Christmas hamper with cheese: keeping a cheese hamper fresh and surprising

Which cheeses work in a hamper, how does the cooling and delivery time work, and what do you add to it?

Cheese is a beloved Christmas hamper product, but also the product where something most often goes wrong with shelf life and delivery.

Choose the right cheese

• Hard and aged cheeses are the most practical: they can survive a day without cooling.
• Soft cheeses only if delivered just before the Christmas drinks.
• Vegetarian rennet: ask about this if you have vegetarians on the team.

What to add

1. 01Crackers or savoury biscuits.
2. 02A chutney, mustard or something sweet from In de Soete Suykerbol.
3. 03Farmhouse cheese from De Kaasopslag for a complete board.
4. 04Beer from Brouwerij Dampegheest or wine from Wijndomein de Koen.

Delivery

With cheese we plan a fixed delivery date shortly before handout. Let us know your handout date in your quote request.

Tip: three cheeses is the maximum

Nobody finishes more than three cheeses in time. Pick three that differ in age and texture: a young creamy one, a matured one with bite, and an old or blue one as the outlier. That's a complete tasting rather than a leftover assortment.

Tip: add the right companions

• Something sweet: fig bread, apple syrup or honey.
• Something sour: gherkins, mustard or pickled onion.
• Something crunchy: crackers or a small nut mix.
• Something to drink: craft beer or a wine that can stand up to mature cheese.

Tip: include a tasting order

Print the tasting order on the insert card: young to old, mild to strong. It costs you one line of text and turns a box of cheese into an evening.

Tip: think about storage

Vacuum-packed cheese keeps for weeks in the fridge; cut pieces don't. For home delivery, prefer vacuum packing and show the use-by date clearly. Add: store in the vegetable drawer, wrap in paper, not in cling film.

Tip: cover the vegetarian and lactose-free variants

Not all cheese is vegetarian, because of animal rennet. Ask your supplier and include at least one vegetarian cheese. For lactose intolerance, a long-matured hard cheese or a good nut spread works as an alternative.

Take a look at our existing compositions at Christmas hampers Alkmaar or the drinks boxes.