Peake Practice, with Ray Peake of Callum's Bistro, Accrington.

THIS week I am sharing the limelight with Christine Grayson, owner of the best cheese stall in Accrington.

She has been supplying me with the most delicious cheeses far the past 10 years.

None of that pre-packaged nasty, tasteless factory-produced cheese for me. I see it being freshly-cut from the block, which can weigh anything up to 40 pounds, and her Lancashire cheese is the real McCoy.

As I am not proficient in the art of cheese-making, this week is unusual in that there is no recipe.

However, I will happily share with you my views on creating a cheese board that will make your guests gasp.

But first a history lesson with many facts to impress, or bore, your friends as they munch their cheese course. Cheese-making in this country dates back to the Iron Age but the techniques used were vastly improved with the arrival of the Romans in the first century AD.

Not only did they give us roads and sanitation, they also gave us improved cheeses.

A thousand years on, William the Conqueror brought with him several hundred monks from France who proceeded to teach shepherds in Yorkshire how to make sheep's milk into cheese.

The Second World War devastated British cheese-making.

With few men to run the farms and severe food shortages, the Ministry of Food ruled that any excess milk be used to make fast-ripening "National Cheese"

When rationing ended in 1954 many farming families were without their menfolk and cheese-making skills had been lost. Before the war there had been 15,000 cheese-makers. By the time it ended only 126 remained. They were a resilient bunch, however, and British cheeses today are as delicious and diverse as their European counterparts. At a recent British Cheese Awards competition, 507 cheeses were entered. Of these, 44 were made from sheep's milk, 64 from goat's milk the remainder from the ever-popular cow's milk.

Call me patriotic or whatever but, of all the British cheeses, Lancashire for me is number one, top dog, the greatest, the one I would like to be stranded on a desert island with. I think it's great. However, there is Lancashire cheese and there is "proper" Lancashire Cheese.

You can buy Lancashire cheese from the supermarket, pre-portioned and wrapped in plastic and, yes, it tastes like plastic. Furthermore, it has more than likely been made anywhere in the country other than Lancashire.

True made-in-Lancashire cheeses are a different matter. Mrs Kirkhams, Dewlay and Singletons are exceptional in taste, texture and quality. There is also a little-known variation on Lancashire cheese made by Greenfields in the Ribble Valley. Their Lancashire crumbly is my all-time favourite. It was awarded a gold medal at the London International Cheese and Dairy Competition in 1999 and rightly so.

You will only find it in proper cheese shops and stalls like Christine's, who should not only be supported but commended for their high values in only selling quality cheeses.

The best cheese board is the one chosen with care and enthusiasm and served on a rough board with chunks of bread, copious quantities of wine and good friends to share with.

I personally believe one superb whole piece of cheese is better than three or four wedges. Let your guests do the cutting. A selection of at least four different cheeses is a must, taking into account texture and taste -- perhaps one hard cheese, one soft, one semi-soft and one blue cheese. I know biscuits are almost always served with cheese but they tend to take away from the texture of the cheeses and are often very salty. Why not try crusty country-style breads or walnut and raisin breads instead? Or if you prefer, as I do, fruit cake or walnut cake. In Europe, fresh walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts are often served with cheese and I must say I also enjoy a walnut or two with my cheese.

Pickles and chutney, favourites when served on ploughman's lunch, can equally be served as an accompaniment to your cheese board but they can overpower more delicate cheeses and are best suited for hard cheeses such as a mature cheddar.

Fresh fruit is something else you should consider to enhance your cheese selection. As a general rule, citrus fruits are too sharp and tropical fruit generally too sweet. Apples, pears and figs, though, are perfect.

Dried fruit is something that tends to be forgotten about when it comes to serving interesting "bits and bats" with cheese. So let me remind you -- dried figs, prunes and raisins are delicious with all styles of cheese. Finally, that old favourite celery must be given a mention, along with spring onions and olives. You do not, of course, need to use all of the above. Just pick out the "goodies" that you personally prefer to make your cheese board that extra special.

I was watching Blue Peter on TV the other day and at the end of the programme all of the presenters wished their viewers a great summer as they were taking a break. In a similar Blue Peter fashion, I wish all my readers a great summer as I too am taking a break and look forward to presenting you with more recipes in September.

Please keep sending me your personal favourite recipes for possible inclusion in the autumn.

Send Your recipes to Ray Peake, Callums Bistro, Abbey Street, Accrington, BB5 1EE.