The wedding is in October. There will be about 150 guests.
So instead of a chocolate fountain I told the caterer I’d like to do a cheese station…this rather than have individual plates made up and waste a lot of cheese. I would prefer that if guests want to do the course, they will be motivated to get up and have a plate made for them. (I abhor food waste, and it will also keep the expense down and allow for better selections).
I’m thinking five selections, mostly firm/aged cheeses:
I think it’s a great idea. Not sure about the manchego or the dry Jack, personally, as I find the first usually uninspiring (depends on source, of course) and I love dry jack for melting or grating, but not so much on a cheese plate. I really like San Joachin Gold, also from Fiscallini, or Serena from Three Sisters, if you’re looking for something Californian in the firm/creamy/nutty category. Another approach would be a pecorino, like a toscano, to bring that nice sheepiness.
I assume that you’ll have fruit or membrillo or something to go with the Stilton? Colston Bassett is the best known Stilton, AFAIK–it’s the one you find most often at Neal’s Yard. You will have lots of it left over, but it does balance out the plate. For a blue, you might also try something a little milder, like St. Agur, but blue cheeses can be a tough sell…
I like your selections a lot. One thing to consider, with 150 people you will have a lot of varying tastes. I would think of a single, very mild choice; perhaps fresh mozzarella in bite size rounds. I know it may not seem highbrow, but I bet they would be very popular.
Perfectly fine choices. Maybe cut down on the 3 hard cheeses to just one, especially if you want to avoid food waste. Personally I think the Fiscalini is outstanding with age. I’ll second Ken’s thoughts on Colston Bassett, and add that a jammy New World red can take the role of port with Stilton. Any idea what wines will be served? That may influence your choice of cheese.
I personally would get Grafton extra sharp cheddar, although the Fiscalini is nice, I’m not sure it’s worth the premium (if you want tops, get Montgomery cheddar).
Colston Basset is the best Stilton, and it will please those that like milder blue cheeses as well. Alternatively, roquefort.
I’d prefer an aged Gouda to the aged Jack cheese. Depending where you go with the Spanish cheese, it might be too many sharp cheeses (not for me but for the general public). Is the crowd sophisticated? Otherwise, something simple like a dill havarti might be more universal.
I love spanish cheese, you can upgrade to an Idiazabal or Mahon which are similar to Manchego but a step up.
Finally, I think you need a rich cheese, like Explorateur.
Personally, I’d substitute a triple-cream like St. Andre (very good not too pricey) for one of the hard cheeses. I guess you have the softish Humboldt fog, but it isn’t as rich, creamy and mild as the triple-creams.
Wow, you are laying out some cash on wine to be serving that list to 150 people. That is about where my wedding guest count will be and I’m capping wine prices to $12-13/bottle. My fiance and I love wine but we are in no mood to blow a ton of cash for guests who’ll end up adding ice cubes to their cabernet.
Bag the Manchego and the dry Jack. Add Pecorino Toscano and something either soft . . . like Pierre Robert or a creamy blue cheese . . . or, considering your penchant for turkey in meat loaf, perhaps this.
My personal favorite is Brillat-Savarin. It is a smoothand creamy triple cream. Since you do not have a triple cream selected, I would substitute this for the Dry Jack.
“Don Juan” is a solid choice; it’s aged and made from raw sheep’s milk. “El Trigal” is easy to find and is pasteurized if that makes a difference to you.
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I told the caterer I’d like to do a cheese station…this rather than have individual plates made up and waste a lot of cheese. I would prefer that if guests want to do the course, they will be motivated to get up and have a plate made for them. (I abhor food waste, and it will also keep the expense down and allow for better selections).![[worship.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/9/99a8907a1d5b3c023582052741dc72dc9823c044.gif "worship"){kind=small}
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