How long do I leave cheese out before serving?

When serving, remove only the amount you think you will use for the occasion from the cooler storage place. Take out about an hour before serving, and allow to come to room temperature. Leaving cheese come up to room temperature (“to chambre”) allows it to develop a fuller, more aromatic flavour. Having said that many modern houses are too warm for ‘chambre-ing’ cheeses, and cheese can become overly pungent, runny and ‘sweaty’ if kept at too warm a temperature. Try and let the cheese come up to temperature in a relatively cool place, and bear in mind that room temperature is not a hot kitchen – more a cool pantry. Harder cheeses can need a little more time than softer ones.