Cheese please!

I didn't used to be the kind of person who loved cheese. My first cheese experience was as a small child and it was Smoked Cheese from Summer Isles Foods, my family's business. I was probably too wee to enjoy the strong smokey flavour and the intense texture because the rest of my childhood cheese consisted of Dairylea slices and mini-babybel. Hardly cheese at all.

Slowly and surely though I have completely come round to cheese in a big big way!
We are very fortunate in the Highlands to have a lot of good dairies around here which include Connage Diary, West Highland Dairy and Wester Lawrenceton Farm - all amazing cheese producers.
By far though, the best cheese I have tasted which is produced locally is Blue Monday - commissioned by Alex James of Blur and made in Tain by Highland Fine Cheeses. It is quite possibly the most amazing blue cheese I have or will ever taste. We tried it at Muckrach Lodge which is wonderful hotel in Speyside with a great season menu and of course, a great cheese board.

My taste for cheese made in Scotland is limited though. I went to Paris for New Year and while we were there we sampled some amazing cheeses and now I am a true convert - there are few UK cheese which can compare to what we had in France. May I bring the following to the attention of the Jury:
Camembert au Calvados - quite honestly the loveliest cheese I have ever tried
Tomme de Savoie - a subtle cheese but packs a punch!

If I only had to eat one cheese for the rest of forever I think it would be Camembert au Calvados spread on a fresh baquette...with a glass of red wine. I would be in heaven.

Now, that covers Scotland and France - the Auld Alliance. Yes we make good cheeses.
But which cheese prompted me to write this addition to the blog? Well, it's a classic, you will find it in your local supermarkets, a fine selection as well but try your local deli first to get the really good stuff...which cheese am I talking about? Colston Bassett of course - the most amazing blue cheese. Not quite the same league as Blue Monday but worth investing in some oatcakes to accompany it...but where will you get your oatcakes?  That is another blog...