Cheesemongers' Choice - August & September
It is safe to assume that working at Neal's Yard Dairy means you are going to enjoy a cheeseboard or two, and an important part of our day is tasting cheese.
Our latest Cheesemongers' Choice Selection is made up of the cheeses our team has been enjoying recently, the standouts from an already delicious bunch. This selection has been picked by our production cheesemongers who cut, wrap and pack all the cheese at Neal's Yard Dairy, we hope you enjoy them too.
CIARA:
“I’ve chosen Wittenham, an aged version of Brightwell Ash. What I love about this cheese is its transformation. It starts out as a silky, mild goat’s milk cheese with an ash-coated rind. After a couple months in our maturation arches, it’s smaller, firmer, and covered in colourful secondary mold. The texture changes from dollops of whipped cream to shards of fudge. The flavour develops, sometimes in really surprising ways. (A couple of batches tasted strongly of mint!) Even if I didn’t know about that maturation magic, I would still enjoy Wittenham. It’s a tasty, salty goat’s milk cheese that always has something interesting going on in the background. I usually eat it plain, by the slice; with strawberry jam on crackers if I’m feeling fancy.”
JIMMIE:
"Whether it’s a hot summers day, or more recently, a damp tepid one, Baby Baron Bigod is always a treat. One of my favourite things about this cheese is the different textures you get across its cross section, from smooth and milky at the rind to much crumblier in the middle. Unless you leave it in the heat too long, but that’s nothing a bit of cracker and some quince can’t scoop up. Pair that along with its rich umami and farmyard flavour and it’ll be a favourite on any cheese board. Not to mention, with a baby Baron Bigod it’s like getting your own bite-size wheel. It’s produced by Fen Farm in Suffolk, I’ve had the honour of talking with their director, Jonny, and the passion he and his team bring is evident in the cheese they produce. Great on its own, but if you're looking to put it in a toastie, pairing it with some bacon and cranberry sauce is absolutely delish!"
SARAH:
Over the years I have been lucky enough to visit the Isle of Mull for cheddar selection visits. We (usually Bronwen Percival and myself) used to go twice a year but tasting through 5 or 6 months of cheddar was a fairly epic undertaking so more recently we have started going 3 times a year. Like so many of the producers we work with, the Reades who make this cheddar are based in an exceptionally beautiful place - near Tobermory on the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides. Getting there involves several forms of transportation – a plane, a car and a boat and my favourite part of the drive is along the banks of Loch Awe though the ferry from Oban is pretty special. If you go at the right time of year, fill up on spectacular seafood from the Green Shack by the ferry terminal in Oban.
The Reade family who arrived from Somerset in the mid-1980s, are a truly inspirational family and visiting them is always something to look forward to. It really is a family run business with 3 generations involved in various ways. With Chris at the head, sons Brendan (involved in the cheesemaking & the distillery) and Garth (who manages the cows). Another brother Joe runs the Island Bakery and several of the spouses and grandchildren are involved too. Like many of our producers, the cheese is part of a wider philosophy to be part of the community and the Reades are a major employer on the island. It’s no surprise to me that it attracts people from far and wide to settle there which means they have a really amazing team involved. Another example of their problem solving abilities is deciding to turn the waste product of cheesemaking - whey into an opportunity by distilling it to make alcohol, some of which we sell in our shops.
Looking at my selection notes from the 54 cheeses we tasted on our last visit in June - juicy, savoury, fruity, rich, boozy and sweet are some of the words used to describe the cheeses I give the highest marks to and therefore the batches that get selected. The Isle of Mull cheddar is distinctive and characterful and very much a reflection of where it’s made and the people who contribute to its production.
WILL:
Stichelton is my favourite cheese. It's delicious. It is creamy and rich. The flavours can be varied but they never fail to be good. Some batches taste like marmite, others taste like diesel. I like to eat it with bread and butter, and maybe an apple. Some people like it with port. But I prefer to have it with a nice dark beer like stout.
