16 delicious ways to eat blue cheese

Nici Wickes would not deign to improve on the original South Island cheese roll, but these wee beauties are a bit more posh and they’re just fancy enough to serve them with Champagne at parties!

This scrumptious recipe takes baked potatoes to delicious new heights! Stuffed with blue cheese and sour cream, these spuds are the perfect side dish or so tasty enjoyed as is

This rich, textured, buttery tart is made sweet with slow-cooked onions and sharp with knobs of blue cheese – a great combination.

This roasted parsnip recipe is taken to new heights with the addition of pear, blue cheese and walnuts

Nici Wickes’ leek, blue cheese and walnut flatbread recipe makes the perfect snack and has everything by way of flavour and texture. Whenever you make this recipe, it’s bound to be a crowd pleaser

Roasting or grilling fresh figs intensifies their gentle flavour. Dousing them in balsamic and adding dabs of creamy blue cheese? Well, that just makes them heavenly! Serve these little gems on bread, alongside a salad, as a light lunch or simple supper.

You will need a barbecued chicken weighing about 900g (1¾ pounds). Note

The marriage of walnuts and blue cheese is a culinary relationship that has stood the test of time. In this salad, which is perfect for late summer and autumn, our happy couple are joined by earthy, crimson-veined beet leaves, pear and pomegranate to create a passionate wee dish full of crunch and salty creaminess. Serve it with a dark sourdough loaf and a glass or two of wine. Recipes and styling by Fiona Hugues. Photography by Jani Shepherd. Gatherum Collectif.

Cute little mini quiches that pack a huge blue cheese punch.

Pancetta and gorgonzola both contain naturally occurring monosodium glutamates, a flavour known as `umami’, which is defined as one of the five basic tastes, along with sweet, salt, sour and bitter. Ingredients with a umami quality have the ability to enhance the flavours they are paired with, giving food like broccoli a very moreish taste.

Snuggle up and enjoy a big bowl of this deliciously cheesy and creamy baked pasta with ham, blue cheese and fennel. The ultimate comfort food for the cooler winter nights.