Cheese wedding cakes are becoming the norm, but how do you go about choosing one?
– The Little Cheesemonger Rhuddlan : Gemma Williams
What is a cheese wedding cake? Layers and rings of different types of cheese towering up in to the shape of a traditional wedding cake and decorated with fruits. I first encountered these around 2005 when I was working for a well-known cheesemonger in Edinburgh. We started getting requests for cheese wedding cakes and were happy to oblige but at that time they just took the cheese away and did a DIY job themselves. Fast forward to 2017 and I had opened my own cheesemongers in Rhuddlan and I began offering the full wedding cheese cake service, setting them up and decorating them at local venues.
If you are considering having a cheese wedding tower as an alternative or an addition to your wedding here are a few things to bear in mind!
-Visit your local friendly cheesemonger for a tasting. The options are endless for a wedding cake, how can you choose? Go and talk to someone who knows what they are doing and can offer you tastings (usually free). A small local business will bend over backwards to help with your requests. Obviously online supermarkets can beat everyone on price but the quality and appearance are nothing like you will get from a cheesemonger, you could be sorely disappointed with what arrives.
-Make an appointment. There are more cheesemongers around the country than you might think they are often small busy businesses and although they will serve you if you pop in booking an appointment is always better so they can be prepared to talk to you.
-Modern couples are very receptive to the idea of a cheese wedding cake, their venue may not always be so up to date with the times. They maybe very happy for you to say your cake will be delivered and set up on the day, but when you tell them it’s a cheese wedding cake, they seem to think your trying to pull a fast one! It’s worth having a chat and explaining you’re not bringing your own buffet this is a wedding cake, it’s just made out of cheese!
-Accompaniments! You could source local chutneys and breads to have with your tower or maybe your Great Aunt Joan makes amazing pickled onions? What ever you decided just check your venue is happy. Venues offer a per head price for crackers and chutney so they could do it for you but some venues are happy for you to bring what you want!
-Decorations! I only ever recommend using edible decorations like fruit, veg, herbs, sugar paste flowers or chocolate mice. Never use Ivy or flowers that could be poisonous! Your local cheesemonger will have food hygiene certificate and training and will be able to advise and offer you decorations.
-Have fun with it! Why not have a cheese from both of your nationalities? Choose a Scottish, Welsh, English, Irish and so on. I have one wedding cake this year that will be heavily decorated in cherry tomatoes in memory of the grooms Father who was very fond of growing his own tomatoes.
If you do choose a cheese tower it guaranteed to be a show stopping centre piece! It’s nice when my previous Brides & Grooms visit on anniversaries to pick up a tasting selection of the cheese they had on their wedding day so they can relive it over every year.
Best of luck to you on your wedding plans and if you need any Cheese cake advice please get in touch. Gemma www.thelittlecheesemonger.co.uk