Cheese Fest

Archive for the ‘4 Stars – Very Good’ Category

Pennard Ridge Red

If you were only allowed to look, you’d swear it was Red Leicester. If you were only allowed to smell, you’d swear it was an aged Gouda. If you were only allowed to taste, you’d swear it came from the Alps. But… what is really surprising, is that this cheese is made from goat’s milk. Pennard Ridge Red It really does look like Red Leicester, but it’s not just the annatto added for colour, the texture is similar and so is the way it crumbles. The rind smells of old damp stone cellars, the pate itself, slightly caramelly (a bit like aged Gouda). The flavour is richly complex and deeply satisfying. The caramel and damp stone overtones combine with a hint of raw turnip and a sweet, nutty, alpine cow’s milk flavour that would make you seriously question its West Country, caprine origins. There is an almost unnoticeable hint of goat. So much so, that it would so easily be missed unless you were actually looking for it. By all accounts, this was an attempt by the Somerset Cheese Company to create a Red Leicester like cheese from goat’s milk, for the lactose intolerant, but it is so much better. All in all, a very satisfying cheese.

Produced by the Somerset Cheese Company

Purchased from Cheese Please, Lewes.

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia, 2013

(4/5)

Stilton

With Christmas just around the corner, Stilton becomes an obvious choice for a post. In the weeks leading up to Christmas, many supermarkets are offering huge slabs of this famous festive favourite for very little money… but are they any good?

For reasons unknown, Stilton seems to have become associated with Christmas eating. Like dates, walnuts and Brussels sprouts, although available throughout the year, many people will only buy them over the Yuletide period. Is it because these things are considered so horrid that they can only be consumed once a year, under heavy intoxication?

In the past, I remember supermarket Stilton as this harsh, acidic, very strong wedge shaped lump that would attempt strip the lining of your mouth as you ate it. Indeed, I’m sure there are still shops that sell such gastric monstrosities together with spam and tinned boiled potatoes.

However, things have changed, and for the better. Whether the manufacturers or supermarkets have learned that this strategy does little for repeat sales and reputation, I don’t know, but the cheese has improved immensely and this can only be a good thing

It’s good, really very good, like Stilton should be. Strong in flavour, but not in attitude. Smooth and creamy both in texture and taste, with a robust, but not overpowering blueness. Just scrummy and for £4 for 550g (Tesco price), you can’t really go wrong.

Purchased from Tesco.

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia 2013.

(4/5)

Tornegus

The first thing that hits you about this cheese is its smell. Quite literally, in the face, with the soggy end of an old floor mop. Oh! what a stink! It smells like a zoo’s reptile house! But… my word, is it good!This cheese starts life as an ordinary Caerphilly from Somerset. Then it’s dragged, kicking and screaming, to Godstone in Surrey where some strange and evil magical rites are performed on it. The Caerphilly is washed in Kentish wine and covered in mint and lemon verbena. As it matures, it turns into… … the dark lord TORNEGUS!   Sticky. wrinkly, pinkish orange brown rind, coated with the blackened remains of the herbs. The pate is yellow and sticky, darkening towards the rind. Slightly crumbly but also soft and oily. Almost spreadable close to the rind. The taste is bitter, strong and pungent, like a good smelly Alpine cheese such as Morbier, Appenzeller or Fontina… times 10. It won’t be to everyone’s taste, because it is strong, but if you like strong smelly cheeses, it is fantastic!

Produced by: Eastside Cheese Company, Surrey.

Purchased from Cheese Please, Lewes.

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia, 2013

(4.5/5)

Beenleigh Blue

Wet and lumpy with randomly shaped holes and delicate blue veining, this cheese looks a bit like a yellowish Roquefort, but that’s where the similarity ends.

It has a pleasing, soft and crumbly texture. On first tasting, it is intensely blue, a bit like a Danish blue. From this, you imagine that what will follow will be sharp and acidic. You prepare yourself for the for the bite… but it never materialises.

What actually happens is rather weird and somewhat hard to describe. There’s a strange acetone like, alcoholic hit. Like someone’s hidden a sliver of pear drop in it, or opened a bottle of nail polish. This quickly disappears and leaves you with a very distinct walnut and burnt toffee like aftertaste. It almost doesn’t taste like cheese at all. Most unexpected, but thoroughly enjoyable.

Fantastic, because it is so unusual!

Purchased from Cheese Please, Lewes.

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia.

(4/5)

Langres

This rather smelly, but delightful cheese is made in the Champagne region of France in the town of the same name. Bright yellow/orange, sticky, wrinkly and sunken in the middle, Langres looks like a deflated alien brain.

About 3″ in diameter, and washed in Champagne mixed with annatto, to give it the orange rind, Langres is quite a smelly little cheese, slightly sweet, pungent but not stinky.

Then dent in the top is apparently due to the fact that it is only turned twice during maturation.  As the whey and wash drains through the cheese, causing the top collapses in. Some aficionados will pour wine, Champagne or spirits into this dent before serving.

In younger cheeses, the paste is quite firm, but it starts to go gooey around the edges as it matures. Ideally, it is about right when this process has reached about half way (about 1cm). The flavour is complex, there’s a fresh sharpness that makes way to a much mellower and satisfying flavour that has a great deal of character. Eaten with a sip of wine, brings out a floral quality.

