I was really amused to find a triangle of the French processed cheese La Vache qui Rit on the cheeseboard of Eastside Inn, the very posh restaurant in London I went to the other day. Apparently it was the chef Bjorn van der Horst's favourite childhood cheese.Fortunately the other cheeses were rather more substantial otherwise one would be more than a bit miffed at having to pay £15 for the experience (the cost of a cheese plate and a glass of wine). The others on that occasion were St Tola (a very good Irish goats cheese), Roquefort and what I thought sounded like L'Etivet, a strongly flavoured semi-hard cows' cheese from Switzerland which I hadn't come across before. (I've since been informed by the very helpful Food and Wine Diarist that it's L'Etivaz, so that's that mystery solved.)
Actually I have to admit that the Vache qui Rit - which of course means The Laughing Cow and which has rather a jolly website here - fitted in rather well, adding a mild creamy counterpoint to the cheeseboard.
Sets a precedent though: are we now going to find a bottle of Heinz salad cream served with our side-salad or a bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate or a few Smarties tucked by our dessert if the chef has a fondness for them? Watch this space . . .
7 comments:
Could the evasive Swiss cheese be AOC L'Etivaz - a member of the gruyere family from the Vaud canton?
Nice to see the laughing cow make an appearance.
That used to be a regular when we were kids, when we had cheese back at home (switz) along with the more "grown up" cheeses.
Bingo - Food and Wine Diarist. I'm sure that's it. Thankyou!
And glad you remember Laughing Cow so fondly, Dex. Must admit it has the edge on Dairylea ;-)
Hi Fiona,
Thanks for the post about the Vache qui Rit - and it's true, one of his favourite cheeses. I hope you enjoyed it.
I'm Bjorn's brother, I just thought I'd tell you I linked to this post from the Eastside Inn Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/London-United-Kingdom/Eastside-Inn/94600288368?ref=nf)
Have a great evening
That is so cool. :o)
Our fridge is never without a round of Laughing Cow. I buy it for the boys. Ahem.
Good to hear from you Willem. Very impressed that Eastside has a Facebook page - no doubt down to you. Most chefs wouldn't have a clue ;-)
And glad your ... er boys....are fans, Sal. Our youngest used to love it.
the laughing cow was always a staple lunch box cheese at school and I still love its creaminess. one is never too grown-up for an iconic processed cheese...
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