Last week I was off to see the Barber family, who make Cheddar cheese down in Somerset. I’ve been to see them before but, as they are the guardians of the last traditional cheese cultures, I wanted to talk to their cultures expert (I’m not very scientific so need such things explaining to me at least three times, preferably with pictures). I thought it only polite to take something suitably cheesy with me, so opted for scones, made with their 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar. There’s nothing worse than a cheese scone that isn’t cheesy so the 1833 is a good choice, punchy and tasty as it is.
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Olde York
I’m off to Devon for Easter and am looking forward to seeking out some little-known West Country cheeses. However, I’ve become aware recently that my selections have been displaying a distinct southern bias. So, to redress the balance before I go away, to give Margaret at From Pyrenees to Pennines a fighting chance at tracking down a cheese (they stock it in Booths!) and to please my mother, this week’s selection is from Yorkshire:
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Vulscombe, Red Pepper and Fennel Tart
I wondered if I could pass this off as a pie, in honour of British Pie Week. Pie, tart, pastry case, pastry base, it’s all the same surely? But in my heart of hearts I knew I had a tart on my hands (so to speak). Possibly a flan. But not a pie. Last week’s chunk of Vulscombe seemed to deserve something better than just me secretly scoffing it when the house was empty, plus I had a veggie coming for lunch which always throws me into a pickle. This is super easy, even if you make a mess of the puff pastry like I did and don’t use the right-sized baking tray.
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Vulscombe with Garlic and Herbs
It’s been a while. I’d like to say that my vacation from the blog has meant that I’ve lost at least half a stone due to eating less cheese. But I appear to have filled the gap with eating chocolate. And cheese but just not getting around to writing about it. Whoops. Anyway, I’m back on the cheese trail and this week I bring you an especially pretty one:
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Hibernation and a Hearty Kale and Stilton Soup
About this time of year, hedgehogs begin to stir, shivering their bristles and stretching out a little foot or two, in readiness to wake up after their winter slumber. All of which serves as a handy metaphor for this blog which, having snoozed through the dark, short days of December and January, is now ready to spring back into action. (I could at this point have just confessed to being busy, knackered and neglectful but, well, everyone loves a hedgehog, don’t they?)
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Radicchio and Durrus Risotto
I’m sure you have all been on the edge of your seats, waiting to hear of my progress up the allotment waiting list. Well, big news here, I have a plot! I’ve been pretty lucky to inherit a patch that’s been well-cared for until recently, compared to some of the weed forests that are also up for grabs. In fact I’ve been pretty lucky full-stop, considering that I live in London where some waiting lists are 40 years long and people even put their children down to secure an allotment for their future middle age!
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Cheese, Please! – a challenge for September
Cheese, Please! is back and this month hosted by the lovely Garden Deli, so do go and check out this beautiful blog 🙂
I’m excited, honoured, and hugely nervous to be hosting this month’s Cheese, Please! blog challenge. It’s the first time The Garden Deli has been let loose with a blog challenge. But Jane from the brilliantly written blog Fromage Homage has trusted me with her cheesy challenge, so let’s see what we can do…
First up we need a theme. Over the past few weeks I’ve been watching trees full of fruit edge towards ripeness and pondering over what to do with it all. As a result, a theme of cheese n’ fruit springs to mind. Right now I’m looking for ideas to use apples, plums, pears and greengages. But don’t feel you need to limit yourself to these, or indeed just to autumn fruit… if you’re reading this in the southern hemisphere and have a glut of lemons on the tree why not share your recipe ideas. Or if you’re…
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Harbourne Blue
It’s been a very sheepish blog for the last few weeks with St James, Flower Marie and Homewood Ewes Cheese all making an appearance. But the sheepish one this week is me; after tantalising everyone with my promise of cooking something up with the Homewood curd, it all went very wrong. I planned to make stuffed courgette flowers, waiting four days for enough flowers to appear, diligently stuffed them, prepared the batter, heated the oil and then fried them. Oh – except I’d forgotten to batter them first so they all disintegrated on impact. I blame the heat. Sigh. Anyway, onto this week’s cheese which is decidedly goaty:
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A Big Cheesy Love Story
When I started this cheese adventure back in May, hoping to educate myself in all things cheesy, I envisaged myself scoffing back stinky French wedges and holey Swiss slices in my quest for fromage knowledge. Guzzling Gorgonzola, snaffling Saint-Marcellin and pigging out on Parmesan were all part of the plan. Then I read a bit more and was determined to try Norwegian Brown Cheese (Gjetost), Sardinian Maggot’s Cheese (Casu Marzu) and Mauritanian Camel’s Cheese (Caravane). But something rather unexpected happened along the way.
I fell in love with British cheese.
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August’s Cheese, Please! Recipe Round Up – Feta
Feta cheese was on the table for August’s Cheese, Please! Recipe Challenge – and with it the challenge to prove that it’s more than just a salad cheese (although I still got myself a good-natured ticking off from a Greek chap annoyed that I had bracketed it with ‘other salad-style cheeses’ so I hoped that we could do it justice!)
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Fromage Homage 