

It didn't take me long to decide that macaroni cheese would be a good taste test to compare the two cheeses. I made the cheese sauce the same way I always do. A simple recipe my mum taught me.



If I was on a diet, I would definitely use this cheese, but until they do a lighter version of their extra mature or vintage, then I will be sticking with the full fat cheddar. I like my cheddar to pack a punch and this is too mellow for me.
vive le cheese
And now on to my cheese and wine tasting at Peckhams in Glasgow.

The cheeses were not marked as vegetarian, but I am not overly upset about that. When I buy cheese for myself, I always buy vegetarian, but when I am out in restaurants, I do not quiz them on their cheeses, so there seemed little point in making an issue of it. I know for some other people this would be unacceptable, but we all have to make our own choices. Anyway, back to the tasting.

You may notice in some of the photos it looks like we were snorting the cheese. Well, you are close. The cheese had been out for a few hours to warm to room temperature, but Pheobe had us warm them further by rolling and squidging each cheese in our hands. This was also so we could become familiar with the texture before smelling each cheese. We chatted about the scents of the cheese in much the same way you would with a wine.
The girl in pink is my good friend Hilary, who is a real foodie and was already familiar with a lot of the cheeses on offer and the last photo is one of myself and Chele from Chocolate Teapot. It was lovely meeting Chele at last and she is as nice in person as she is on her blog.
Looking at myself in that photo, I am thinking a diet may be a good thing for me, to lose all those pounds I gained when I was pregnant and haven't shifted over a year later. I am hovering over the delete button as we speak!
Now, do remember I am no expert, I am just adding the notes I scribbled down at the time. Use the links for a more accurate description of each cheese.
vive le cheese
10 French Cows Cheeses
1. Tomme de Savoie
This was our first and mildest cheese. My notes say "oily, well-matured, mild and buttery.
2. Emmental
We are all familiar with this holey cheese. Another mild one. I wrote "rubbery, sweaty with bite/tang. Temperature is increased week after week. High heat and low humidity. Oxygen and carbon dioxide explode, causing the holes and salt encourages a rind to develop".
3. Saint Nectaire
A washed rind cheese. Young, 2-6 weeks old. This one can't have over excited me as I didn't write anything else, although I remember not thinking much of the first and last cheeses and loving the rest. Maybe I was too busy munching and slurping to write more.
4. Camembert
This Camembert from Normandy is made from unpasteurised milk. It has mould around the outside rather than a rind and is also quite young. From 4-6 weeks old. It smells like cauliflower or broccoli. This Camembert is wetter than a standard Camembert.
5. Brie
This Brie has a drier and crisper mould than the Camembert and is creamy and soft.
6. Comté
I am in love with this cheese and apparently the French are too. It is one of the most popular cheese over the channel. I wouldn't even bother having anything with this cheese, it would just spoil the experience. To be nibbled and savoured! Comté is a sweet, firm cheese and almost honey-scented. It comes in 45 kilo wheels which is made from the milk of 45 cows. This is a co-op cheese from the Eastern mountains of France. The curds are cooked and milked and it is brine washed in chardonnay to make the distinctive rind. Notice how I really paid attention to the details on this one. you can tell it made an impression on me.
7. Petit Langres
This 3 week old cheese was originally made by 12th century monks, who would eat this on days when they weren't allowed to eat meat. It was originally washed in champagne, but is now brine washed. Salty, full flavour.
8. Epoisses
Invented at the beginning of the 16th century by Cistercian monks, died out in 1900 and was brought back after the Second World War by Robert Berthaut. A young washed rind cheese.
9. Bleu de Causses
This cheese is AMAZING! I feel I should shout that. It is a 10-12 week old blue. It is wrapped in foil to encourage the blue to form faster. This one is tangy and salty and melts very well.
10. Bleu d'Auvergne
This blue is so blue it is almost grey. It is spicier than the Bleu de Causses and not so good to melt. It is salty and brine washed. I wasn't so keen on this one.
So there we go. I don't know about you, but I am all cheesed out! I hope you enjoyed that and picked up some ideas. My two top picks have to be the Comté and the Bleu de Causses, but I will leave you to make up your own mind. Do let me know if you try any of these cheeses.


