Gone are the days of advent calendars that offer little more than a picture behind each miniature cardboard door. With more and more novelty advent calendars hitting the shops every year, the countdown to Christmas Day has never been a more thrilling, or rewarding, affair. There are calendars for gin lovers, chocolate fanatics, wine connoisseurs and beer buffs, as well as ones filled with jam, popcorn and, yes, even hot sauce. But the ones we're crooning over right now are cheese advent calendars - and we've scoured the web for some of the best.
This year, we're pretty impressed by the brie-lliant (sorry) cheese-filled options out there. Who wouldn’t want to spend the 24 days leading up to Christmas nibbling on bitesize hunks of delicious dairy? While they may not have ascertained the notoriety that, say, chocolate advent calendars have over the years, we predict the best cheese advent calendars for 2024 are going to be a big hit.
But we get it – not all cheeses are created equal in everyone’s eyes, with different varieties offering something totally unique. Whether you prefer your cheese smoky, tangy, dusty or salty, the best cheese advent calendars all offer multiple types to ensure there’s something for everyone behind each little door. In some, you’ll even find a selection of mini chutneys and crackers to pair with your cheese bounty.
Check out our pick of the very best cheese advent calendars this year (and you could always choose suitable wines to match each one).
As for the important question: do you need to store your cheese calendar in the fridge? Yes, preferably in a cold environment at five degrees or less.
The Chuckling Cheese Company Cheese Advent Calendar
![Yellow advent calendar with wax covered cheeses]()
What: Promising 24 days of cheesy goodness, chutney and biscuits, The Chuckling Cheese Company advent company covers all the cheesy bases. Including some best-selling Christmas additions, this advent calendar offers 12 mini cheese truckles, six dinky jars of chutney and six packets of cheese crackers. This advent calendar would make a great early Christmas present for a cheese-loving friend.
How much: £39.99
Buy now: Chuckling Cheese Company Cheese Advent Calendar
The Cheese Advent Calendar
![red box with cut cheese on slate and glass of wine]()
What: Designed and produced by Annem Hobson of blog So Wrong It’s Nom, this book-style cheese calendar took the cheese world by storm last year. We’re still eagerly waiting for the cheesy lineup for 2024, but last year it came crammed with nine different types of cheese, including Applewood Vintage, Double Gloucester, and an onion and sage Cheddar. Once you had finished the first 12 cheeses, you simply tore off one half of the calendar to save some extra fridge space.
How much: TBA
Paxton & Whitfield Artisan Cheese Advent Calendar
![left, three cheese advent calendars. Right, cheese on board]()
What: Paxton & Whitfield is the UK's oldest cheesemonger don't you know, so where better to get your festive fromage? This year's calendar includes a mixture of the latest and greatest cheeses and some historical favourites too. Sign up and you'll get three fresh deliveries of eight cheeses each, including festive favourites like Cheddar and Stilton, alongside more uncommon cheeses from British and European artisans. The best part? The delivery service is entirely carbon-neutral!
How much: £150
Buy now: Paxton & Whitfield Artisan Cheese Advent Calendar
Giant Welsh Cheese Advent Calendar
![Massive triangle cheese advent with candles and wine]()
What: Measuring more than a metre wide and containing a whopping 4.2 kilos of artisan cheese, this calendar is a cheese lover's dream come true. Inside, you can find 24 different kinds of Welsh cheese, ranging from creamy soft varieties like Cenarth brie to punchy Cheddars and blues. Maybe just avoid any mistletoe after feasting on this one. There’s also a smaller Welsh cheese advent calendar, with six types at £49 in case nine pounds of cheese sounds like too much.
How much: £189
Buy now: Giant Welsh Cheese Advent Calendar
Cheesegeek Advent Calendar
![fold out cheese calendar with chutneys and crackers]()
What: Cheesegeek's advent calendar would make an excellent gift for a cheese-loving family if you're on the hunt for a shared prezzie. The whole thing houses just under 2kg of cheese, with each window hiding a new artisan selection. To ensure the cheese is in the best condition, deliveries are paced out through December, each time arriving with a pack of crackers, a jar of honey and a condiment designed to compliment the cheese. Cheesegeek is keeping its contents a secret though, to make every day that much more exciting!
How much: £150
Buy now: Cheesegeek Advent Calendar
The Courtyard Dairy Cheese Advent Calendar
![rustic slate with tinsel and a stack of different cheeses]()
What: An award-winning mom-and-pop cheesemonger in North Yorkshire, The Courtyard Dairy, is back at it again this year with a stellar lineup that includes 24 of the best cheeses from small independent farmers in the British Isles. Cheeses range from tangy Old Winchester to sweet Killeen and nutty Cáis Na Tíre, along with some more strong and smelly varieties. But the 2024 advent calendar also offers the chance to be among the first to sample a new cheese that has never been on the market before - though this special cheese will remain top secret until later.
How much: £125
Buy now: The Courtyard Dairy Cheese Advent Calendar
All cheesed out? Check out our favourite Christmas food hampers, or take a look at something more traditional with our pick of the best chocolate advent calendars.