Purchased from Selfridges, London

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia 2010

(4/5)

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We originally reviewed this cheese in 2010, but on a recent trip to France spent a day in Langres. Of course we had to try this cheese in its home town, although avoiding it would have been difficult. In this town, it seems that everything is either cooked or served with Langres.

Top: Langres – Bottom left: Langres fraiche – Bottom right: Chaource

We discovered that the Langres cheese is also eaten fresh. It is pleasant enough, but tastes very much like any other fresh cheese. So, we’re glad that they drown it in booze and let it fester for a couple of months.

 

Gleann Oir

This rugged looking cheese from Tipperary, covered with white mould flecked with yellow may look a little off-putting to all but the ardent cheese buff. It is, however, one of those cheeses that may convert those that turn their noses up based on appearances.

The strong smell of ammonia given off by its gnarled rind, some may also find offensive, but it is worth persevering.

The pinkish, grey interior is soft and waxy with very little smell, just a gentle hint of goat.

It has a delicate, very pleasing flavour a bit like Morbier with a wonderful nuttyness and farmyard flavour. Wine brings out the goatiness which, otherwise would not be apparent. All together a very satisfying experience.

Purchased from Cheese Please, Lewes.

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia, 2012

(4.5/5)

Shropshire Blue

Despite its name, Shropshire Blue was invented in Inverness, and according to our sources, no Shropshire Blue is actually made in Shropshire. 8OColoured with annatto, this cheese has a wonderful golden orange colour with starkly contrasting blue/green veins. Shropshire Blue It is based on the Stilton recipe and, other than its colour, is very similar in appearance and texture. Hard and crumbly with a gnarled greyish rind. The smell is similar too, though there are overtones of caramel. This characteristic also comes through in the flavour, which is again similar, but not as strong and acidic as Stilton. It has a very “blue” flavour, yet it is smooth and creamy with none of that aggressive Stilton “bite”. All in all a very pleasant cheese and well work seeking out. It’s not too difficult to find and can be found in some supermarkets. It keeps well, so the quality seems to be fairly consistent.

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia 2010

(4/5)

Vacherin Mont d’Or

Vacherin Mont d’Or is normally supplied in small, round, open topped, wooden boxes about 6 inches (15cm) diameter and wrapped in cellophane. Though bigger wheels are made, they are not particularly practical, for reasons that will become clear later. The uneven surface is a pale pinky yellow, dusted with white, yielding easily under pressure when ripe. Vacherin Mont d'Or This cheese is only available between September and March. The story goes, that it is made from milk from the same cows that normally goes into making Gruyère. However, during the winter months, the cows are brought down from their mountain pastures, put into barns for the winter and fed on hay. The result is the thicker creamier milk used to make this cheese. Breaking through the cellophane wrapping, releases a wonderful earthy aroma of pine, farmyard and mushrooms. Under the rind, the cheese itself is very gooey, almost liquid and needs to be spooned out carefully onto the chosen comestible vehicle. The texture is creamy and decadent with a smooth taste, full of subtle aromas of meadows and hay. Around the perimeter, the flavour becomes strong with the turpentine like flavour of pine sap from the spruce bark, that lines the box. This adds a wonderful edge to the character of this cheese. A traditional way of enjoying Vacherin Mont d’Or, is to make a hole in the top and pour in a spoonful of white wine. Then place the whole cheese into the oven for 20 minutes. This makes it even more liquid, into which chunks of bread can be dipped. Thereby turning it into a sort of instant fondue. Vacherin Mont d’Or is quite expensive, costing about £12 for the whole cheese, but is worth it. However, it should be noted that there is another cheese that goes by the name of Vacherin. This is not the same thing at all and is rather disappointing in comparison.

 Purchased from Cheese Please, Lewes.

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia, 2012.

(4/5)

Livarot

This is apparently the oldest style cheese in Normandy. Originally made by monks, Livarot is washed in fresh water coloured with annatto, which gives its sticky rind a bright orange appearance. Five indentations around its circumference mark the presence of strands of sedge grass that were used to bind it during maturation. Livarot The flesh, is actually semi-soft though it does look like it’s trying to run out once cut. It is a pale golden yellow with randomly shaped holes and a soft rubbery texture. It has a very strong cowshed/farmyard smell, with a very robust flavour, somewhere between a Camembert and an Epoisses. If you like strong, stinky cheeses, then this is definitely one to try.

 Purchased from a French cheese stall outside Brighton station.

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia, 2012

(4/5)

Munster

Made in Alsace and Lorraine, north eastern France, this soft rubbery, pale yellow cheese, wrapped in its sticky pale orange rind looks reasonably tame. Munster But, like most washed cheeses, beneath this gentle appearance, lurks something less respectable. Suffice to say… it’s a bit on the whiffy side. The smell is pungent like a good Camembert, but has an “alpine farm yard” quality. Like most cheeses, the smell should never put you off tasting. Munster has a rather interesting “boingy” texture which is pleasant to chew. The flavour is a little bitter and initially quite intense, but it fades quickly leaving a gently creaminess that only subtly echoes the smell. All in all, a very pleasant experience. Just remember to let it breath before serving.

Purchased from the French cheese stall outside Brighton Station.

Reviewed by Nick & Olympia.

(4/5)