Tag Archives: British Cheese Week

Oct12

British cheeses outsell the French at M&S

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British cheeses outsell the French at M&S

At last, we have proof that our cheese rocks!  Just as I was longing for British Cheese week to come back again, I have found the perfect excuse to keep celebrating.  According to the Telegraph’s Harry Wallop, “British cheeses are now outselling French cheeses at a rate of two to one at Marks & Spencer, as consumers embrace local, regional specialities.”

According to the article, sales of British cheeses have gone up by 30 percent over the last year.  This might be a result of British cheeses being cheaper than their foreign counterparts as the Pound decreases against the Euro; or that we are prepared to support local businesses more during a recession, but I prefer to think it is because more and more people are realising we have a spectacular selection of delicious cheeses in the UK, and that they can’t get enough of it!

Oct3

A taste sensation at Hibiscus

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A taste sensation at Hibiscus

As British Cheese Week draws to an end, and I sit here piling through a plate of Stinking Bishop, Ragstone, and Penyston, I have been trying to think of the most memorable ‘last course’ I have ever had in a restaurant in the UK. There is one clear winner – without a doubt, it has to be the last dish on the tasting menu I had at Hibiscus about 4 months ago.

I guess maybe it stuck in my mind so much, because we weren’t told what was on the menu until the plate arrived in front of us – all we knew was that this was the last dish on the menu, we hadn’t had any pudding or cheese, so assumed that it would be along those lines – Obviously I was hoping it would be a plate of gooey, smelly cheese…

This, it wasn’t, but oh, how I was pleasantly surprised!  I think you should probably see what it looked like first before I explain what it tasted like, you’ll see why…

Hibiscus

All the waiter said when the plate was placed in front of us was: “Before you taste it, I would like you to look at it, try and guess what it is, then when I come back, tell me what you think.”

So, we looked at it and decided that it clearly looked like Tarte au Citron, with vanilla ice cream and vanilla on the side -right..? Although seeing as the waiter had asked us to guess what it was, and knowing we were in the hands of Chef Claude Bosi, we were pretty sure it wasn’t this.

When the waiter came back, we told him what we thought it looked like, and with a rye smile, he replied in his rather sexy French accent “just taste it and let me know what you think…”

Humn, asparagus tart…amazingly light, but a powerful flavour at the same time. Then to the ice cream, WOW, goats cheese – What a taste sensation, tangy and wonderfully creamy and it went so well with the asparagus!  I still could not work out what the little black dots were, they certainly weren’t vanilla, nor licorice, what the hell were they…? We succumbed to the waiter, “black olive,” well, of course once I knew, that was clearly what it was but I guess I must have been duped by the appearance – who would have thought?!

The whole dish was well thought out.  Visually, it looked stunning, each flavour complemented the other perfectly, but more importantly it was a dish that teased me, it challenged me both in taste and in sight – and for that reason it is my most memorable last course.

If you are looking for a taste sensation, then head to Hibiscus. It may not be the warmest of atmospheres when you first walk in, looking more like a gentleman’s club, but the waiters and sommelier are incredibly friendly and accommodating; the wine list, extensive and the food, simply delicious!

Below are some other delights we sampled on the Hibiscus tasting menu:

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Foie gras ice cream - amazing...

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(Please excuse the quality of these photos, they were taken on my phone)

Sep30

It’s British Cheese Week – heaven!

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It’s British Cheese Week – heaven!

As you may have guessed from reading any of my previous posts, I love cheese, so how happy was I to discover that this week was British Cheese Week!!!

Even though I stuffed myself full of kilos of Raclette in Chamonix last week, I thought I would celebrate British Cheese Week in style, by heading down to Daylesford.   I picked a neat little selection: Dalesford’s Double Gloucester, Adlestrop and Penyston, some Stinking Bishop and a large Ragstone from Neal’s Yard, all of which we are having for supper later this evening – can’t wait!IMG_0582

Whilst in the shop, I noticed Daylesford was highlighting it’s success at the recently held British Cheese Awards.  This year, their Double Gloucester was awarded Gold, Adlestrop was given silver and Penyston received a bronze, so congratulations to Daylesford!IMG_0583

The Times Online covers the awards in more detail.

Looking at the awards website www.TheCheeseWeb.com, I came across the following information on how they organise the cheeses for the judges – I found it particularly fascinating, so I have copied and pasted it below.  Enjoy ;-) .

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Unlike wine, animals and books, the character of a cheese can usually be judged by a glance at its cover or rind and an occasional squeeze.  From this brief encounter you can learn to judge its texture, strength of flavour, basic character and, with a little practice, its maturity.  Using the ‘rind’ method, you can categorise 99% of all cheeses into one of the following and it is also the system we use when organising the cheeses for the judges at the British Cheese Awards.

FRESH CHEESES  [No rind]
Examples: Cream Cheese, Feta, Mozzarella
Only 1-15 days old without time to develop a rind and only a subtle ‘lactic’, fermenting fruit flavour with a hint of green pastures.  Often wrapped in chestnut leaves, rolled in ash or covered in herbs to give them character.  Some are left to drain and dry out, gradually developing a delicate bluish grey mould, a wrinkled rind and a more pronounced flavour and are called Aged Fresh or Natural Rind cheeses and are usually made with goats’ milk].

SOFT WHITE [White Fuzzy Rind]
Examples: Tunworth, Flower Marie, Somerset Brie
The curd retains much of the whey, ensuring the cheese becomes soft and creamy and grows a white mould, Penicillin candidum.  Unpasteurised varieties develop a reddish-brown ferment on the rind whereas pasteurised versions are more ‘Persil’ white in appearance.  Those made by adding cream to the milk are outrageously luxurious in taste and texture.

SEMI-SOFT [Brown-orange to grey-brown]
Examples: Stinking Bishop, Keltic Gold, Gubbeen, Ardrahan
The moist curd is placed in moulds and lightly pressed to speed up draining.  Gradually various moulds develop, these are regularly brushed off building up a thickish rind, protecting the cheese and allowing it to mature.   Some are ‘washed’ in brine creating an orange/pink rind with a strong, piquant flavour and aroma.

HARD [Thick, dense rind often waxed, clothbound or oiled]
Examples: Cheddar, Wensleydale, Cheshire
The curd is cut finely, and then heated in vats before the whey is drained off.  The curd is cut again or even ‘milled’ and piled on top of itself to remove even more of the whey – this process is called cheddaring. The curd is salted, packed in moulds traditionally lined with cheesecloth and firmly pressed.

BLUE [Gritty, rough, dry or sticky]
Examples: Stilton, Barkham Blue, Shropshire Blue
The blue moulds, P. glaucum or P. Roqueforti are added to the milk but need oxygen to develop their colour.  This is achieved by piercing the cheese with rods [normally steel but can be wood or plastic], the blue then grows along the tunnel, cracks and trails between the roughly packed curds.

FLAVOUR ADDED [typically barely formed rind]
Examples: Smoked Cheddar, Wensleydale with Cranberries, Cornish Yarg
There are two types of Flavour Added Cheeses, those where the ingredients are added to the fresh curd so they aged together or the cheese is wrapped with an ingredient for example Cornish Yarg wrapped in nettles. The other type is those called blended or re-formed cheeses. These are made by taking a young cheese, typically cheddar, White Stilton or Wensleydale and
blending it with a variety of flavourings then pressing the cheese into a new shape. Flavours range from smoked to nuts, fruit, spices, herbs even salmon or ham.