What was the highlight of your Easy Cheesey Chèvre masterclass experience?
Lovely communal eating, drinking and cooking with fellow goat's cheese enthusiasts.
Did you find the cheese tasting seminar provided you with some interesting facts, tips and advice on French goat's cheese? If so please share!
Nice to have it confirmed that it is lower cholesterol etc than cow's milk cheeses. Like many other replies, it was really useful to find out how to store goat's cheese. And that you don't have to fuss about storing blue cheeses with non-blue cheese. (And useful French vocab; crottin = poo.)
Was there anything that surprised you about French goat's cheese that you didn't know before?
Didn't know that some of them were "AOC". Or that the goat's diet affects the flavour of the cheese so much. And hadn't known that you could get older goat's cheeses, so good trying the Rocamadour.
After tasting the French goat's cheeses did you have a particular favourite? Here's the list of cheeses you would have seen:
French goat's cheese log - French goat's cheese mini log - Spreadable fresh French goat's cheese - French goat's cheese camembert - Selles-sur-Cher
- Crottin de Chavignol - Sainte-Maure de Touraine - Valençay - Banon - Rocamadour - Tomme de chèvre*
Particularly liked the pyramid-shaped ash-covered cheese and the Rocamadour. Was least keen on the final small medallion-y shaped one.
Were you surprised by any of the flavours of the French goat's cheeses? If so, how?
Some of them were much stronger flavours than I associate with goat's cheese (mainly in a good way).
Have you been encouraged to experiment more with French goat's cheese as an ingredient following the masterclass?
Definitely, particularly for desserts.
Were you previously aware of the nutritional benefits of French goat's cheese?
Yes, because lactose-intolerance children makes you look at non-cow's milk alternatives in forensic detail!
Were you aware of the variety of French goat's cheese available here in the UK?
Ditto the answer above (and because I love goat's cheese anyway).
Did you enjoy Sophie's French goat's cheese recipes? Do you plan to recreate them at home?
Yes. Liked the fishcake better than the the muffin recipe, but LOVED the cheesecake recipe in the booklet we were given (and the sample I got to take back to MNHQ). Haven't made cheesecake with goat's cheese (don't know why it hadn't occurred to me before, but it hadn't) but definitely will now.
Would you recommend French goat's cheese to a friend or family member?
I think they should give me a job as an Ambassador! Happy to extol its virtues till the goats come home.
Did you enjoy the Caves de Tourangelles Touraine Sauvignon Blanc wine? Do you think you would buy this? (RRP around £8.50)
I think I might just force myself to. And partic now that c£8 seems increasingly standard price for a bottle of wine.
Plus any other information you'd like to share with MN.
Thanks to Ann and Helen for letting me go :) Lovely to meet the MNetters I met .