There's not much that the award-winning cheesemonger Gill Draycott - of Wells Stores, Peachcroft Farm, Abingdon- doesn't know about cheese, which is why I asked her to put together the perfect cheese board for the festive table.

Gill came up with four cheeses which she believes will complement each other, offer choice and provide the flavours we are looking for after a lavish Christmas lunch.

Durrus prize-winning unpasteurised farmhouse cheese comes from West Cork, Ireland, and is recognised as one of the finest of modern Irish cheeses made in the artisanal manner. This semi-soft rind-washed cheese is packed with powerful and complex flavours that linger pleasantly on the palate.

Cotehill Blue, from the Lincolnshire Wolds, was awarded a Gold Medal at the International Cheese Show 2007, as well as the British Cheese Awards 2007, and that first bite tells you why. This is a rich creamy melt-in-the-mouth blue created from unpasteurised milk from Friesian cattle which means it's rich in butterfat and protein. Superb subtle flavours make this cheese a must for the cheese board.

Kirkham's Lancashire is the archetypal Lancashire cheese, which crumbles nicely but not too much. This cheese has been produced by the same family farm for more than three generations, using unpasteurised milk from their own herd of Friesian Holstein cows, to which they add a natural culture, natural rennet and salt. This is a cheese that continues to mature for up to a year.

Norsworthy unpasteurised medium-soft, full-fat goats cheese with an attractive burnt orange rind and firm buttery texture melts on the palate and provides an excellent clean taste which is not overpowering. Although it can be ready to eat in two weeks, this award-winning cheese will become quite crumbly if left to ripen.