BS: Cheesey reminiscences!

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 27 Jun 21 - 04:36 AM

The Fettle was very good. Not quite as crumbly as Feta and not as salty as some I have tried.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 26 Jun 21 - 06:33 PM

I don't buy cheeses that have fruity, oniony, herby or garlicky additives. Same with sausages as it happens. I'm far too simple a man. Dave is right: Morrisons has upped its game on cheese, and good stuff is there for the taking, as long as you discriminate. The cheese counter at Waitrose is even better, and, in our experience, the cheese person there is generally an aficionado of the cheesy comestibles, and can advise. We have a cheese shop in Tavistock, rather a long way from us unfortunately. They sell only English cheeses, no bad thing, but, in common with some other cheese shops, they shift their stock rather slowly, not great. My two very favourite blues, Stichelton and Bath Blue, are useless unless you can get them very fresh-cut, without that darkening that can be the scourge of the best blues. There's a superb cheese shop in Bath, but that's three hours away, but we always indulge in a big wodge of Bath Blue when we go there. The cheese counter at Gloucester Services (presumably Tebay as well) sells Stichelton. When we first bought Stichelton we stopped buying Stilton, a seriously inferior beast. They are from the same area, but Stichelton, made by a renegade cheesemaker rebel, is made with raw milk, whereas Stilton is not allowed to be made that way. More fool Stilton. I've been a massive fan of St Agur ever since I first encountered it one night in 1998 on the Plymouth-Santander ferry in a force nine gale in Biscay, with a carafe of red wine that I had to keep lunging at in order to stop it from flying off the table in the bar. It is surely one of the best cheeses on earth with a glass of red...

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 26 Jun 21 - 02:23 PM

Good to see this thread resurrected, after maturing another nearly 2 years!
in this time, we have found some startlingly good soft blue cheeses, a bit like your much-approved St Agur, but produced in Scotland in Tain, i.e Strathdon Blue and Highland Blue: the geography isn't quite right as Strathdon would be Aberdeenshire, and Tain has an Inverness-shire postcode: nor is it really in "The Highlands" though it might be in the Highland Council area! Notwithstanding that, these are lovely cheeses, sold in Lidl and Aldi and well worth tasting!
And Lidl's "Extra mature Scottish cheddar" is one of the best tasting: made in Wigtownshire from "British milk" so may not be entirely Scottish!
Re Steve's "Black Bomber" - sounds a bit like one of the range of Arran cheeses that come in wax-covered small truckles: all very nice. I particularly like the mustard -flavoured variety which has whole grain mustard in it.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Raggytash
Date: 26 Jun 21 - 01:27 PM

Might not be open on a Sunday Dave :-(

I should also have said they had a grand selection of meats a superb selection of beers from around the world and a VERY nice wine cellar!!

I hope they are still in business they certainly deserve to be.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 26 Jun 21 - 11:35 AM

Morrison's always have a good selection.

But I would say that :-D

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 26 Jun 21 - 10:36 AM

I'll look into Brighouse tomorrow Raggy, thanks for that.

Dave H

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Raggytash
Date: 26 Jun 21 - 10:12 AM

Many years ago there was a German market in Huddersfield, far better than the normal offering.

I bought some Weisslacker cheese there. The smell was appalling but the taste was divine.

It ended up tied to a drainpipe OUTSIDE the house because the smell was so strong and even my neighbours complained (with due cause) then.

I think it was possibly the finest tasting cheese I have ever had though.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 26 Jun 21 - 09:30 AM

We just never get out anywhere these days but...

I'm not sure they still do but a farm shop about 1-2 miles from me (in N Norfolk) used to stock the Snowdonia Cheese range.

It's a long while (even when with our own transport) since we went there but Bakers and Larners in Holt (say 12 miles away) had a pretty decent cheese counter.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Raggytash
Date: 26 Jun 21 - 08:42 AM

Ah but Brighouse is only a hop, skip and jump from Hafilax

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: DMcG
Date: 26 Jun 21 - 07:34 AM

There is a really great cheese shop in Harrogate town centre

It is a little way outside the centre, but Fodder's had a good cheese counter last time I went.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Raggytash
Date: 26 Jun 21 - 07:09 AM

Dave, There used to be a superb Delicatessen in Brighouse, I hope it's still there. They had a superb range of cheese from a round the world. It might be worth a run to find out if it is still there.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 26 Jun 21 - 06:54 AM

You're spoiled for choice there Steve, we only have the 3 supermarkets to buy from here in Halifax, we used to have a very good cheese shop in the Halifax Borough Market but it closed down a long time ago.
There is a really great cheese shop in Harrogate town centre but it's long drive or even longer bus ride from here.