OMFG!!! I am THE most jealous I could ever be of you right now... I HATE you for this!... I simply love cheese and would have died to have gone on this tasting day... you lucky old moo....
ReplyDeleteHehe! It was great fun Dom, you would have enjoyed it and we got a lovely cotton gift bag full of cheese, oatckes, wine and an information pack. Are you even greener now?
ReplyDeleteWell, I want to pile each and every one of these on a plate and find a corner for myself right now...bottle of wine in the other hand, loaf of bread in the crook of my arm. Yup, jealousy here, too....
ReplyDeleteI wasn't expecting this reaction Girlichef, but now I think about it, it is making me want to do the dame :)
ReplyDeleteYip, I agree with Girlichef, I am so jealous that you got to spend time with these aged presidents of dairy land! Epoisses is my favorite on the list. I'm sniffing my monitor and I think I can smell a slight whiff of that rind.....
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Hey Gerry, I quite liked the Epoisses, but the Comte and the bleu de causses were definitley the two for me.
ReplyDeleteOooh...you lucky thing, so many cheeses....
ReplyDeleteI better hide this post from Lovely Hubby he'll be drooling all over the computer keyboard, to say he's a cheese lover would be the biggest understatement of the century!!
Sue xx
Me too Sue, cheese is definitely my downfall. Oh well!
ReplyDeleteSince my diet at present is turning away from SUGAR, I shall drool over this post. Now I'm a bit sorry we didn't come with! Not that I wanted the wine - the cheese, and all the little bites that went with look tasty! Of course, I was SO stuffed, it wouldn't have been pretty!
ReplyDeleteI rather like Emmental, Camembert, and now I'm hot to find and try some Comté. I'm picky about blue cheeses - it really depends on the day - but I love to use them in cooking.
Oh, this all looks so tasty.
I just had to come back and look at all those lovely cheeses again....oh and to tell you that there's an award for you over at mine.
ReplyDeleteSue xx
I would have been into that cheese like a shot - all looks delicious - though I am not really into rolling it in my hands - don't mind garlic on my hands but I find cheese smelly. You and chele look lovely in that photo too!
ReplyDeleteso much cheesy goodness! You've reminded me I forgot to post about the cheese event. It was lovely to meet you!
ReplyDeleteBriony
www.theglasgowfoodblog.blogspot.com
You both should have come Tanita, it was great fun and we didn't stuff ourselves.
ReplyDeleteAwww, thanks Sue, I will pop over for a visit :)
Thanks Johanna, squidging cheese about in my hand and sniffing it isn't something I would normally partake in, but it did help us to learn a lot about the cheese.
It was lovely to meet you too Briony, I hope your honeymoon was wonderful :)
I was salivating as I read through this post! I love cheese, in fact, apparently as a child of about three I used to hide it in my bedroom draws, or so I'm told! LOL!!! Maybe for a midnight snack?
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
I totally agree with you on the subject of cheese packing a punch. To me cheese, like coffee or alcohol should let you know that it has paid you a visit!
ReplyDeleteYou need to loose weight - good grief that doesn't say much for me does it lol. Oh well ... I blame the cheeses ;0)
ReplyDeletepost is informative I haven't had some of these cheese thank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteCHEESE! How utterly lovely!
ReplyDeleteCheese! How lovely! I have a cheesy post coming up soon!
ReplyDeleteOh I love cheese too...not too sure about the warm cheese sniffing though. I like my cheese cold, straight out of the fridge.
ReplyDeleteI tried looking away, and it didn't work. I'm going to blame you if I put on weight because of this!
ReplyDeleteI too am feeling envious. I love cheese too, sounds like a great event to have attended. What fun for you and Chele to meet up too.
ReplyDeleteI am in cheese heaven - now craving it!!
ReplyDeleteOMG ! I am on a diet. I din't really take your warning seriously. Now am drooling all over my laptop. Lucky U ..
ReplyDeleteSo which one was your favourite in the end? My money is on Comte. You're right, it really is a stand alone cheese. I wonder if you know any recipe's using it though? I'm going to look now..
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