My Cheese-ter Egg

Is there anyone out there who doesn't love cheese? Maybe not all cheese, but everyone must be partial to either a tangy cheddar, or find their mouth watering in anticipation of a stinky blue, or perhaps prefer the subtler pleasure of a creamy goat's cheese? Vegans and lactose intolerant aside, I cannot imagine anyone ever saying to me: 'I don't really like cheese'.

I'm a fan of pretty much all cheeses. I don't think I've ever come across a cheese that I've refused to try and I've very rarely found a cheese that I haven't enjoyed. Nothing makes me happier than a decent cheese board, with a good variety of cheeses, a grape or two and a sturdy glass of port to bring out the flavours.
[No comment on how well this works with my low calorie diet]

Therefore it was a really tough challenge for my to give up cheese for Lent this year. As per the diet mentioned above, I don't actually eat cheese boards on a daily basis (that would be the dream). But I do allow myself regular treats - a slice of maltese gbejna in my morning omelette, halloumi in my salad on the weekend, feta cheese on my homemade souvlaki. These were absolutely the hardest to give up. Worse, I had multiple events on during Lent: a wedding, an engagement party, etc, and all of those involved some big cheese boards.

This post isn't about my struggles. There was grumpiness and tears *honestly, who else out there has cried over not being able to eat cheese?* but they made me stronger and, as a show of support, Husband promised me a Cheese-ter Egg for Easter, rather than a chocolate Easter egg as per the norm. As an aside, I privately (!) think that he should have bought me a chocolate Easter egg too, but that's a conversation for another day.

And so, I thought I would dedicate this blog post to all the cheeses that made up my fabulous Cheese-ter Egg, by posting some interesting facts I have discovered about said cheeses, as well as cheese in general.

Husband picked up two of the cheeses a few days before Easter, when on a walk in the Darenth Valley. It was a beautifully hot and sunny day, and we'd decided to do a long walk before settling at a vineyard for some much deserved fizzy rose. And on this walk, we came across the Hop Shop. An amazing little shop on a farm, we ventured inside in search of ice cream and hydration, and discovered a delectable selection of cheeses: an Irish porter cheddar (Cahills Dairy) and a rum marinated fig and honey cheddar (Snowdonia Cheese Company) were our eventual choice.

The Irish porter is a medium vintage cheddar with veins of Irish stout marbled through it. The stout doesn't come through too strongly but the reviews are absolutely correct in saying that the cheddar has a sweet tangy flavour, and it is an extremely impressive looking cheese. Highly recommended for the centre of a cheese board.

Look at that incredible marbling

I absolutely loved the marinated fig cheddar. That was quite a mature cheese, with an intense sweetness counteracting the headiness of the cheddar. Completely delightful with a bit of chutney and very well paired with port. This is top of my present list if any of my charming readers would like to send me a gift 😏

This picture is making my mouth hungry...

The rest of my Cheese-ter egg was acquired from the Sainsbury's cheese counter. I couldn't possibly give you an in-depth description of each cheese, so I'll cover off what cheeses formed my Cheese-ter egg then add in a few titbits of information and some fun facts, where I can find them.

Cheese # 1 - manchego
Cheese # 2 - caramelised onion smoked applewood
Cheese # 3 - stilton
Cheese # 4 - edam
Cheese # 5 - port salut

And then, as meaty supplements, a French saucisson, German black pepper salami and Italian peperoni. Delightful!!

Interesting fact about port salut - I recently had an argument with a work mate in a pub about this cheese. I mentioned that it's a cheese I delight in eating and she scornfully put it down as tasting like plastic. I must say, I felt like that was a little harsh on the poor port salut. It's quite a classic french cheese, has a good nose to it despite the mild flavour and I appreciate a cheese that's made in a monastery. After all, the best things in life originated in monasteries: beer, mead, Frangelico...

Now the wedge of Stilton that husband bought me was absolutely massive. In fact, there's still a decent chunk sitting in my fridge, which I enjoy taking a nibble out of now and then. It's not like it's going to go mouldy #bants. An interesting fact about Stilton is that only six dairies in the world are licensed to make this cheese, and they're all in England. In fact, legally Stilton can only be made in the counties of Leicestershire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

My final point is going to be about Manchego. Through my googling, I've discovered this is actually known as a nutritious cheese - it's extremely low in lactose and high in protein. A Spanish goat's cheese, it can only be produced in the region of La Mancha, and I am a massive fan of its almost nutty flavour. Having discovered it carries a fair few less calories than a Stilton, I'll certainly be indulging in it more.

And there we have it - my Cheese-ter egg!!! Sadly, I don't have a picture of the final cheese board, because by the time we'd finished our Easter lunch, we were too full (and slightly tipsy) to actually have a full cheese board. #Fail! However, I have enjoyed multiple cheese boards and cheese picnics and cheese nibbles direct from the fridge since then. And just so you don't feel like you're missing out, here's a picture of us eating the creamiest, yummiest ice cream at the Hop Shop.

Toodles!!