Four Fine Cheeses...
When it is difficult to afford the time and money to dine
out (even with Valentine’s day on the horizon) it may be best to prepare a good
home cooked meal and finish with the flourish of a great cheeseboard - a very
occasional indulgence which can satisfy the soul without affecting the
waistline too much! The high fat
saltiness of cheese is something to savour in very cold weather…
We recently visited the Welsh Food Centre at Bodnant which
keeps an excellent cheese counter. The
staff are very friendly and are happy for you to taste before you buy so it is
a great way to extend your knowledge before committing to a couple choice
purchases. It is pretty expensive but
you can select small samples of what you like and know you will be in for a
treat.
We chose three that we particularly enjoyed. The first was Stinking Bishop, which we had heard of (probably from the Wallace and Grommit film Curse of the Wererabbit) but which we have never tried before. It has a pale orange rind which causes the ‘stink’. Once this is discarded the cheese has a lovely firm creaminess and rounded savoury quality like a brilliant camembert. We would definitely sample again! Find out more at the Stinking Bishop Cheese website.
Clockwise from top: Roquefort Tropeau, Chênes d'argent, Ribblesdale Blue. (Stinking Bishop never made it to the plate - already consumed!) |
We chose three that we particularly enjoyed. The first was Stinking Bishop, which we had heard of (probably from the Wallace and Grommit film Curse of the Wererabbit) but which we have never tried before. It has a pale orange rind which causes the ‘stink’. Once this is discarded the cheese has a lovely firm creaminess and rounded savoury quality like a brilliant camembert. We would definitely sample again! Find out more at the Stinking Bishop Cheese website.
We also tried Ribblesdale Blue Goats cheese. This has a firm almost waxy texture and is
very mild and sweet – a good introduction to blue cheese if you want to sample
its flavour, as the texture and nuttiness of the cheese tempers the burn (which
is reminiscent of a mild Danish blue).
It is not immediately obvious that it is a goats cheese either as there
is a slight cheddar quality to it. A
skilful and very delicious cheese.
More info about Ribblesdale Specialist Cheesemakers at their blog where you can find out more about how the cheese is made and they also offer
cheese-making courses.
Our final choice on this occasion was the classic Roquefort
Tropeau. A sheeps milk strong blue
cheese from France it is most excellent for those who love it (like us) and it
was great to find one so well kept and flavoursome. It is like the Laphroaig of blue
cheeses! It has a sea saltiness quality
to crave and a garlicky blue cheese burn that is so satisfying when sampled
with a good red wine. This had none of
the wetness often present in plastic-packaged ‘mass-market’ versions but did
have a creamy, slightly crumbly texture that seemed just perfect. As close to a sheep’s udder on a French
plateau as one can hope to be these dark winter nights…
More information about Roquefort can be found at the Cheese-France website.
A fourth cheese we sampled alongside came from…Lidl. Yes there are good cheeses to be found in
supermarkets too for a reasonable price and this was a soft goats cheese from
France called Chênes d'argent. It was
very fresh and soft and mild, a foil to the strong selections we had made, one
which would be excellent in a roulade or with garlic and olives. One the children can enjoy too!
We hope our lyrical flights have inspired you to go try and
discover some new favourites of your own as there are so many good cheeses and
good cheese shops to explore. Enjoy…
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