Which cheese should you serve for your book club?

Pick your book – and your country – and I’ll tell you which cheese is a must on your cheese plate!

All the Light We Cannot See is a great book club choice – a gripping story set in France during the Second World War. Do your guests a favour, and offer them Chateau De Bourgogne. This ultra-smooth triple crème from Burgundy is the one all your guests will want. I’ve seen sophisticated adults scrape the rind to get every last bit.

Choose My Brilliant Friend to read about the relationship between two young women in gritty Naples, or Under the Tuscan Sun for a memoir set in beautiful Tuscany, with accompanying recipes. Either way, the Italian Ubriaco Amarone will go down easy – as you might expect, it’s aged in Amarone wine for an unforgettable, rich flavour.

The Muse tells the story of a young artist traveling in Spain just before the civil war, and the woman who discovers her work, thirty years later. The description of the Spanish countryside will make you swoon. And so will the Manchego, especially if it’s served with Jamón Serrano and crispy crackers. 

Girl With a Pearl Earring explores the identity of the mysterious model for Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer’s painting by the same name. There’s no mystery about making your friends happy by serving the mild, nutty Beemster Goat Cheese.

Kim Thuy’s Ru is a short but powerful story of a young girl and her family who are forced out of wartime Vietnam and settle in Quebec. Accompany it with the creamy Le Mi Careme from La Belle Province and a simple baguette. 

*If you're putting together a cheese plate, of course you'll want a minimum of 3-4 choices. Offer a good selection - for example, choose a goat cheese, a sheep's milk, a blue and a brie - to suit everyone's tastes. Add crispy crackers or bread and some grapes, and fig jam to take it over the top. Enjoy!