Cheddar and Bacon Cheese Ball 🥓🧀

It is enormously useful to keep a few reliable, quick and creative solutions in your arsenal of ideas and recipes for feeding a crowd of guests at parties or ordinary get-togethers at home. One of the solutions that has served me very well is the cheese ball. A cheese ball – a spread made from your favourite ingredients, wonderful with toasted bread, crackers or rolls, and the best part is that this centrepiece takes just 10-15 minutes to make!

This cheese ball is made from Philadelphia cream cheese (you can use plain Philadelphia or mix it with other Philadelphia flavours), fried crumbled bacon, good-quality cheddar (Monterey Jack or white cheddar also work very well), Estrella Dipmix powder (as a substitute for a ranch seasoning mix, though you can leave it out) garlic powder (for those who want a hint of garlic without the sharp taste of raw garlic) and chives (which can be swapped for spring onions).

Why I love cheese balls so much:

1. Very quick to make.It usually takes me about 10-15 minutes to put this snack together – in short, as long as it takes to chop or fry the ingredients and mix them. It is also very handy that you can make it a day or two ahead – ideal when you are preparing for a celebration, and having stood a while the cheese ball tastes even better, because it absorbs more flavour.
2. Endless flavour combinations.You can make this snack differently every time – from a nutty cheese ball with cranberries, to a spicy one with Sriracha sauce, or one mixed with goat's cheese or sun-dried tomatoes. Or perhaps you fancy a sweet one with chocolate chips, caramel or peanut butter? In short, the possibilities are endless.
3. The look. It is always fun and satisfying to eat food that has been made creatively. Since it is September now – pumpkin month – my cheese ball represents that perfectly. Thanks to its soft but firm consistency this snack can be sculpted however you wish and however your imagination takes you, so with a little searching online you could make anything from a cheese Christmas tree to your favourite animal.