Cheese for Valentine's Day

Cheesemakers are a bunch of dreamy romantics, so it makes sense that many make special heart-shaped cheeses just for Valentine's Day.

Valentine's Day and Cheese

Perhaps cheese isn't the first thing you think of when it comes to Valentine’s Day surprises, but cheese is a delicious gift that can be shared, before or after dinner, or perhaps on a couch-side picnic in front of the fire. Cheese is thoughtful, it’s fun, and it’s more unique than a typical box of chocolates. A well-thought-out cheese plate says so many things. To a true cheese lover, it says, “You’re awesome enough to warrant something really special.”

Hint: Buy your cheeses a few days before serving to make sure they have time to ripen a bit before the big day. Always leave cheese out for about 45 minutes before serving to allow for the ultimate flavor experience, as fat-soluble flavor compounds flow more freely at room temperature, making them more flavorful.

Look for these romantic cheeses online or in your local cheese shop.

Valentine's Cheese Online

Check out online sources for Valentine's cheese:

• Saxelby Cheesemongers Valentine Dinner for Two: Steak, cheddar and heart-shaped goat cheese. What more do you need for a romantic meal?
• Cowgirl Creamery: ​Their Valentine gift box includes a trio of domestic cheeses and a few bites of delectable chocolate.
• River's Edge Chevre: The February cheese selection from the River's Edge website includes three bloomy-rind goat cheeses shaped like hearts: Petit Bonheur (studded with pink peppercorns), Old Flame (silky cheese and mellow), and Heart's Desire (coated in smoky Spanish paprika).

Valentine Cheese in Cheese Shops

Here are a few retail outlets for Valentine cheeses:

• Around Valentine's Day, look for their regular fresh, creamy goat cheese to be sold in heart shapes.
• Coeur de Berry: Heart-shaped French goat cheese with an ash-covered rind.
• Coeur d’Arras: Heart-shaped French washed-rind cow's milk cheese.

If you can't find any heart-shaped cheese at the store, consider two other romantic gestures, serving a cheese plate for dessert or serving a sweet dessert made from cheese, such as: 

• Ricotta chocolate cake
• Baked ricotta pudding cake
• Ricotta fritters
• Ricotta blueberry coffee cake
• French chocolate tart

Reasons Why Cheese Is Better Than a Date on Valentine's Day

Would you rather have a date or a cheese on Valentine's Day? Choose carefully!

1. Cheese will always put you in a good mood. Think about the foods you love. They're probably all covered in cheese or have cheese as the main ingredient: pizza, nachos, cheese fries, cheesecake, etc.
2. Cheese is great cold or hot. Doesn't matter how it's prepared, what the weather is like, or what you're in the mood for. Cheese will always find a way to be irresistibly delicious.
3. Cheese will never show up late. It is always in your fridge at the perfect moment you need it to be. And will never send a text asking you to "meet outside in 15."
4. Cheese will always be there for you. When the rain starts to pour, cheese will be there for you... like it's been there before. 
5. There's no such thing as too much cheese. You don't need to worry about coming on too strong or moving too fast with cheese. Whatever pace you choose will work.