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 jam - for example from Twisted Jams.
3. 03Utregs Worssie from De Kaasfabriek for a complete board.
4. 04Beer from Oproer or vandeStreek for a complete drinks moment.

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 Utrecht or the drinks boxes.