Dave H

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 26 Jun 21 - 05:19 AM

Indeed. It's made at the Davidstow creamery near Camelford, about 20 minutes from us, in what is one of the ugliest set of buildings in Cornwall, unfortunately prominent on the skyline from all around. A few years ago Dairy Crest, which then owned the creamery, ran an ad that showed waves crashing on a beautiful stretch of coast at Bedruthan Steps near Newquay, implying that the wild Atlantic somehow influenced their cheeses. In fact, Bedruthan Steps is many miles from Davidstow, and the creamery is several miles inland, next to a long-disused and derelict airfield that is home to illegal raves and dads teaching their offspring to drive. A few years ago, Which? magazine recommended Cathedral City extra mature, and I must admit that it doesn't taste too bad, but these days I buy Barber's Westcountry Farmhouse cheddar for my cheese on toast, available at a very reasonable price from Sainsbury's and Morrison's, and Wookey Hole for our Wednesday cheesy night in. The Davidstow creamery obtains its milk from hundreds of farms in Devon and Cornwall (and elsewhere for all I know) and its articulated tankers are notorious for clogging our roads. All those M&S cheeses that say Davidstow on the label, and some that don't, including some calling themselves Cornish this, that or the other, come from there.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 26 Jun 21 - 02:36 AM

Oddly Steve, the biggest selling cheddar in the UK is the factory made Cathedral City.

Dave H

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 25 Jun 21 - 06:12 PM

Some names are fiercely protected by law this end, Maggie. Champagne must come only from a tightly-designated area of northern France. You can make your wine in exactly the same way and with exactly the same grapes, etc., but you can't call it champagne if it isn't from that region. I had a massive ding-dong with a chap on Chiff and Fipple many moons ago who thought it was hunkydory to call Californian fizz "Champagne." Well not in my book it isn't. Other restricted names that I can think of are Melton Mowbray pork pies, Stilton cheese and Westcountry Farmhouse cheddar. Anyone on earth can call their hard white cheese "cheddar," but, by the same token, we can call our cheeses "Brie" and "Camembert" even when we make them in England. In fact, my favourite Camembert is made in Cricket St Thomas in Somerset, and the best Brie I've ever had is from Sharpham's in Devon. But I won't buy any cheese calling itself cheddar unless it's "Westcountry farmhouse cheddar" on the label. I've tried 'em all and they are all good, none of that rubbery factory supermarket junk...

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 25 Jun 21 - 11:43 AM

I just bought some Greek style cheese from Yorkshire called 'Fettle' :-D

Not tried it yet but I will let you know when I have

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 25 Jun 21 - 06:39 AM

I got a nice red cheese from Ford farm last week.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 25 Jun 21 - 05:56 AM

Coastal Rugged is made at Ford Farm in Dorset, the same place as my very favourite cheddar, Wookey Hole cave-aged. It's a healthy two-hour drive from us, Maggie.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 25 Jun 21 - 01:15 AM

Out of curiosity, are Snowdonia Cheeses actually made in Snowdonia and if so, do you know where? Their “contact us” address is in Rhyl.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 25 Jun 21 - 12:31 AM

My favorite white wines come from Germany; some years ago I was tasting my way through a number of varieties and learning about the locations they came from. I like the fact that many European countries insist that wines that claim to be from specific places are from those places.

My favorite white cheddar cheese is one I've discussed on another food thread, it's a British brand called Coastal rugged mature cheddar, sold here at Costco. I think it comes from Steve Shaw's general neighborhood.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: robomatic
Date: 24 Jun 21 - 11:36 PM

I remember being taken to a small, elegant restaurant in southern Germany called 'house of cheese' Bim Kase. Everything they served was,well, you know. And very good!

Which reminds me of a place also in southern Germany where everything was made to look like some kind of food, but actually consisted of ice cream.

The Germans don't like to do things by halves.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 24 Jun 21 - 05:30 PM

We have discovered Black Bomber, a creamy cheddar-style cheese from Snowdonia. It comes wrapped in an easy-to-remove black wax coating. A superbly assertive cheese, starting tangy-salty but transforming in the mouth to a sweet, creamy, clean, exceptionally "cheesy" finish. We adore our cheeses and this is the best find in over a year.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Mrrzy
Date: 16 Aug 19 - 01:19 PM

Thompson: No. Just... No.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 14 Aug 19 - 04:00 PM

Absolutely. Every time. And in risottos. And the rind is the cook's treat at the end of cooking. No Parmesan rind has ever been discarded in our house.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Thompson
Date: 14 Aug 19 - 02:43 PM

Comté is the best-selling cheese in France. I'm fond of the stuff.

We have lots of good craft cheeses in Ireland since immigration became a thing here - also lots of fantastic restaurants around the south and west coasts especially; local kids went away to work and came back with Japanese or Somalian or French spouses and set up food stalls and cafes in buses and formal restaurants.

Isn't it true that they call the bries Maria?

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Mrrzy
Date: 14 Aug 19 - 02:04 PM

I have been seeing recipes that say put the rind of parmesan in your spaghetti sauce and take it (the rind) out before serving. Any of you do that?

