The Ultimate Mead & Cheese Pairing Guide for International Mead Day 2025
August 2, 2025
Here in Devon’s beautiful Axe Valley, we’ve been exploring the world of mead and cheese pairings, and honestly? We think you’re going to love what we’ve discovered.
Mead has been around in Britain longer than any of us have, yet right now it’s enjoying a real comeback. Maybe it’s the natural sweetness from the honey, or that lovely depth of flavour that sits somewhere between a wine, a cider, and something entirely its own. Whatever it is, when you put it next to the right cheese… well, that’s when they really come into their own together.
Why it works so well
The base of mead is honey, which gives it this beautiful range. Sometimes floral or grassy, other times warm and earthy. It’s like a ready made flavour bridge to cheese.
You might get moments of harmony, say a delicate mead wrapping around a creamy Brie or a bit of playful contrast, like a spiced mead cutting through a tangy blue. Either way, it’s never boring.
It’s a little like pairing wine with cheese. The aim is to match intensity, balance salt and sweetness, and let the flavours lift each other. But we think mead brings its own surprise factor.
A few pairing tips
Match intensity
Soft, fresh cheeses love light, floral meads. Punchy blues or farmhouse cheddars need something bolder like spiced, chilli, or just deeply rich in honey.
Complement or contrast
Sometimes you echo flavours, like elderflower mead with ricotta. Other times, total opposites sing like chilli mead slicing through an aged cheddar is a game changer.
Think about the season
Here in Devon, summer afternoons call for a floral mead and a gentle cheese in the garden. Come winter, we’re layering up, pouring spiced mead, and reaching for mature, complex wedges.
Our favourite mead & cheese pairings
Traditional Mead is the all rounder. Sweet yet refreshing, with gorgeous honey notes. Perfect with hard cheeses like aged Gouda or Parmesan, where salty and sweet sit side by side.
Chilli Mead is warm, not scorching. Brilliant with strong farmhouse cheddars or Stilton. The spice teases out the depth without drowning it.
Black Cherry Mead is juicy and fragrant with just enough crispness to freshen creamy cheeses like Brie or Camembert.
Spiced Mead feels like Christmas in a glass, it is aromatic and cosy. Try it with Wensleydale with cranberries or a festive spiced Gouda.
Elderflower Mead is light, floral, gentle. Showcases fresh cheeses without overpowering them. Think ricotta and a drizzle of honey, cream cheese with herbs… heaven.
Ginger Mead is softly spiced and aromatic. Nutty cheeses like Emmental or Jarlsberg love it. The ginger warmth wraps around their mellow flavour.
Building Your Perfect Cheese & Mead Board
1.Pick three meads with different moods (say, Traditional, Black Cherry, and Spiced) and match them with:
- One soft cheese: Brie, Camembert
- One hard cheese: aged Cheddar, Manchego
- One with character: blue, or cheese with fruit/spice
2. Add a few extras for texture and contrast:
- Fresh/dried fruits: grapes, apple slices, figs, berries
- Nuts for crunch: walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts
- Plain crackers (so the mead and cheese can shine)
- Local honey, a nod to where it all began
- Seasonal garnish: herbs in summer, cinnamon sticks in winter
3. Temperature matters, we recommend serving sweet/fruity meads just cool (10–13°C). While traditional/spiced, a touch warmer (15–18°C).
4. Glassware
Wine glasses or tulip shaped glasses show off the aromas.
5. Cheese
Let it come to room temp to unlock all the flavour.
Our tasting tip is to take a bite of cheese, let it settle on your palate, then sip your mead. Notice the way sweetness and savoury mingle, or how new flavours appear that weren’t there before.
Come Taste for Yourself
That’s the joy of mead and cheese, there’s no “one” right answer. Some pairings you’ll fall for instantly; others might surprise you.
If you’re visiting Devon, drop by our Cellar Door. We’re open:
Mon–Sat: 9:30am–4:30pm (closed for lunch 12:30–1pm)
Sun: 11am–3pm
You can sample the whole range! Our meads, award winning English wines, craft spirits and maybe even discover your own perfect pairing!
Please enjoy responsibly