10 Great Gifts for Cheese Lovers

Whether the cheese lover in your life is new to the obsession, or a dyed-in-the-wool quesophile, we’ve rounded up 10 great gifts, from cheap and cheesy to indulgent, to meet all of your gifting needs this cheese…I mean, holiday season.

The holiday season presents myriad gift-wrapping challenges. Wrapping cheese is a specialized skill and wrapping it with festive holiday paper is likely impractical, especially if your gift is meant to sit under a tree or holiday display for any length of time. Some aged cheeses might have the staying power to weather it — looking at you, Parmigiano Reggiano — but why risk it? While cheese is always a welcome gift, an abundance of cheese companions and cheese-adjacent options also make excellent gifts for your cheese lover. There are tools and accouterments for serving up or serving with cheese, cheese subscriptions to streamline cheese delivery, and novelty gifts that artfully celebrate your cheese lover’s enthusiasm.

For more gift ideas see previous picks from our 2021 Cheese Gift Guide and Gifts for the Blue Cheese Obsessed.

 

Cheap and Cheesy: Cheese Gifts Under $25

 

Janet’s Finest Compotes

Cheese has many dance partners where perfect pairings are concerned: artisanal chocolates, honeys, and jams are great edible gifts for your cheese lover that don’t risk under-the-tree spoilage. Here we highlight a delightful option by many metrics: Janet’s Finest is a multi-generational, women-owned company from Minnesota whose handcrafted compotes ($7) also bring some warmth to the cheese occasion. Described by its makers as “midwestern spicy,” (read: not too spicy) Janet’s Finest offers an array of fruit and jalapeño compotes that can ably pair everything from mild and gooey triple cremes to equally “midwestern spicy” blues. A selection of 1.5-ounce mini-jars ($4) also make for terrific stocking stuffers or holiday party favors.

 

Old World Christmas Cheese Wedge Ornament

If your cheese lover is anything like me, then their holiday display has started to lean a little food and beverage oriented, with a specific penchant for dairy. Old World Christmas has a multitude of edible-inspired ornaments, from branded items such as Skittles and Funyuns to generic, craveable foodstuffs like carrot cake and ramen. And of course cheese is well-represented. Perfect for a host gift or stocking stuffer, this classic cheese wedge ($18) literally sparkles, as cheese does metaphorically for those of us who love it. Other cheesy options include mac and cheese and lasagna, or you can assemble a whole “cheese plate” of items to accompany the wedge such as a baguette, olives, and marmalade.

 

Formaticum Cheese Storage Bags

Ask any cheesemonger what their favorite, commercially available cheese paper is, and you’ll likely hear a Hallelujah chorus of “Formaticum.” Even for the most well-intentioned cheese lovers, we’re not always good about wrapping and re-wrapping our favorite hunks and wedges most soundly following purchase, however. Formaticum has a specific antidote to that. Their cheese storage bags ($9) make preserving cheese the easiest imaginable endeavor: good news for the origami-challenged among us. (While you’re over on Formaticum’s site, why not check out their Cheese Course subscription package: more than just a recreational cheese delivery subscription, Formaticum Cheese Course is designed to help train your palate with 5 monthly cheeses selection from the same category, and the package includes sensory notes and tasting mats.)

 

Medium-Firm: Cheese Gifts Under $75

Neon Cheese Wedge

I have first-hand evidence that this is an excellent gift for a cheese lover. When I, a consummate cheese lover, encountered this Neon Cheese Wedge ($35) in the wild, I squealed. That was the external reaction. My inner monologue calmly stated “we must have this.” When I learned it retailed for only about $35, I squealed again. (Inner voice: “It is ours.”) Cheese lovers are often (happily) subjected to a lot of cheese kitsch, but this neon cheese is literally a beacon, perfect for broadcasting their affection and giving a warm, cheesy glow to any room.

