While we love great cheese year-round, the festive season is the time when we can eat loads of it without any guilt. If you can, you should always eat food from producers close to home and sold in independent shops – as grate’s Moz Murphy suggests here…
When I opened grate in October 2020, I knew British and Irish cheesemakers were going to be a huge part of the shop. Today they account for around 80% of our counter on any given day, and we’ve built up some amazing relationships with really cool, innovative producers. They range from a few miles down the road to across in Ireland, but they all have one thing in common – amazing cheese which stands up to and, in my opinion at least, trumps similar styles from the continent and beyond.
Instead of Brie de Meaux, choose Baron Bigod from Fen Farm Dairy in Suffolk. It’s always perfectly ripe, buttery and unctuous – and this year we will have the truffled version too, which is super-decadent. A top tip for any you have leftover – it makes the best late night toastie! Top with Belly of the Beast Total Hotty hot sauce and it’s worth staying up for!
Roquefort is a fabulous cheese, don’t get me wrong, but have you tried Beenleigh Blue from Ticklemore Cheese Dairy in Devon? Sweet and floral, with a bit of a kick, this always makes me think of pear drops – and it goes great with Northumbrian Pantry’s Pear and Ginger Chutney.
Comté is one of my all-time favourite cheeses – and we will always stock it – but this year we’re very lucky to have Templegall from Hegarty’s Cheese in Co. Cork in the south of Ireland, and you simply have to try it. Made to a similar recipe by a French cheesemaker, this one won supreme champion at the CÁIS 2024 Irish Cheese Awards. It is one of the few cheeses I like to eat without a chutney, though it does pair well with dried fruit or Brindisa Marcona Almonds.
I’d guess around 90% of my customers who say they don’t like goats’ cheese have been subjected to bad goats’ cheese – something which tastes like the goat is in the room with you! Some people don’t mind that, but I always encourage customers to try a new one and we have quite a good conversion rate. My personal favourite is Dorstone from Neal’s Yard Creamery in Hereford. Delicate and soft, the texture is almost whipped – even like ice cream – with a fine ashed rind and a white interior. It’s wonderful paired with Northumbrian Pantry’s Spiced Beetroot and Apple Chutney too.
That’s just my four top switches you can make to celebrate the amazing talent of Britain and Ireland’s cheesemakers – and none of them will break the bank. If you want to check out some more, pop in and see us, we’ve got loads more we can tell you about cheese!
