Instructions: What a magical moment it is when the cheese is served when the tastebuds respond with delight to the marvellous textures and tastes of the cheese. It is a glorious moment for the gourmet; it enhances the savour of the wine he has been drinking with his meal; it provides the perfect excuse to finish the bottle to open another or better still to produce a crusted vintage port.

The cheeseboard reveals whether you appreciate good food and therefore the good things of life. The cheeses must be chosen with great care and discernment. It is better to offer a very small selection of ch each at the peak of perfection rather than proffer a cluster of little plastic cheeses weeping sadly.

Choosing the cheese:
Farmhouse cheese: Always choose these above ad others. They are made from untreated milk; pasteurization which is so widespread today unfonunately destroys much of the flavour of our cheeses. Before 1940 there were practically no pasteurized cheeses at afl. Nowadays cheeses rnade from ewes or goats milk in the traditional manner are still unpasteurized.

Smell: Cheeses must smell; that is a mark of their quality. If they do not smell you should not buy them.

Feel: Softpaste cheeses like Bric and Camembert must give when you feel them. They should spring back when pressed with the thumb and must never be either hard or squashy.

Runniness: An overrunny cheese has not dried out properly do not buy it. Look for meUow supple creamy cheeses.

Ripening: Cheese should be left to ripen in a cellar at a temperature of 45 to 50F with a humidity of 85% to 95% maximum. The cheese will be in perfect condition for eating if it is ripened in these conditions. It should then be eaten right away; it wiU only deteriorate if kept for even a few days.

Packaging: Avoid camouflages! Beware of pretty folksy packaging which prevents you from seeing smelling and feeling the cheese. It is always better to choose a cheese which you can see.

Avoid: Fresh cream cheese and processed cheese. They are fine for spreading in sandwiches but do not merit a place on the cheeseboard.

Simplicity: Stick to the classic cheeses despite the enormous variety of cheeses in Europe. Do not get carried away but ask your cheesemonger for his advice.

Serving the cheese:
The platter: This can be made of wicker glass marble or china: ideally it should be round and you should provide two knives one for the mild cheeses and one for the strong flavours. Keep the platter covered with a damp cloth (preferably cheesecloth or muslin) until you are ready to serve the cheese. Accompaniement: Fruits such aspears apples nuts or grapes always go well with cheese.

Bread: Offer hometruide or wholerneal bfead or nut bread. Savoury biscuits or crackers are generally popular with everybody iricluding us.

To drink: As a general rule you can serve any reasonably full bodied red wine with cheese.

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