Christmas is Coming...

We are galloping towards Christmas, I have just been placing our orders for cheese and ham for the festivities.  It is quite daunting, you never know how much to order.  Last Winter we had the big freeze up and very few people came into the town so we were left with a massive amount of cheese on our hands.  Fortunately we are a 'cheese café' so very little was wasted - it went into the kitchen.

A hearty breakfast

We are the only Cheese Café in the country (as far as I am aware, though the Cheese Society does have one in Lincoln but I do not know how they are set up).  There are a few in New Zealand and I think there is one in the US of A, but it is a new concept in this country.  It does mean that as soon as a cheese nears it's best before date it can be relegated to the kitchen and used in cheese scones, toasties, various tarts and other dishes conjured up by my darling wife.  I hasten to add that you do not have to have a cheese meal, the majority of dishes on the menu do not contain cheese.  Almost everything is home made, even some of the bread is made by my stepson Tom, he is a jolly good baker as well as an excellent barista.  We use mostly local produce in the kitchen wherever we can, there is so much beautiful food produced here in Devon and we like to support local enterprises.


Cheese of the Week - Ossau Iraty - Brebis

This week we have a favourite of mine from a beautiful area in SW France, a hard smooth tasty cheese from the high mountain pastures in the wonderfully wooded Iraty valley in the Pays Basque and the Ossau valley in neighbouring province of Bearn.  By the way, if you see the word Brebis in the name of a cheese it simply means it is made with ewes' milk, a 'brebis' is a ewe.  Some people reckon this is the first cheese made by mankind, but recent archaeological research (2003) has found the oldest traces of cheese manufacture actually come from Britain dating back some 6000 years.  Anyway, it is a cheese with a long history.

Ossau Iraty Brebis

This cheese was granted an AOC (Appelation d'Origine Controlée) in 1980 and the only other sheep cheese to be protcted in this way is Roquefort.  It is made with raw, unpasteurised milk using traditional animal rennet so is not suitable for vegetarians.  The milk is not heated in any way, the whey is extracted solely by drainage and pressing.  It has a nutty aroma and a deep, buttery, sweet flavour.  I like it with a characterful Merlot, but it also goes well with a Sauvignon Blanc. 

We have it at a special price at the moment.  It is usually £31.71 / kilo and it is on offer at £29.70 / kilo whilst stocks last.

The news has just been announced that an Ossau Iraty has again been awarded the accolade of Supreme Champion at the World Cheese Awards.  This particular cheese, made by Frédéric Gayral from the Fromagerie Agour, was Supreme Champion back in 2006, making it one of only two cheeses to win the award more than once - the other being the fabulous triple winning Premier Cru Gruyere made by the von Mulenhens in Fribourg, which we sell.

  

Vacherin Mont d'Or

Baked Vacherin Mont d'Or

Now that Winter is upon us we are getting in stocks of the amazing Vacherin cheese from the French Jura.  It is only made from milk taken from cows being fed on dry food and it has the most wonderful taste and texture.  The cheeses are bound with a strip of spruce bark which gently infuses the paste with a hint of pine resin, and they are sold in a little wooden box like many other French cheeses.  For many years an argument raged about the origin of this cheese, both the Swiss and the French claimed the invention (the Jura spans the border between the two countries) but the Swiss finally conceded that it was a French invention and it now has its' own AOC (Appelation d'Origine Controlé).  The cheese has the appearance of a rather crumpled piece of creamy coloured blanket and has a wonderful creamy texture, but it is best as a baked cheese.  The main difference between the two cheeses is that the French make theirs with unpasteurised milk so it has a more complex flavour and better texture.

Baked Vacherin is a great Winter favourite in France and is becoming better know here.  To bake the cheese you remove the film wrapping the box and then we like to make little slits in the top and poke in a few slithers of garlic, then pour a small half glass of white wine over the cheese; however this adulteration in purely optional, it is superb baked just as it is.  Cover the bottom and sides of the box with foil and then put it in an oven pre-heated to 200C.  It will take 15 to 25 minutes to cook, depending on your oven - it should be a mid-golden brown colour.  The French usually cut off the skin and discard it, but I am greedy and like to eat it!  Serve with crusty French bread, boiled potatoes, baked potatoes or gherkins - just spoon it on and enjoy the experience.  Incidentally, this is one of the few cheeses that freezes well, which means you can amaze your guests by having one of these treats in the Summer time. 

Thomas Hoe Stevenson Red Leicester

Thomas Hoe Stevenson Red Leicester

We have a new cheese on board this week, a superb traditional Red Leicester made by the Long Clawson dairy situated about 6 miles North of Melton Mowbray in the beautiful Vale of Belvoir.  It has a slightly flaky texture but the paste has a creaminess that I think comes from the fact that they use butter to rub into the muslin cloth that is used to cover the cheese during the ageing process.  I have found the same texture applies to Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire which is also rubbed with her own farmhouse butter - I can feel the difference when pulling my cutting wire through the cheese.

The eponymous Thomas Hoe Stevenson was a famous maker of Stilton cheese during the late 19th - early 20th centuries and his name is used for top quality cheeses made by Long Clawson.

These handmade cheeses are matured for 6 months which gives a good depth of flavour, even though it is made with pasteurised milk, and they are suitable for vegetarians.   The taste is slightly sweet with a nutty, almost caramelised flavour.  A real beauty!