Say cheese

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Posted at 11:45AM, 23 September 2008 by Emily Boyce - Sub-editor, bbcgoodfood.com

It began as a private vice, the odd packet picked up on the way home, transported in a paper bag and hastily consumed behind closed doors. With rather too many crackers.

Strange for someone who ate only mild cheddar as a child, I've become a cheese fanatic. And so too, it seems, have many of my friends.

My housemate, Alex, often party to my late-night snaffling sessions, rang me to share a piece of news - the discovery of a rather excellent cheese and wine bar not far from her place of work, just off the Strand. A date was set, and down the steps to this basement den of cheesy iniquity we went, accompanied by two other gorgonzola-gobbling gals. Having polished off a fine platter of squidgy Bries, sharp blues and creamy goats, plus a bottle or two of red wine, we found ourselves in need of a further fix, and off we waddled to another underground cheese parlour, favourite haunt of American tourists, Gordon's wine bar .

"We should do this more often", said one contented fromageophile. "Let Tuesday become Cheeseday".

It takes some days before the scent of Camembert is entirely eradicated from the living room

Well, not every Tuesday, we decided. We need to give our waistbands a chance before they're pushed to the limit again. So it was to be every other week - sometimes trying new establishments recommended to us around London (the cheese room at Vivat Bacchus was a particular hit - we took it in turns to go in and pick out the finest specimens, noting our selections in Alex's diary before handing it to the slightly bemused waiter), sometimes bringing choice cheeses to each others' homes - the downside of which, we discovered, is that it takes some days before the scent of Camembert is entirely eradicated from the living room.

Now if there's anything we like more than cheese, it's free cheese, so Alex and I were delighted to get the chance last week to attend a PR event at South Ken's 'cheese cave', La Cave à Fromage . The owner had scouted out the shop, picking it out for its large glass frontage, giving passers-by the best vantage point from which to admire his range. "The ladies are getting more and more keen on cheese", he said, "and not just the mild ones, the full-bodied ones too". Alex and I exchanged a knowing glance.

Along with a little board of cheeses, of which the best by popular agreement was a sweet Kentish ewes' milk variety called Lord of the Hundreds, particularly good with a blob of fig jam, we were served an alcoholic drink, whose identity was kept secret. A white port, perhaps? A sherry of some kind? No, it was in fact a Scottish product , roughly as alcoholic as wine, but made using the whey from the cheese-making process. From that point onwards, I was sure I caught a whiff of feet every time I lifted the glass to my mouth. I'm not sure that cheesy wine will catch on.

My boyfriend is disgusted at our habit. What we see as a delicacy to be savoured, he sees as a big lump of artery-clogging fat. He can't fathom the appeal of blobs of blue mould. And the smell.. well, on that point, who can blame him.

It is indeed a rather unhealthy practice - we groan all the way home and vow not to eat quite so much next time. But, can it do any great harm to have a little bit of what you fancy once in a while - or specifically, every second Tuesday?

Do you have a food vice? And do you have any suggestions for where our next Cheeseday should be held?

Comments

jenny

2008-09-23 13:48:25.594383
jenny

have you tried La Fromagerie? There's one in Marylebone near Waitrose, next to Ginger Pig

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Emily

2008-09-23 14:11:22.462881
Emily

Hi Jenny, two of my friends picked up their cheeses for our last 'Cheeseday at home' from La Fromagerie, and pretty amazing they were too - a goats' cheese wrapped in vine leaves and a very ripe gorgonzola. We haven't eaten in the tasting cafe yet though - would love to try one of their platters!

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jenny

2008-09-24 21:39:54.502466
jenny

when i went in to look for a particular type of goats cheese (an italian one i had once but can't find anything like it now!) i think the man in the cheese room gave me a taste of about half the goats cheeses there! the have a very wide range of goats cheese, far more than Neal's Yard Dairy. but then Neal's Yard only have mainly British cheeses which of course limits the varieties some what.

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Sophie Richardson

2008-09-25 11:49:27.329432
Sophie Richardson

Emily, I am soon to be moving to London and keen to know of any cheese-chomping establishments you would recommend in and around the Fulham area. Iâ��d like to arrange a party with several friends. Also I am a particular fan of Wensleydaleâ�¦ especially with cranberries. Do you know any other varieties of this particular cheese I might enjoy? Thank you so much!

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fiona

2008-09-25 14:26:12.375451
fiona

This is an excellent and astute article. I too have found that increasing numbers of my friends are enjoying a celebration of cheese on a more regular basis. Cheese is definitely having a renaissance. Those who oppose it are just plain wrong.

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Alison

2008-09-25 22:31:11.17099
Alison

What a great idea. I really enjoyed your article.

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sioden

2008-09-26 11:09:50.666582
sioden

I do love cheese, and will NOT be missing out on the Brittish cheese Festival ocming to Cardiff this weekend - I am sooo looking forward - cheese all around, fabulous!!

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Emily

2008-09-26 16:09:33.489047
Emily

Sophie - I'm afraid I don't know of any cheese joints in Fulham - La Cave a Fromage in South Ken isn't too far from there though. Let me know if you discover any good places! I'm not a huge Wensleydale fan, but have just discovered that you can get blue and smoked versions, which sound intruiguing! You could also try this dessert for something a bit different...! http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/3251/bramley-apple-and-wensleydale-cobbler Sioden - wow - cheese festival sounds like my idea of heaven. Have fun, hope you get lots of chances to sample!

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Caroline

2008-09-26 17:32:19.626893
Caroline

I'd like to put forward Borough market as a haven for cheese-eaters, Neal's Yard Dairy, oh and the Cheese Block in east Dulwich. At Christmas I spent 50 pounds on cheese - is that wrong?

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desertdaisy

2008-09-30 08:18:14.158324
desertdaisy

If you are in the South West next August Bank Holiday, the Tavistock Cheese Festival is a must. It is organised by Country Cheeses a brilliant local cheese shop. They invite all their suppliers - it's free entry. It's held in the Town Hall which is a smallish room lined with tables. Each supplier mans a table and talks about their cheese - and most important - provides samples. You can only buy the cheese in the shop in the market downstairs, so the focus is on tasting cheese. It is divine and there is everything from artisan Caerphilly, fresh sheep's cheese to unpasturised Cheddar (a chance to compare Keens, Montgomery and Westcombe). A few local wines and ciders are available too, a jazz band plays on the stage. As near to cheese heaven as you can get. I stock up and fill my suitcase as I live in Dubai.

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Emily

2008-10-02 13:20:59.599883
Emily

Definitely a date for the diary - I'm from the South West so may well be down that way for August bank hol, especially if there's cheese to be had! We went to La Fromagerie for our last Cheeseday outing on Tuesday. Would definitely go again - you can pick your cheese from the cheese room and pay by weight, plus Â£1.50 per cheese, which seemed a pretty good deal. I'd probably go at lunchtime next time though rather than go after work, as they kept reminding us they'd be closing at 7.30 and were quite keen to get rid of us!

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Mrs Chutney

2008-11-04 08:33:36.9225
Mrs Chutney

Farmers Markets throughout the land are a very good source of cheese. You can taste, free, and talk to the maker. There is even a curry cheese somewhere, though I have yet to track it down!

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LisaPisa

2008-11-07 12:15:19.500362
LisaPisa

I like the idea of Cheesday; we operate something similar in Leeds we like to call CheeseFest!

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