Greetings!
Haven't managed to fit in a visit to a dairy this month - I did try, but mysteriously no-one could see me. Was it something I said?
So: no exciting tales of a Roving Monger in this issue. Instead, let me direct your attention towards three new cheeses which I recently spotted in one of the gloomier alcoves of our vast Underground Cheese Store. There's a theme, too. When artisan cheesemaking began it's big revival in this country, makers did two things. Some built on the foundations of our traditional varieties. Others looked to Europe for ideas that could add new dimensions to British cheese. So here are three new cheeses, all with a connection to continental cheesemaking ...
Special Offer!
Surprise! These three new cheeses are also on offer. Specifically: there's 50% off Capriano, Windwhistle or Tor if you order before the end of Weds 26th May. Note: Capriano will be available for delivery from Fri 21st.
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Observer Food Monthly Awards
It was a lovely moment last year when we were runners-up in the now very prestigious Observer Food Monthly Awards. We'd love to do even better and win the Best Independent Food Retailer category and to do that we need nominations.
Remember my colleague James - toiling away in his subterranean cathedral of cheese, deep below the teeming streets of Bovey Tracey. He hardly sees daylight. He has set himself on this Lonely Course in order to Bring Cheese To The People. That's right. He has sacrificed himself for you.
But it is in your power to give him a few precious moments in the limelight before we usher him back down the steps. I think you know what to do.
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 New One: Tor
A couple of newsletters ago I wrote about Somerset's Whitelake Dairy. It's an innovative place with a constantly changing line-up of cheeses, particularly goats' cheeses and washed-rind offerings.
Ash coverings are often seen in 'aged fresh' cheeses, and very much associated with France, where markets feature all manner of small rounds, cones, bells, pyramids etc. As the cheese matures it develops a thin, wrinkled rind, a variety of moulds growing through the ash creating a distinctive mottled appearance. The pyramid-shaped Tor is 250g.
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New Two: Windwhistle
 Made by Cranbourne Chase Cheese in Dorset, this washed rind* cheese is similar to Alderwood,
but matured for slightly less time (8-10 weeks). It's also smaller, which - and I was surprised when I first learned this - is quite an important factor: it makes the cheese more moist. The result can be quite soft and gooey,
full-flavoured in the manner of a Reblochon (only Windwhistle is better, maker James McCall naturally
insists!). James, incidentally, used to work for James Aldridge, a revered figure in the revival of English artisan cheesemaking and the creator of classic washed rinds Tornegus and Celtic Promise, experience which is no doubt really appreciated at Cranbourne Chase.
* In this technique the maturing cheese is washed a couple of times a week - sometimes in brine, sometimes in alcohol. Think of cheeses like Epoisses or Taleggio. Rind washing changes everything about the cheese - flavour, texture, the rind, the smell - everything.
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 New Three: Capriano
Recently I found myself chatting to Nikki Duffy from River Cottage. The conversation turned to the possibility of local alternatives to Parmesan, and I confessed myself stumped. She wasn't though, and pointed me towards Capriano. This very hard, dry goats cheese is made by Annette Lee of Woolsery Cheese, and she matures if for a year (as opposed to the three months with her usual Woolsery). No, it's not Parmesan - but in terms of texture, intensity of flavour and possible uses, there's a fair amount of overlap. Try some for yourself.
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TCS on Facebook
Don't forget we have a presence on Facebook. This was moribund for quite some time, but I have now prodded it into
life. Do sign up as a 'fan', and suggest it to your friends. I'm
using it for all sorts of things with a view to keeping people in touch
between newsletters, and just generally having a bit of fun.
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