What Chutney Goes With Which Cheese? A Simple Pairing Guide

A good cheeseboard is hard to beat. Add some crackers, fresh fruit and a spoonful of chutney and you have everything from an easy lunch to the centrepiece of a Christmas spread.

But what chutney goes with which cheese?

The best pairing usually comes down to balance. A good chutney can bring sweetness, acidity or a little heat to complement the richness and saltiness of the cheese. Some combinations are classics for a reason, while others are worth experimenting with.

Here are some of our favourite cheese and chutney pairings.

Quick Cheese & Chutney Pairing Guide

Cheese	Try it with
Mature Cheddar	Apple Chutney
Brie & Camembert	Chilli Jam
Blue Cheese	Apple Chutney
Goat's Cheese	Red Onion Relish
Gouda & Gruyère	Tomato Chutney
Smoked Cheese	Chilli Jam
Wensleydale & Crumbly Cheeses	Apple Chutney
Manchego & Other Hard Cheeses	Tomato Chutney

Mature Cheddar & Apple Chutney

We'll start with one of the classics.

A mature Cheddar has plenty of rich, savoury flavour and a good amount of saltiness, so it pairs particularly well with something fruity and slightly sweet.

Apple Chutney is a natural partner for Cheddar. The sweetness of the apple balances the sharpness of the cheese, while the vinegar and gentle spices stop the combination becoming too rich.

Our Apple Chutney is made with 38.2% apples alongside sultanas, onion, mustard seeds and ginger, creating a light, fruity chutney that was made for a cheeseboard.

Try it with:

• Mature Cheddar

• Vintage Cheddar

• Cornish Cheddar

• Red Leicester

• Double Gloucester

Brie & Camembert with Chilli Jam

Soft cheeses such as Brie and Camembert have a mild, creamy flavour, which makes them ideal for pairing with something that adds a little contrast.

This is where Chilli Jam comes in.

The combination of creamy cheese, sweetness and chilli works particularly well because the richness of the cheese softens the heat of the chilli, while the chilli jam adds another layer of flavour.

Try a spoonful alongside a wedge of Brie, or add both to a cracker for a very simple cheeseboard combination.

It's also particularly good with baked Camembert; just add a little Chilli Jam once the cheese comes out of the oven and serve with crusty bread.

Try it with:

• Brie

• Camembert

• Somerset Brie

• Creamy soft cheese
  

Blue Cheese & Apple Chutney

Strong blue cheeses need something with enough flavour to stand alongside them.

The salty, savoury character of Stilton and other blue cheeses works brilliantly with fruit, which is why you'll often find grapes, pears, figs and apples on a cheeseboard.

A fruity Apple Chutney works for exactly the same reason.

Its sweetness provides contrast to the salty cheese, while the acidity cuts through some of its richness.

Try it with:

• Stilton

• Cornish Blue

• Shropshire Blue

• Gorgonzola

If you prefer something with a little more heat, Chilli Jam can also work surprisingly well with a creamy blue cheese.

Goat's Cheese & Red Onion Relish

Goat's cheese has a distinctive tanginess that works particularly well with the deep, sweet flavour of cooked onion.

That makes Red Onion Relish one of our favourite pairings.

The sweetness of the onions balances the acidity of the cheese without overpowering it, making this combination just as useful away from the cheeseboard.

Try goat's cheese and Red Onion Relish:

• On crostini

• In a tart

• In a warm salad

• In a toasted sandwich

• On a cheeseboard

It works with both soft goat's cheese and firmer, aged varieties.

Gouda, Gruyère & Tomato Chutney

Nutty, slightly sweet cheeses such as Gouda and Gruyère are very versatile when it comes to chutney.

We particularly like them with Tomato Chutney.

Tomato brings a combination of sweetness and acidity that complements these cheeses without overwhelming their more delicate nutty flavours.

It's also a useful combination if your cheeseboard includes several different cheeses, as Tomato Chutney sits comfortably alongside many hard and semi-hard varieties.

Try it with:

• Gouda

• Gruyère

• Emmental

• Comté

• Edam

Smoked Cheese & Chilli Jam

Smoked cheese can handle something with plenty of character.

A sweet and spicy Chilli Jam is a good match because the chilli stands up to the smokiness, while its sweetness provides contrast to the salty cheese.

This pairing is particularly good if you want something slightly different from the traditional cheese-and-chutney combination.

Try it with:

• Smoked Cheddar

• Smoked Applewood-style cheeses

• Smoked Gouda

Can You Put More Than One Chutney on a Cheeseboard?

Absolutely! and we'd recommend it.

If you're serving several cheeses, offering two or three different chutneys gives everyone the opportunity to experiment with their own combinations.

For a well-rounded cheeseboard, we'd choose:

Apple Chutney – fruity and gently spiced
Red Onion Relish – rich, sweet and savoury
Chilli Jam – sweet with a little heat

Or add Tomato Chutney for another savoury option.

You don't need huge quantities. A small spoonful of each is usually plenty, particularly if you're also serving fruit, crackers, nuts and other accompaniments.

How to Build a Simple Cheeseboard

If you're putting together a cheeseboard for guests, choosing a mixture of cheese styles gives you plenty of contrasting flavours and textures.

A simple board could include:

• One hard cheese – such as mature Cheddar

• One soft cheese – such as Brie or Camembert

• One blue cheese – such as Stilton or Cornish Blue

• One different cheese – perhaps goat's cheese or a smoked variety

• Two or three chutneys or relishes

• Crackers or fresh bread

• Grapes, apple or pear

• Nuts

And most importantly, don't worry too much about the rules. Cheese and chutney pairing ultimately comes down to what tastes good to you.

Which Is the Best Chutney for Cheese?

If you only want to choose one chutney for a cheeseboard, we'd recommend a traditional Apple Chutney.

It's versatile enough to work with everything from mature Cheddar to blue and crumbly cheeses, which makes it a reliable all-rounder.

For something richer, try Red Onion Relish. For a bit more heat, choose Chilli Jam. And if you prefer a more savoury-style accompaniment, Tomato Chutney is a great option.

At Boddington's, we make all four in small batches here in Cornwall, using simple ingredients and traditional cooking methods.

So the difficult part isn't finding a chutney to go with your cheese.

It's deciding which cheese to start with.