Fine British Cheese

Fine British Cheese

What is a ‘fine cheese‘?

A fine cheese differs from an ordinary cheese in the subtlety of its texture and flavour, both of which are a reflection of the skills and experience that go into its production.

A fine cheese producer sets out to make a product of the highest quality with its own individual character, rather than a commodity that can be sold at the cheapest price. Fine cheeses like fine wines are appreciated by those who live to eat rather than eat to live.

More specifically, a fine cheese is a natural cheese. Its fat content is only derived from milk. It does not contain vegetable fat.

Storing:

Whole cheeses with a natural skin or crust must be open to the air to mature properly. Once cheeses have been cut they should be stored at cool temperature with the exposed edges protected from the air until the last minute before eating. Wrap in cling film and store in the warmest part of the refrigerator. For the best flavour, cheese should be at cool room temperature when eaten.

Buying: Buy your cheese as near to the time you want to eat them as possible, as a rough guide allow for an end of dinner cheese board about 2oz (60g) per person of 3 to 4 different cheeses.

Cheese Selection: Each week we offer a selection of around 10 Fine British Cheeses plus Lockerbie mild and Lockerbie mature and up to 10 different types of oatcakes to accompany them.

This weeks selection...

(click on cheese board)

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Serving:

In Britain cheese is usually served after the meal. In Europe, France in particular it is more likely to be served before the pudding. This is a reflection of ancient eating habits. The main British meal of dinner was once served very early in the day and in the evening a light supper was followed by cheese, believed to seal the stomach while you slept. Gradually it was moved later in the day until it eventually became an evening event, when it was neatly joined on to supper, still completed with cheese. Wine was rarely drunk with meals but between them. But the French did drink wine as they ate and served cheese after the main course to accompany the last of the red wines, before moving on to sweeter things.