Work Party Cheese Plate

My boyfriend and I were going to to a party with some of his work friends and everyone was supposed to bring a snack, so we decided to bring a cheese plate! Apparently he told his friends that I was really into cheese, so the pressure was on. What could I pick that everyone would like, yet would be a little out of the ordinary?

I was already at the Specs wine tasting, so I figured I would just get the cheese from there. The first cheese was easy, as they were sampling a very delicious sharp Irish Dubliner Cheddar. Cheddar is always a good staple to have in a cheese plate because everyone knows what it is. The next one I picked was a 6 month manchego because its one of my favorites, its a sheep cheese, and whenever I bring it for people to try, I always get a good reaction. I thought it would be cool to have a cows, sheep, and goat cheese for variety, so for the final cheese, I really wanted a goat gouda, but couldnt find one :(. So instead, I got a very aged "Vintage" gouda. It was really hard and crumbly and I thought this might be the least liked of the 3 cheeses, because it has such a strong flavor.

We got to the party and the cheeses were a big hit! Much to my surprise, aged gouda was the favorite of the night! Next was the manchago, and the cheddar was last! So maybe the flavor wasnt too strong? I think we bought about $11 worth of cheese, which was probably 3/4 lb or so and there was still about half of it left over.