Mixed Cheese Cocktail Balls

by our cookery writer Ann Way

I invented this recipe recently, having cleared out my fridge and found lots of tail-end bits of cheese. We were having some neighbours in for a little get-together and I wanted to get some nice snacks out. It was a good way of finishing up the cheese. After all the Christmas festivities, my bet is that most of you who have been entertaining will have cheese left over and it’s a good, tasty way of finishing it up. Happy Christmas to you all.

Ingredients
You will need any left over bits of cheese or a selection of mini cheeses, several slices of wholemeal bread, some yoghurt, a teaspoon of herbs of your choice, a little cream, and a little paprika

Method
Gather together your cheeses, removing any hard rind. Chop them up and place in a blending machine. Grind them together adding as much cream and yoghurt as necessary to make a stiff paste. Scrape the mixture on to a board or plate.  Crumble the breadcrumbs finely, place them on a baking tray and heat in a fairly hot oven until they are nicely browned (watch them carefully as it is easy to burn them). When they are ready, bring them out and cool them and if they need it, crush them a little more so that they are really finely crumbed. Taste the cheese mixture and with a teaspoon take out enough to make large marbles. Roll them in cold hands and then sprinkle them with herbs and paprika. Then roll them in the crushed, browned breadcrumbs and place in the fridge to harden a little. Present on a stick with cocktail sticks, parsley and any other decoration you wish.