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Raggytash
Date: 13 Aug 19 - 03:24 PM

Should add John take it easy with the salt when preparing the cottage pub. Stilton can be very salty in it's own right.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 13 Aug 19 - 01:02 PM

Will remember that one, thanks Raggy.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Raggytash
Date: 13 Aug 19 - 10:04 AM

Its very good for cooking John. Try it grated on top of a cottage pie!

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 13 Aug 19 - 09:40 AM

I think just about everyone would agree that the rind on Camembert is very much part of the cheese but things are more debatable with other cheese.

There is a difference with Stilton in our family for example. I will take a lengthwise slice from a wedge and eat the lot. My father is more of a “scooper” and that can leave the cheese with quite a thick outside part nobody wants to eat.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Aug 19 - 09:04 AM

I was thinking more of mouldy rinds on hard cheeses...

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 13 Aug 19 - 07:16 AM

Camambert wouldn't be the same without the rind.

Dave H

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 13 Aug 19 - 04:42 AM

When I were a lad there was cooking cheese (aka cheddar), crumbly Lancs, Danish Blue and occasional lumps of something rubbery dyed orange. That was it. Unless you count Dairylea as cheese, which I don't (I don't even count it as food).

What about rind? I eat all rind unless it's cloth or wax but in moderation. The cheese is the point of the thing...

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 13 Aug 19 - 02:48 AM

I used to say try putting it in your mouth to...

Oh, hang on. Not here.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 13 Aug 19 - 02:47 AM

I'll try that Steve, trouble is at the moment my fridge is overflowing with cheese, everytime someone recommends something I've not had before I give it a try.

I grew up never tasting cheese because my parents never ate it, whilst on an exercise when I was in the army we ran out of food except for some tins [ yes tins ] of compo ration cheese and 2 day old army bread, our troop corporal scrounged up some onions from somewhere and it was cheese and onion sandwiches or nothing, I've been hooked on cheese ever since [ 1966 ]

Dave H

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 12 Aug 19 - 06:11 PM

If you like Cathedral City Extra Mature, Dave H, do try Wookey Hole cave-aged. You can pick up a lump from M&S for £2.50.

If cheddar gives you prickly skin, Dave, try putting it in your mouth instead... :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 12 Aug 19 - 04:27 PM

I have a slight allergy to mature Cheddar. Nothing serious. Just get a bit of pricky skin and occasionally it triggers a mild bout of asthma. No other cheese does it so I tend to stick to the others. Still enjoy mature Cheddar occasionally though.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Mrrzy
Date: 12 Aug 19 - 04:24 PM

I miss the cheese course. I also miss good bread, but that's another thread.

My current fave is St. André. On a nice baguette, with grassfed salted butter. I know, I'm a philistine.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 12 Aug 19 - 11:14 AM

Cathedral City extra mature, my favourite cheese.

Dave H

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 12 Aug 19 - 08:15 AM

Cathedral City Extra Mature is very good. I don't like to say that because it's made down the road from us in a massive, ugly factory supplied by dozens of articulated milk tankers that block our roads...

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 12 Aug 19 - 06:57 AM

I just bought some Wensleydale Creamery extra strong cheddar to try out as it was a great price, very nice but no better albeit cheaper than Cathedral City.

Dave H

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 11 Aug 19 - 11:17 AM

I got the JJ Sandhams Lancashire in Swinton mossers. Not sure if it travels down to Kernow but worth asking.

I finished the last of the St Agur on a couple of corn cakes. I am sold on it now. Definite regular order from now on.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 11 Aug 19 - 09:46 AM

The Buttertubs from the Wensleydale creamery was a disappointment. Nice, creamy texture, not as crumbly as a Wensleydale, but a one-dimensional flavour profile with too much lemony acidity. I'll be sticking to Morrison's finest Wensleydale from now on.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 11 Aug 19 - 08:29 AM

Currently watching cycling's European Road Championships in Alkmaar, Netherlands, which the commentator said has a famous old cheese market - wiki

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 10 Aug 19 - 08:49 PM

Our French friend Georges deemed St Agur " too sweet" on his first tasting of it, but came round to it later!
Just back from 2 weeks away with no refrigeration available: Spar Extra Mature Cheddar has done very well at room temp these last 3 days!

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: DMcG
Date: 10 Aug 19 - 04:51 PM

Just trying some Ribblesdale. Pleasant enough, but not striking. Reminiscent of Port Salut.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 10 Aug 19 - 08:02 AM

Sold everywhere. A fairly soft blue cheese, no rind, rich and creamy (extra cream is added during manufacture). Invented in 1988 in the Auvergne. A masterpiece.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 10 Aug 19 - 08:02 AM

And, Steve, I don't think we need to know about your salty nether regions :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 10 Aug 19 - 08:01 AM

Yes, St Agur!

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesey reminiscences!
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 10 Aug 19 - 06:31 AM

...St Agur..?