Was Cheddar destined to come from a Gorge? From some near abyss, from where it would emerge,
field by field conquering across the Atlantic, the Pacific, fall into Atlantis, becoming one of the most commonly used, abused and eaten cheeses? Jesus. How many people have I met that asked for a good cheddar because cheddar is all they have ever known?
We have gorged ourselves on cheddar. But have we ever touched the curd, heard that the first word, came from Blake’s Jerusalem? There is the Absolution...
To ubiquity. Some only know cheddars as white or red, mild, medium, ooh and so sharp, touched with pimento, enriched or modified, maize. Fine, give it to me grilled, let me nibble and pass that killer mustard. Impart some flavour, but apart from that what is in the flavor? Dear God.
Dear England,
I admire farmhouse cheddar. It is not sharp, it’s rich and it’s Montgomery’s; it is not creamy, it’s Westcombe. Clothbound and aged, aim for a nice 15 months, they have personalities and individual flavours. Try words like fruity, dry, lemon zest, creamy, herbaceous, earthy, lactic, complex - cheddars can be deep. The cheddar world is not a flat brick of vacuum aged cheese, its a truckle.
Let us feast on these gorgeous cheddars.
Cheddars had their origins in England’s West Country, Somerset in specific, but being based in Ireland I cannot but mention a few of our fine pitches into this clothbound world (more on these Irish lovelies will follow); Hegarty’s. Coolatin, Sliabh na mBan (the one from Co. Offaly).
I tend to like them straight up with a balancing red wine or fruity rich cider. It is is one of the few cheese that can honestly be enjoyed with a heavier red (Malbec, Cabernet sauvignon, Zinfandel…).
However, there are the other cooking moments: they are often called macaroni and, or, as an alternative grilled, cheese. I read of a fascinating grilled cheese. They brushed the butter toasted bread’s interior with white wine and eased the passage of the classic heavier cheddar by balancing it with some fresher, lighter, Ongleshield (from the same farm) and some savory fried leeks. Sleek. Sweep me into that molten meld.
Check out Bill Oglethorpe’s fantastic three cheese grilled recipe.
And Patricia Michelson of La Fromagerie’s Guide to the Most Beautiful Toastie you could make yourself (and someone else because all pleasures are better shared - when you have enough).
We have gorged ourselves on cheddar. But have we ever touched the curd, heard that the first word, came from Blake’s Jerusalem? There is the Absolution...
To ubiquity. Some only know cheddars as white or red, mild, medium, ooh and so sharp, touched with pimento, enriched or modified, maize. Fine, give it to me grilled, let me nibble and pass that killer mustard. Impart some flavour, but apart from that what is in the flavor? Dear God.
Dear England,
I admire farmhouse cheddar. It is not sharp, it’s rich and it’s Montgomery’s; it is not creamy, it’s Westcombe. Clothbound and aged, aim for a nice 15 months, they have personalities and individual flavours. Try words like fruity, dry, lemon zest, creamy, herbaceous, earthy, lactic, complex - cheddars can be deep. The cheddar world is not a flat brick of vacuum aged cheese, its a truckle.
Let us feast on these gorgeous cheddars.
Cheddars had their origins in England’s West Country, Somerset in specific, but being based in Ireland I cannot but mention a few of our fine pitches into this clothbound world (more on these Irish lovelies will follow); Hegarty’s. Coolatin, Sliabh na mBan (the one from Co. Offaly).
I tend to like them straight up with a balancing red wine or fruity rich cider. It is is one of the few cheese that can honestly be enjoyed with a heavier red (Malbec, Cabernet sauvignon, Zinfandel…).
However, there are the other cooking moments: they are often called macaroni and, or, as an alternative grilled, cheese. I read of a fascinating grilled cheese. They brushed the butter toasted bread’s interior with white wine and eased the passage of the classic heavier cheddar by balancing it with some fresher, lighter, Ongleshield (from the same farm) and some savory fried leeks. Sleek. Sweep me into that molten meld.
Check out Bill Oglethorpe’s fantastic three cheese grilled recipe.
And Patricia Michelson of La Fromagerie’s Guide to the Most Beautiful Toastie you could make yourself (and someone else because all pleasures are better shared - when you have enough).
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