Firstly, not everything on a cheese board is made of dairy, so I started my cheese board with things like fruits and crackers as fillers for my dinner. Grapes go excellently with cheese, as well as figs and dates because the sweetness is an excellent contrast to the saltiness of many of my favourite cheeses. I also baked a couple of baguettes for dipping, because I found an excellent-looking vegan cheese that was meant to taste like camembert, and I was very excited to give my own little fondue a try. As per the packet instructions, I microwaved my Vegan Le Rond, and I was impressed at how well the cheese actually melted. The texture wasn’t exactly the same as traditional camembert, but it was runny enough for dipping, with spreadable chunks, and overall I was really pleased that I got to try it.
My next try was a packet of pre-grated vegan cheese, which I sprinkled on top of some pieces of baguette and then microwaved for a few seconds to allow the cheese to melt. Although grated cheese isn’t the optimum cheese for a cheese board, I wanted to try it because it seemed versatile enough to use in all kinds of vegan recipes, and I wanted to ensure that I liked it before adding it to anything else that I was eating. This didn’t melt exactly the same as dairy cheese, but this was definitely not a dealbreaker for me as it had a really smooth texture that I still enjoyed. Most importantly I was pleasantly surprised by how the cheese tasted – it definitely didn’t taste exactly like dairy cheese, but it was something that I enjoyed eating and would eat again.
Ultimately, I am pretty happy with how my first vegan cheese board went, and I feel like if I was going to have a vegan dinner party I have already got some good options ready for snacking at the end of the night. I’m excited about my decision to try and move towards more plant based options when I’m choosing foods, and there are so many options for vegan foods that are such good replicas for the meat and dairy options that it’s a really exciting time to get more creative with what you eat.
Have you ever tried vegan cheese? Are there any that you could recommend? Leave your thoughts in the comments below. 
This is The Chequers Bath blog, a lifestyle blog mostly focussing on food, travel and general lifestyle posts.
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