The Best Fruits to Serve with Cheese: A Seasonal Pairing Guide

Seasonal fruit and cheese pairings are a great way to discover delicious taste combinations and eat more sustainably.

Although the British climate means that seasonal fresh fruit can be hard to find in the winter months, there are usually some tasty gems to be found.

Here are some ideas for pairing seasonal fruits with cheese.

Why do cheese and fruit pairings work so well?

Sweet and savoury is always a favourite taste combination, and when the sugary freshness of fruit meets the sharp, creamy, and rich flavours of cheese, something special is created.

Cheese and fruit pairings often offer contrasting textures and mouth feel as well as taste. A refreshing spritz of juice will cut through the dense texture of aged cheese, refreshing the palate.

Cheese and fruit pairings for Spring

The spring plate is all about fresh and lively combinations that celebrate the resurgence of nature.

Spring greens and tender young onions are ideal complements for cheese, but Spring also has some fruity treats to offer, including field rhubarb, which is available from April onwards.

Rhubarb's innocent, rosy pink colour belies its tart flavour. This mouth-puckering taste is often sweetened in desserts, but its own tartness makes an excellent foil for a strong, savoury cheese like aged cheddar.

A fresh rhubarb chutney warmed with ginger makes a stylish and tasty complement for a salty goat cheese.

Fruit and cheese combinations for Summer

Strawberries are the quintessential British Summer fruit, and while they are best known for their partnership with cream at Wimbledon, they are also a perfect doubles partner for cheese.

The flavour of strawberries can vary, so it is essential to find a variety that combines a sweet flavour with a heady fragrance that can compete with the taste of the cheese.

An ideal pairing of cheese and strawberries would be with a tangy, fresh goat's cheese to complement the sweetness of the fruit.

As summer progresses, the sugar-rich, soft fruits become available. Cherries, with their complex sweet and sour flavours, balance pungent blue cheese or enliven the flavours of young cheeses like fresh ricotta.

The honeyed juiciness of peaches and nectarines offers a refreshing contrast to the rich, creamy flavours of mozzarella, Brie, and Camembert.

Combining surgery melon slices with salty feta is another refreshing summer combination, while the crisp sweetness of grapes complements aged cheeses like Cheddar and Gouda.

Autumn fruit and cheese

According to the poet Keats, Autumn is the season of 'mellow fruitfulness', and early Autumn is undoubtedly the time when fresh fruit is at its most abundant in the British Isles. After ripening for months in the summer sun, Autumn fruits have intense flavours, robust enough to compete with the most aromatic and richly flavoured cheeses.

Crisp apples pair perfectly with mature Cheddar, Manchego, or Gouda. The sweet acidity of old russet-skinned varieties, such as Cox's Orange Pippins, harmonises perfectly with their sharp, rich flavours.

The juicy sweetness of ripe pears brings creamy, sweet flavours to complement blue cheese like Stilton or Gorgonzola.

The tangy taste and heady fragrance of plums pair well with many cheeses, including washed-rind cheeses like semi-soft Taleggio.

Wild blackberries are plentiful in the hedgerows in the Autumn, so why not do a little foraging for this intensely sweet fruit? You could serve your harvest with a nutty and aromatic cheese like Fontina or Emmental.

Pairing fruit and cheese for Winter days

The chilly days and nights of Winter call for bold cheese and fruit pairings to give some joy to the dark months.

Zesty citrus fruits, such as oranges, mandarins, and blood oranges, provide a bright sweetness that cuts through the creamy sharpness of blue cheese or aged Gouda.

Dried fruits allow summer's abundance to continue into winter, and the intense sweetness of dried apples, apricots, figs, and dates brings a rich sweetness that complements the robust flavours of perfect pairings with semi-hard cheeses like Comté or Gruyère, or sharp blue cheese.

The perfect seasonal cheese board

Whether you're building a seasonal cheese board that's designed to impress guests or preparing a simple platter for friends, understanding seasonal pairings will help you select the most delicious and complementary flavours.

You can find an extensive range of cheeses for all seasons when you browse our website here.