We’ve been enjoying the nuances flavors, textures, and aromas of cheese. Paired with crusty bread and a glass of vino few foods are as satisfying and as stress free cheese is the perfect solution when entertaining. But how do you assemble the ultimate cheese platter and what can you pair it with, Read on for some simple tips that will make you and your guests smile and say cheese.

Buying basics

It’s important to shop somewhere you trust. Find a place staffed by friendly, knowledgeable cheese mongers who are generous with advice and tastes. Ask them for stories or fun facts to pass along to those sharing your platter.

Aim for three to five cheeses with a range of textures and milk types. Three is plenty if the board will accompany other dishes in a multi course meal. Opt for five if cheese will be the star of the show. (If you include too many, your guests won’t know where to start and certainly won’t remember the names of all those wonderful cheeses.)

Buy about 1 oz. per person per cheese maybe a bit more if cheese is all that’s being served. Include at least one entry-level cheese like a creamy Brie or an aged Cheddar, along with something most people in the room won’t be familiar with, like Challerhocker, a creamier cousin of Gruyère, or Caveman Blue, a balanced, toasty blue from Rogue Creamery in Oregon.

Arranging the platter

Make sure to take your cheese out of the fridge a couple of hours before serving; it should be at room temperature when you serve it.

Be creative, and have fun with your board choice. The serving vehicle can often be as much a source of conversation as the cheese itself. Serve your assortment on a wooden cutting board a favorite serving plate or a cheese board or slate.

When plating leave oozier cheeses in one piece for your guests to serve themselves, but a small starter piece including the rind to signal that rind should be included in the bite. If it’s a creamy round packaged in a box or wrapped in spruce bark you can remove the top rind and allow guests to dip into the cheese.

For hard cheeses it’s nice to portion for your guests so that it’s easy to grab a piece. When portioning, equal rind distribution is key. Don’t stress over it though. If a cheese seems to want to crumble use a paring to create chunks, rather than pieces.

Choosing accompaniments

Classic companions include honey, jam, cornichons, olives, cured meat, figs, pears, or dried fruits and nuts, particularly Marcona almonds. But don’t be afraid to try something new. The most memorable cheese boards are playful and unstuffy. Try bacon with a washed-rind cheese like Époisses, chocolate with an aged Gouda, or gingersnaps as the “crackers” for blue cheese.

In fact since blue cheeses tend to be salty, it’s always a great idea to pair them with something sweet, like honey, caramel, chocolate, sweet-tart jams, dried fruit, candied nuts, or slices of artisan bread that are studded with fruit and/or nuts. And sweet things go very well with other salty cheeses, too, including hard ones like Parmigiano-Reggiano and funky washed-rind varieties like Taleggio, Limburger, and Époisses.

As far as crackers and bread go, aim for variety. Offer a neutral option, such as a baguette or water cracker, and a more complex, texture-driven one, such as crostini, seeded crackers, or miche.