Winter Seasonal Cheeseboard

 

"As the winter draws it’s dark and chilly blanket over our isles for the next couple of months, we, like much of nature, look for warmth and hibernate until the first spring green shoots appear." Angus D. Birditt, cheese expert, poet, writer and photographer joins us once more for this winter edition, sharing cheeses that warm the soul in these colder months. 

 

"I look to hibernate beside the warmth of a bubbling fondue or steaming cheese toastie oozing at every side. Whatever the weather or season, for me eating cheese doesn’t stop, but that’s also the same for farming. During the winter season, you’ll find our farmers donning their thick jumpers and waterproofs, marching out into the fields to tend to their animals.

 

For many of our dairy farmers providing the much-needed milk for our artisan cheesemakers to craft their magic, their focus will be towards continuing to provide the best welfare standards for their animals during these colder months. This means laying fresh bedding in barns, keeping water troughs flowing and unfrozen and providing enough feed throughout the winter. Milking is business as usual, unless the farmers are drying off the animals – which is normally done to rest the animals if calving happens in spring. 

 

So, what better way to celebrate these colder, cosier months of the year than to enjoy my Fortnum’s Winter Cheeseboard. I’ve selected a range of melt-in-the-mouth cheeses that show off how diverse artisan cheese can be. Whether you are cracking open these cheeses fireside with friends and family this winter, or looking for inspiration for a love-ly cheeseboard for Valentine's Day, be sure to include these dairy sensations."

 

Discover Angus' Autumn Cheeseboard and Spring Cheesboard

 

 

Karst

Karst is a soft raw goat’s milk cheese made by Siobhán Ni Ghairbhith and her small team of cheesemakers in County Clare, Ireland. The milk is sourced from the farm’s mixed herd of Toggenburg and Saanen goats. The name ‘Karst’ comes from the limestone landscape found in The Burren; a vast, moon-like terrain local to where Siobhán makes her cheese.

 

Karst is made with animal rennet, coated in ash and matured for 3-6 weeks, producing the most incredible wrinkly, geotrichum rind. Its texture is delightfully supple and creamy, brimming with fresh citrusy notes. 

 

 

Cullum

 

Cullum is a hard ewe’s milk cheese, a collaborative cheese made by the brilliant Martin Gott in Cumbria and matured by Paxton & Whitfield. The cheese has been named after the original founder of Paxton & Whitfield, Stephen Cullum, who first established his cheese stall in Aldwych Market in 1742.

 

 

Martin farms and makes his cheese at Holker Farm in the Lake District, and in summer when the milk production is particularly high, he makes small batches of Cullum. At two weeks old, the batches are sent to Paxton & Whitfield to be treated and aged. What results is an outstanding cheese, a perfect balance of savoury notes and hints of sweet nuttiness, leaving your mouth literally watering for more. It has a rather moreish fudge-like texture and can be heightened with a dash of honey if you fancy and a glass of English Sparkling.

 

 

Cornish Kern  

Cornish Kern is a hard cow's milk cheese made by Lynher Dairies near Truro in West Cornwall. The milk is sourced from both their own herd of cows and other small herds local to their dairy. The name ‘Kern’ translates to 'round' in Cornish, rather appropriate if you see the cheese in its full, rounded splendour.

 

Matured from 16-20+ months, Cornish Kern is a handsome, dense cheese, wrapped in a stylish black wax-coating. It packs a stronger flavour punch than its cheesy cousin, Cornish Yarg, and is often remarked to be the British equivalent to a Gruyere or a Comté. Head Cheesemaker Catherine Mead uses Alpine starter cultures in the make which goes a long way to explaining the flavour profile, which bursts with glorious hints of white-wine and creamy nutty flavours. I love this cheese served in wafer thin slices on your cheeseboard or equally delicious grated and melted over pasta or potatoes.

 

 

Organic Cropwell Bishop

This Organic Cropwell Bishop is a blue cow’s milk cheese made to a Stilton recipe, said to be ‘the only Stilton maker to produce an organic Stilton’ certified by the Soil Association. Any good cheeseboard should have a nice wedge of blue cheese on it, and with this delicate, smooth textured blue, with its light biscuity and creamy flavours, it is a winner. Plus, the fact that it is organic, gives you that satisfying feeling that it has been made to some of the highest levels of food and farming standards around, including animal welfare.

 

This cheese is matured for up to 12 weeks, which allows the cheese’s infamous blue veins enough time to develop and produce pleasing, pointy notes alongside it’s more creamy body. This organic Stilton is one of those cheeses that can persuade any doubters that ‘blue cheese is too strong’. Organic Cropwell Bishop goes splendidly well with a sweet wine or dry sherry.

 

 

 

A warming cheeseboard if ever we saw one, perfect for the winter season. In the meantime, explore our range of artisan cheeses in store or online.