to think about doing a cheese fondue?

[ClaireDeLoon]

Just for me and DP not to inflict on random friends but should we? My mum offloaded her 1970's fondue set from the recesses of her kitchen cupboard to the recesses of my kitchen cupboard a few years ago and I'm tempted to give it a go over Christmas. Will I regret it if I do?

I love the beer/cheese fondues! I'm not as big a fan of the more traditional kirsch ones, but they're still lovely.

I have a sort of combination small fondue / raclette thing somewhere, and I used it at New Years every year when we lived in Holland. I suppose I should try it again. Or just get a larger fondue pot. hm.

kreecher - you made me laugh. I had a cheese fondue the last night of a holiday with relatives in Switzerland and I can remember it sitting like a lump of lead in my stomach for days. Must have been the beer. But it was delicious.

Heh. I'm a cheeseface so fondues are always good.

Was funny how we got our set, though. Many years ago, DH (then bf) asked what I wanted for Christmas, and so I said a Le Creuset fondue please. Off we went to look round department stores having pre-Christmas sales, and we did indeed find a lovely red one which matches all my other LeC pots.

On the way out of the store, I looked at the box, and commented it looked a similar size and weight to the one which had arrived from a friend a few days previously, neatly wrapped for Christmas. We looked at each other.

It was.

So we have one red one and one green one; we use the green for meat fondues and the red for cheese.

And amusingly we had a cheese one for supper last night :-) but we cheat: buy the ready-to-heat packs from the supermarket. I once bought all the bits, faffed for ages and turned out something that tasted exactly the same, but was actually more expensive overall than the packs.

Sounds lovely to me - have to admit to wondering whether there's a 'critical mass' (number of people eating) to make it worthwhile, because I know it would be unhealthy for one person to consume the lot (thinking of self, and need to lose weight already).

In our family, cheese heated on a pyrex plate, to be eaten with slices of beetroot in slices of bread and butter, has been a favourite (I use vinegar if I have no cooked beetroot to hand) though I know there's a significant amount of fat visibleand am a touch concerned as I am over 50 now.

I grew envious when I saw mention of 'fondue' and am on my way out to buy some cheese (in spite of the snow that is falling!)

I wish I'd read this earlier and I'd have got the packet I have out of the cupboard and not gone shopping for food (well, I guess I'd still need bread).

Absolutely delicious and lovely warming meal on a cold night.

I can't find a link to the ready-made packets but they are lovely (I get mine from the Cheese Hamlet in Didsbury).

I never knew you could get ready to heat packets - in the fridge I assume by the cheese?

ClaireDeLoon yes that's where our local Waitrose keeps them. They are a few quid each, but it's certainly less faff than getting grated cheese all over the kitchen.

And they can be kept in the cupboard for when you discover a forgotten loaf {fgrin]

This is the packet I get from the Cheese Hamlet.

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=www.naturesbasket.co.in/tnail/phpThumb.php%3Fsrc%3D..//productImgstrx/Dairy/Cheese/Spreads/Le%2520Superbe%2520-%2520Fondue.jpg%26w%3D150&imgrefurl=www.naturesbasket.co.in/categ.php%3Fcatid%3D29&usg=__6UMMFyOPM6tV_jupRSJh7K4ctqA=&h=167&w=150&sz=6&hl=en&start=2&zoom=0&tbnid=ALZwGET6tNiBjM:&tbnh=99&tbnw=89&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dle%2Bsuperbe%2Bfondue%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26sa%3DN%26biw%3D1440%26bih%3D712%26tbs%3Disch:1&um=1&itbs=1" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this page

They don't store them in a fridge but the packet says to store below 15 degrees so in a normal house you should do. If you're near South Manchester and like cheese then the Cheese Hamlet is worth a trip. Not sure where else would stock them - my MIL brings them back from Switzerland too.

this is the one we get

I'll get the emoticon right this time

xpost with moonbells. I'll have a look in Waitrose sometime. They're very easy and very tasty. (I don't store mine in the fridge but thought I shouldn't advocate not doing so!)

Fondue is amazing! I don't care that it's a 70s throwback, we have it lots on ski holidays and I've done fondue at home a few times.

It's yum!

D

DH got me a fondue set a few years ago - he kept teasing me about the present saying it was funny but useful. It is!

I love fondues and thank you for reminding me. Cold weather perfection........

And I have never been skiiing.

Hurrah for fondue tasties.

My dad used to make a divine one (involving Kirsh and at least four types of cheese) and we'd have family nights in munching on crusty ciabatta cubes and veg dipped in the delicious gooiness. Mmmmmmm

oh they do that packet on ocado. Do you absolutely promise it's as nice as the real thing?

I love fondue! We buy the ready made packs from Waitrose as well for "emergencies" and it's pretty good :) DH prefers them to the real thing because he reckons they have less of an alcohol taste.

I figure that if you have a bottle of kirsch on hand, you can always add it to the ready-made pack if it needs pepping up!!!