‘Treat Me’

Contents:

• Montgomery

  An artisan cheddar with melt in the mouth properties.  It has a rich, savoury and nutty flavour with a slightly dry and crumbly texture and sometimes a little blue veining.  This cheese is worthy of its place here at L’affinage due to its rich, savoury flavours that melt in your mouth.

  Jamie Montgomery, whose family has farmed in South Somerset for three generations, uses the milk from his own herd of 200 Holstein Friesian cows that graze in North Cadbury.  This cheese is made with care and attention in small batches and matured for around 14 months to give complexity and depth to the flavours.

• Sweet and nutty with caramel notes and a tangy hard grainy texture.  Berkswell is matured for around 4 months and has won many notable awards.  It is similar to Pecorino or Manchego in style.  This is an impressive looking cheese with a red, russet and golden hued rind.

• Morbier

  A pinky orange washed rind with an ivory centre, bisected by a horizontal layer of ash.  Rich and creamy in the mouth with a subtle bitter aftertaste.

  On a family holiday in France a few years ago we were lucky enough to stay in Bourcefranc-le-Chapus.  With a supply of fresh bread from the excellent Le Fournil d’Etienne bakery we took it upon ourselves to expand our knowledge of the amazing selection of cheeses under our noses.  One of those was Morbier, and we made the same mistake that many do in assuming that this was a blue cheese…

  But of course, those in the know already know!  A layer of ash traverses the centre of this wonderfully full flavoured treat of a cheese.  Historically Morbier is inextricably linked the production of Comte; using the leftovers, the bit that just wouldn’t fit, so why waste? By the magic of French cheese making alchemy, the leftover curds from the morning’s cheese making were placed in a mould upon which a thin layer of ash was added to stop a skin forming, then another layer of curds on top from the evening milking.  A firm winner in its own rite, Morbier is now made in one process but a layer of vegetable ash is still added as a nod to its provenance.

• Cornish Blue

  Designed to be eaten as a young cheese, Cornish Blue is a very different product from traditional English blue cheeses. Its flavour is mild and creamy, with a dense texture and buttery richness, instead of the ‘salty tang’ common of other traditional blue cheeses it has a gentle sweetness. Best enjoyed at room temperature, Cornish Blue Cheese is a great addition to any cheese board, simply enjoyed on crusty bread or a cracker with chutney a glass of port. It’s a versatile cheese and the sweet mild flavour is the perfect compliment to many recipes and sauces.

  Cornish Blue Cheese has been internationally recognised by the many Awards including World Cheese Awards Champion Cheese in 2010 and Best Blue and English Cheese in 2007.