Labeling The Cheese On Your Party Plate Will Encourage More People To Dig In

Cheese plates are fun to eat from, but can be complicated to set up. To make your job as host a little bit easier, however, help your guests figure out what they're actually eating. To the untrained eye, blocks of fromage can look like undistinguishable lumps of yellow and white — and with the plethora of unique cheese flavors these days, even those who know the basics may have a hard time figuring out which one to start with. To avoid your guests giving up on your cheese plate altogether, all you need to do is label your blocks.

There are a few aesthetically pleasing ways to do so. The simplest one is to make little flags out of toothpicks and squares of paper, although you can also buy full mini-flags in bulk for cheap on Amazon. Then all you have to do is write in the names of your cheeses and stick the toothpicks in your blocks, or squeeze them in between blocks so that they stand upright. If you have room on the flags, you can even write in short descriptions of each cheese so that your guests know what flavors to expect (i.e. pungent and crumbly for blue cheese, or mild and creamy for brie). Then when your party is over, you can simply toss the labels out.

Depending on how fancy your shindig is (or how creative you're feeling), there are a few other ways to put the names of your cheeses on display. Try buying reusable flags, and simply erase and rewrite on them like you would with a whiteboard. Keep in mind that you'll want to wash these in between each use, which can be a little cumbersome, although this option is less wasteful. Or, you can buy a chalk charcuterie board. These often come in a set with chalk, which you can use to write the names of your fromage below each block. Chalk cheese boards typically need to be hand-washed, but they're a fun way to display your tasty bites.

The least convenient, but possibly the chicest option, is to make a little map of your cheese plate that shows where each type is. You can do this by hand or on the computer by making a drawing of your board with labels and descriptions in each block and propping it up next to your charcuterie. But whether you want to get creative or go with simple flags, make sure to help your guests out and label your fromage.