Mad Millie As Fresh As Can Be

Perfect cheese pairings.  

Pulling together a flawless cheese board is a precise art, and once perfected, it can be utilised at a whole host  of  occasions! Mad Millie  is  here  to  guide  you  through  the  preparation  of  an  exceptional  cheese board, using cheeses you can make yourself at home using a Mad Millie Artisan Cheese Kit. 

Pick your cheeses, add flavours that match, and wines that will complement the experience:

Chesire
A salty, full-flavoured cheese that becomes stronger in flavour, and more crumbly with age. Best served at room temperature and, because of its sharp flavour, with sweet accompaniments such as fresh apple and pear slices, grapes or a dense fruit paste. Cheshire goes particularly well with a fruity red wine like a Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon. If you do decide to serve it with fresh fruit slices, it will also pair well with a sparkling white wine.

Feta
The  sharp,  salty  taste  of  feta  –  combined  with  its  creamy  texture  –  makes  it  ideal  for  eating  with crunchy, fresh tastes. Watermelon cubes and basil leaves go exceptionally well with cubes of feta, but it also pairs nicely with walnuts,  fresh and crunchy peach slices, or stuffed into sweet  red mini peppers. Pair it with a great Pinot Gris. 

Halloumi
Halloumi is excellent served freshly fried and still warm – and is perfectly happy on its own on a cheese board, with no accompaniments. While halloumi is a firm favourite, it’s best to serve it at the beginning of a shin-dig, so you don’t have to abandon your guests to fry and serve it piping hot. Goes swimmingly with a dry Rosé! 

French Style Cream Cheese
This  is  a  soft,  spreadable  cheese  that  has  a  slightly  sweeter  flavour  than  traditional  cream  cheese. Excellent  served  alongside  blinis  or  circles  of  crusty  French  bread,  thin  slices  of  smoked  salmon  and capers for a stylish, do-it-yourself canapé. Alternatively, blend it with finely chopped spring onions, fresh coriander, and sweet chilli sauce for a delicious dip for plain crackers. Cream cheese and salmon make a sumptuous treat together with a medium-bodied Chardonnay. 

Mozzarella
You can’t go past slices of fresh mozzarella with fresh cherry tomatoes, basil leaves, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and cracked pepper, served on a  toothpick. It also goes well with  tangy sundried  tomatoes, cured meats and olives, and is well matched to a very light white wine with a crisp citrus flavour, like a fresh, moderately dry Pinot Gris. 

All of these tasty cheeses (and more) can be made at home using a Mad Millie Artisan Cheese Kit, which will make  your  cheese  board a  hundred  times more  impressive – and  catered  to  your  own  particular tastes. All you need is the kit and milk – no prior experience required! 

The Mad Millie Artisan Cheese Kit is available for $175 from www.madmillie.com