The French influence on British cheese

If you've had the vague feeling that British cheeses are improving - up to the standard of top French artisanal cheeses - it's no coincidence. As a very interesting article in the FT this weekend points out, more and more soft cheeses are being made to French recipes and in some instances, such as the Irish St Tola organic goats' cheese (above), by a French cheesemaker.

Is this a good thing? I'm in two minds. I tried St Tola last summer and it was one of the best goats' cheeses I've ever tasted. On the other hand I do worry that the trend may diminish the distinctive character of our cheeses and runs the risk of losing the unique sense of place or 'terroir' that each cheese should have.

What do you think?

How to make Labneh

Last night I tried out Bristol's newest restaurant Lido* and kicked off with a 'small plate' of labneh, an addictive soft yoghurt cheese topped (in this case but not invariably) with anchovies and sprinkled with chillies, onion seeds and fresh coriander.

It's also ridiculously easy to make at home. All you need is a large square of muslin (which you can buy from department stores like John Lewis), two large 450g-500g pots of unsweetened full fat plain yoghurt and a scant teaspoon of fine sea salt. Line a bowl with the muslin, mix the salt into the yoghurt then tip the yoghurt into the bowl. Pull the edges of the muslin square together and tie to form a bundle and hang over the sink or a larger bowl for about 12-16 hours. If using straightaway tip the cheese into a serving dish, make a shallow dip in the centre, drizzle round some olive oil. and scatter with chopped herbs or other flavourings as above. Or refrigerate in a covered bowl or box until ready to use.

(*you can find a full review on my website matchingfoodandwine.com)