sicilian olive mix (This is my favorite one, but really any yummy *pitted* olive will work)

Happy holidays!