 

Charcuterie Board Earrings

Etsy is one of my favorite places on the internet for esoteric gift ideas. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure kind of gift warehouse. Or you can try a cheese-your-own-adventure: simply type “cheese + [fill in the blank]” and you’re more or less guaranteed to find it. (Try it: I couldn’t find a combo that didn’t deliver results.)  “Cheese + earrings” especially did not disappoint here. Jewelry is never a stranger to being wrapped and gifted, but these charcuterie board earrings ($40) are about as pearl-clutching as anything sparkly would be. The detail here is tremendous: cheese with appropriately ombre ripeness, and delicately marbled charcuterie. Not to mention the perforated crackers and waxy fruit. These are earrings worth making a cheesy statement with.

 

Annie Selke Gold Hand Forged Cheese Knives

Gold is precious, and to many, so is cheese. Put them together, and that’s a recipe for a memorable holiday. Cheese knives come in various styles and finishes, and at various price points, and most with a high degree of functionality regardless of cost. But why not go for the gold? These Annie Selke Gold Hand Forged Knives ($68) are gold-plated with seamless lines, offering a look of special occasion and elegance, nothing less than exceptional cheeses and exceptional cheese lovers deserve.

 

Cheese is Life Retro Food Advertising Poster

I love a good food- and especially cheese-themed poster for hanging in the kitchen. “Cheese poster” will also return you excellent search engine results, from the educational to the stylish. I personally couldn’t resist this Cheese is Life retro poster, ($45) for my taste. Bold in both color and character, much like some of my most favorite cheeses, this mid-century stunner is offered in a number of different sizes, materials and frames.

 

Extra Ripe: Cheese Gifts Above $75

 

Curdbox Subscription

My personal recommendation when it comes to gifting cheese subscriptions is to seek out whatever is most local to your cheese lover. Supporting a small business comes with extra holiday feel-good vibes, and many creameries offer monthly or semi-annual packages to introduce their products to consumers in their immediate vicinity. If you’re working with a cheese desert, however, or need some national shipping power at your disposal, my vote is for Curdbox. ($225 for three months.) Having dabbled in cheese subscriptions personally, I find it the perfect combination of crowd-pleasing and adventurous, with three cheeses and three inspired pairings included month-to-month. The pairings are a lot of the fun here, which particularly sets Curdbox apart from other programs I’ve tried. Recent selections have included Salt & Pepper Toasted Corn Nuts, Alaskan Spruce Tip Jelly, and Crispy Pineapple Slices with Chili Tajin, for example.

 

Cheese Grotto Piatto

Cheese Grotto is what separates the serious cheese lovers from the casual cheese lovers. For the serious, what could be better than having their own personal cheese cave for storing and ripening cheese? Developed by veteran cheesemonger Jessica Sennett, Cheese Grotto models provide air flow and moisture for storing cheeses in a similar condition as they would be in a ripening cave, or an artisan cheese shop. Cheese Grotto Piatto ($89) is the introductory model, perfect for a couple of small hunks, then there is the Cheese Grotto Piatto and Marin French Cheese Holiday Bundle with Petite Camembert, Petite Truffle Brie, and Petite Garlic & Pepper Brie. Requiring the least amount of real estate, but options go up to the Classico, ($350) which has two shelves and can house five or six wedges. Cheese Grotto’s website also has a helpful “gifts” section, including beautifully curated boxes by Sennett herself, as well as some bundles which include both a Grotto and some wedges. (A bonus treat for yourself, perhaps.)

 

OHOM Fondi Self Heating Fondue Set

Gone are the days of the 1970s fondue sets that require the little blue flame. For all of your cheese melting needs, OHOM has created an elegant, streamlined version which relies on what is essentially a charging pad for the ceramic pot to self heat. (And yes, it can also be used as a phone charger. Combination phone charger/fondue kit was definitely not on my holiday bingo card.) The Fondi Self Heating Fondue Set ($98) comes in a variety of contemporary colors, and is the kind of low-maintenance device that you won’t hesitate to pull out of the cupboard, even if a self-care occasion calls for fondue-for-one.