Archive for August, 2014
Cerney Vine
August 25th, 2014 Posted 5:34 pm
We came across this at the Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival. It was attracting a lot of attention. A sweet smelling, wet lump, wrapped in soggy vine leaves, then neatly tied up with a raffia bow… Oh, and it’s washed in Brandy… which could have had something to do with its popularity.
 Cerney Vine Opening the cellophane wrapper the first thing that you notice is how wet it is. It is seriously soggy. It smells sweet and fruity, like medlar fruit and capers. The paste is a brilliant white with the same sort of texture as a Ricotta. The flavour is clean, fresh and sharp. There are definite hints of alcohol and fruit, but it dissipates quickly, leaving you wondering if it was ever there in the first place. Unusually for a goat’s cheese, there is no goatiness whatsoever. All in all a very enjoyable cheese with a definite element of the unusual. |
Produced by Cerney Cheese
Purchased from The Sturminster Newton Cheese Festival
Reviewed by Nick & Olympia, 2013
(4.5/5)
Posted in 4 Stars - Very Good, English, Goat's milk, Soft, Washed
Le Chabichou du Poitou
August 3rd, 2014 Posted 7:50 pm
Wrinkly and dusted with a white bloom, a two inch tall, slightly conical drum, this little cheese comes from around Poitiers. Apparently, it dates back to the Moorish invasion of that area in 732. Some Arabs stayed behind, and with them, their herds of goats… and, well, this was France, so they simply had to make cheese from the milk.
 Le Chabichou This is classified as an aged fresh cheese (see the Glossary for an explanation) and is typically 2-3 weeks old when ready. Unusually for a goat’s cheese, it only has a faint whiff of goat. It does however have a strong smell, that can only be described as mousey. Sweet, pungent… and, well… like mouse pee. The interior has a soft, thin buttery layer whilst the inner pate is quite firm, like slightly dried out putty. Once cut, there is a very strong goaty smell. The taste starts very fresh and sharp and contains concentrated essence of goat, then it turns quite bitter, leaving a lingering and slightly burning aftertaste. Olympia loves goat’s cheese and loved this, I wasn’t quite so keen (hence the middle of the road score). |
Very goaty, so if you like goat’s cheese, you will probably enjoy this.
Purchased from the French cheese stall outside Brighton Station,
Reviewed by Nick & Olympia, 2012
(2.5/5)
Posted in 2 Stars - OK, French, Goat's milk, Semi-soft