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Cheese and cracker pairings
Match the cracker to the cheese.
The simplest rule is to match strength with strength. Mild cheeses want a plain cracker that stays out of the way; strong cheeses need a cracker with a flavour of its own.
The five rules
Everything on this page follows from five simple rules, the same ones behind the Cracker Wiki guide to the best crackers for cheese.
01
Match strength with strength
Mild cheese, plain cracker. Strong cheese, a cracker with a flavour of its own.
02
Plain for delicate
A thin water biscuit or cream cracker lets a soft Brie or a fresh goat’s cheese lead.
03
Oats and rye for body
Firm, salty cheeses like Cheddar and Red Leicester can take oats, wholegrain and rye.
04
Fruit against salt
Blue cheese is salty and bold; a cracker with fig or currants balances it like a spoon of chutney.
05
Seeds and herbs for goat’s cheese
Bright, lemony goat’s cheese suits crackers that bring seeds, herbs or rye.
Pairings, cheese by cheese
Brie, Camembert, young goat’s cheese
Soft and mild
Soft, gentle cheeses shine on a plain, crisp cracker that stays out of the way.
Cheddar, Red Leicester, Wensleydale
Hard and tangy
Firm, salty cheeses can take a cracker with more body: oats and wholegrain wheat.
Stilton and other blues
Ryvita Crispbread Fruit Crunch Currant Seed & Oat Crackers, 200g Original price was: £3.00.£2.40Current price is: £2.40.
Peter's Yard Fig & Spelt Sourdough Crackers, 100g Original price was: £4.50.£3.60Current price is: £3.60.
Nairn's Rough Oatcakes, 291g Original price was: £2.75.£2.20Current price is: £2.20.
Blue
Blue cheese is salty and bold, and it likes grain and a little sweetness: oatcakes, rye, or a cracker with fruit.
Ryvita Crispbread Fruit Crunch Currant Seed & Oat Crackers, 200g Original price was: £3.00.£2.40Current price is: £2.40.Peter's Yard Fig & Spelt Sourdough Crackers, 100g Original price was: £4.50.£3.60Current price is: £3.60.Nairn's Rough Oatcakes, 291g Original price was: £2.75.£2.20Current price is: £2.20.
Soft logs and fresh rounds
Ryvita Thins Multi Seed Flatbread Crackers, 125g Original price was: £3.00.£2.40Current price is: £2.40.
Peter's Yard Rosemary & Sea Salt Sourdough Crackers, 90g Original price was: £4.00.£3.20Current price is: £3.20.
Ryvita Thins Rosemary & Sea Salt Flatbread Crackers, 125g Original price was: £3.00.£2.40Current price is: £2.40.
Fresh goat’s cheese
Bright, lemony goat’s cheese pairs well with crackers that bring seeds, herbs or rye.
Ryvita Thins Multi Seed Flatbread Crackers, 125g Original price was: £3.00.£2.40Current price is: £2.40.Peter's Yard Rosemary & Sea Salt Sourdough Crackers, 90g Original price was: £4.00.£3.20Current price is: £3.20.Ryvita Thins Rosemary & Sea Salt Flatbread Crackers, 125g Original price was: £3.00.£2.40Current price is: £2.40.
Washed rind cheeses and long aged hard cheeses
Strong and aged
A cheese that flattens a delicate cracker needs a dense, dark one with a flavour of its own.
A cheese board rarely needs more than three kinds of cracker: one plain, one oaty and one with rye, seeds or fruit. For how much cheese to buy, try the cheese board calculator.