Cheese platter for you and your sweetheart to celebrate Valentine’s Day—make it special and easy at home.
Near the end of my pregnancy I became absolutely obsessed with cheese. I’d always loved it, but suddenly every snack and meal seemed to revolve around it. One day I made an outrageously rich mac and cheese using four different, high-fat cheeses. Garrat insisted it should count as a side dish, but to me it was perfection.
My go-to snacks were sharp cheddar slices (my favorite Cabot), creamy Havarti, small amounts of goat cheese, crackers and salami. The only missing component was a chilled white wine — a craving that surprised me since I usually prefer red. For a while I substituted with grape juice, but I can’t wait to pair future platters with a proper glass of wine.
Many nights we turned a simple plate of cheeses and accompaniments into dinner. Garrat never complained — maybe the platter was that satisfying, or maybe he was just being sweet to a heavily pregnant wife who didn’t feel like cooking.
With Valentine’s Day coming up, serving a beautiful cheese platter felt like a perfect, relaxed alternative to a formal multi-course meal or a crowded restaurant. Stay in, make a cheese board, taste different cheeses, enjoy wine and finish with chocolate for dessert.
Let’s go over some simple guidelines for building a lovely cheese platter for two.
You don’t need to create an over-the-top display—especially for two people. Follow a few easy rules to balance flavors and textures.
CHEESE PLATTER TIP #1: Aim for a mix of textures and strengths: soft, hard, aged and blue. Examples include:
- Soft: brie, ricotta, goat cheese, camembert
- Hard: parmigiano reggiano, gruyere, asiago
- Aged: aged cheddar, aged havarti, sharp cheddar, goat gouda, comté
- Blue: stilton, gorgonzola, danish blue. For a milder blue, choose a creamier, less-veiny variety.
For two people, three different cheeses are usually enough. For a larger group, offering five varieties creates a nice range.
On my board I included Castello aged Havarti (creamy with a pleasant bite), honey goat cheese, and Castello Danish blue, whose sharpness pairs beautifully with toasted baguette—use a little and it goes a long way.
CHEESE PLATTER TIP #2: Include at least one familiar cheese, like a sharp cheddar, and add one new or adventurous option you haven’t tried before. I tried honey goat cheese for the first time—delicious to me, though Garrat wasn’t as keen. It’s fun to discover new favorites together.
CHEESE PLATTER TIP #3: Quantity guidance: if the platter is a light meal, plan on 3–4 oz of cheese per person. As an appetizer, 2 oz per person is usually sufficient.
CHEESE PLATTER TIP #4: Remove cheeses from the refrigerator about an hour before serving and unwrap them so they can come to room temperature; cold dulls the flavors.
CHEESE PLATTER TIP #5: Arrange cheeses from mild to strong, either left to right or clockwise. Place very pungent cheeses separately to avoid overpowering milder selections, and label each cheese so guests know what they’re tasting.
CHEESE PLATTER TIP #6: Provide one knife per cheese to prevent flavor mixing. Good cheese knives make presentation and serving easier.
CHEESE PLATTER TIP #7: Accompaniments complete the board. Consider four categories:
- Bread: Assorted crackers, toasted baguette slices, and breadsticks are all great. Savory cheese puffs are another delicious option worth trying.
- Sweets: Seasonal fruits like pomegranate seeds, figs and pears, plus honey, fruit preserves or chutneys pair wonderfully. For a small platter I used pomegranate seeds and found them perfect.
- Salty: Smoky almonds, cashews, pistachios, artichoke hearts, olives or pickles add contrast. You don’t need them all—one or two choices are enough.
- Charcuterie: Thin prosciutto, salami or other cured meats round out the platter. I used a white wine salami that paired nicely with the cheeses.
CHEESE PLATTER TIP #8: Wine pairs beautifully with cheese. Red, white or rosé—choose what you both enjoy. As noted earlier, while I was pregnant I swapped in grape juice for the photos, but a glass of wine really elevates the experience.
That’s it—simple, relaxed and delicious. A well-planned cheese platter makes for an intimate and memorable Valentine’s celebration without the fuss of a multi-course meal. Enjoy exploring cheeses, pairings and a cozy evening together.