We know we’re not alone when we say that cheese is one of the few foods that we simply cannot live without. Cheese and their loyal comrades, the crackers, are understandably the go-to party starter for most busy hosts because few things are as easy to pull together in a pinch, with such universally fulfilling results. But the question is, could it be more interesting with little added preparation? We thought it would be an amusing exercise to experiment with different combinations and pairings – and then host a contest – a cheese pageant, if you will, to suss out the winners. As pageants go, ours too, would be based purely on subjective judgement. In this case, that of our guests, based on beauty, delectability, and compatibility.
Combined rankings:
1st the honey berry goat
2nd the bacon & blue
3rd the caramel plum pie
4th the earthy epoisses
5th the peppy radish
6th the sweet & salty
7th the autumnal ginger
What we learned:
- To gentlemen, on looks alone, bacon is a thing of beauty, not so much to the ladies
- Ladies’ palates delight in the caramel plum pie, while the gentlemen found it too sweet.
- All are agreed on two things:
- general apathy on all points for the sweet & salty
- love in all three categories for the honey berry goat (remarkable because the rice cracker it was on was spurned across the board, & melba toast recommended)
- As with most things in life, one with beauty and personality wins outright, but a good personality and compatibility without beauty is a close second.
As we mentioned in our 
