Mumsnet Talk

I don't know a lot about cheese. Thinking of trying some this Christmas.

What should I try?

Brand names helpful!

Check out Cashel Blue. Just the yummiest, tastiest most mellow and creamy blue cheese ever. It's available on Ocado, but probably elsewhere too.

Makes an amazing starter of Blue cheese and hazel nut salad - cashel blue (cubed), toasted hazel nuts, mixed green leaves (spinach, rocket and watercress is good) and little croutons with a vinaigrette made with hazelnut oil. Mmmm

Or just divine with crackers.

go to the cheese counter in a good local supermarket and try lots!! ( you might need to make a few trips so that you don't seem greedy take notes they should help you.

Cubes of feta in salad.
Brie melted under the grill on toasted crusty with cranberry sauce.
Port salut on Carr's cheesy biscuits.
Mature cheddar in pasta bakes.
Grated Parmesan on pasta.

Cheese is for life, not just for Christmas, by the way. You have me craving now...

You need a good local cheese shop. We have a fantastic one here in Ipswich. They can recommend stuff, you can try it, it's all good!

Grilled/ barbecued halloumi, yummy!

oooh - a salad with blue cheese, walnuts, rocket, salad leaves and apple.

Salad dressing.
Homemade croutons- cubed bread, garlic, olive oil and grated (vegetarian) parmesan. Bake til the croutons are golden
Delia recipe-

Baked camenbert (I even bought a little lidded dish from Lakeland)

Are you thinking cheese for cooking, or a selection for a cheeseboard type of thing?

I agree with louismummy definitely go and try some. Try different types - hard cheeses, goats cheeses, soft cheeses, etc. A good supermarket or deli should be able to tell you a bit about the cheese they are selling. Plus they'll often change the varieties on offer, so I would focus more on finding what types of cheese you like rather than on brandnames.

Personally I love wensleydale, mild blue cheeses (e.g., stilton), white stilton with cranberries or apricot, cornish yarg, halloumi, gosh I could go on forever.

Cranberry wensleydale mmmm.

Morrisons usually do festive WEensleydale in the shape of Santa and The Snowman

Does anyone buy Quince Cheese? I've seen it in Waitrose in the deli.
What is it?
A solid chutney sort of thing?

Second the suggestion to find a good local cheese shop. They'd be happy to let you try stuff and make suggestions. I'm a fan of mimolette, which my Sainsbury's now stocks.

I go to my local farm shop as they seem to have a better selection. Last year we had black bomber cheddar, a nice smoked goats cheese (hard), cornish blue and roule (because I bloody like it!)

www.nealsyarddairyshop.co.uk/

70 - quince cheese/membrillo is like chutney in the sense that it goes really well with cheese, but it's sweet not savoury/tangy/spiced etc. It's just quince, chopped up, and boiled up with sugar then set. It goes really well with salty cheeses (manchego is the classic). You can also buy/make 'cheeses' from other fruits that are high in pectin, eg damson is also quite traditional for the uk.

You need Vacherin. It is THE French Christmas cheese. But you need to get it from somewhere who knows what they're talking about and will sell it to you at the right ripeness for when you want to eat it. I know that sounds like an unbelieveable faff, but it is beyond amazing. <drools on keyboard>

You just got me googling. I have found these people Smelly cheese central!

Bake a Camembert then dip ripped up bits of French loaf into it - amazing! (Put it into an oven proof dish first, make a cross into the top to stop it exploding and wait till melted) bits of garlic popped in are scrummy too!

Shropshire blue with chutney!

See if you have a Paxton and Whitfield near you. You can order a cheese (eg a whole or half brie) and tell them the precise ripeness you'd like and they will order it in for you at the right time and put it in their ripening room so that it gets to the correct ripeness on the date you are collecting it. For me, a lovely ripe oozy Brie de Meaux is fantastic but they will be happy to talk to you about, and let you try, any cheese.

I love cheese.

That is all.

I have got for tonight, cheeseboard for 15 people.

Blue and white Stilton, Camembert, Brie, cranberry wheydale, goats cheese, Scottish cheddar, tex mex and Mexican scotch bonnet, served with ploughmans chutney, sticky onion (homemade) chutney and mango and spiced red onion chutney (homemade)

With a selection if mixed crackers and homemade bread.

Mmmm cheeeeeeeeseeeesse! You can get some pretty decent cheeseboards in a lot of the supermarkets, and a lot of small taster packs. I'd personally bake a Camembert as someone suggested above with nice warm bread, then get some Somerset brie, a nice creamy Stilton, maybe a festive Wensleydale and cranberry and a cheddar then a load of biscuits / chutneys...

I'm not gonna get cheese out of my head all day now!!!

Ooh Altinkum, can I come???!!