Looking for a cheese platter presentation that will delight a crowd? Our Cheddar Island is the perfect cheese plate to accompany an appetizer table. Although it is very simple to put together (though no one has to know you didn’t spend hours on it!), it will make a wonderful impression on your guests. After making your masterpiece, be sure to share this fun cheese platter with family and friends on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter!

Begin by cutting notches in the edges of leaves (lemon leaves, orange leaves, or fresh bay leaves will all work well) with scissors to resemble palm leaves. Make enough for about 5 leaves per “palm tree”.

Then, peel the carrot and cut off a few thin crosswise slices. Notch the slices to resemble starfish. With an apple corer or small round cutter, cut cylinders from 1-inch thick slices of Cabot Sharp Cheddar, making about 5 cylinders per palm tree. Cut one square of ½-inch-thick cheddar for each tree to act as a stabilizing base.

Next, make your palm trees by spearing a toothpick through one cylinder into a square base. Add additional cylinders to make the trunk of tree, using more toothpicks as needed, and angling cylinders a bit to make the trunk look curved.

Arrange about 5 notched leaves on top of the last cylinder, spearing them in place with another toothpick. Add black olive “coconuts”, attaching them with a short section of a toothpick.

Place the trees in the center of large serving plate. If you want to give the appearance of having water surrounding your palm trees, you can use a blue or green plate. A clear glass plate placed over a blue or green napkin will also give the appearance of water.

Arrange cubes of your favorite flavors of cheddar around the trees (see suggestions for varieties of Cabot cheddar cheese following the cheese platter directions below). To finish, add the carrot starfish, some additional olive coconuts and fish-shaped crackers or pretzels. Ta-da! You’re all set to impress!