Will Manouri be the new halloumi?

I haven't come across much in the way of interesting cheese dishes lately - except for this one at Kiwi chef Peter Gordon's new cafe Kopapa

It topped a bruschetta of white bean purée (laced with herbs by the looks of it), braised cavolo nero and tomato yuzu jam.

I liked the Manouri. It was lighter and moussier than halloumi and less salty than feta, of which I discovered from Juliet Harbutt's excellent World Cheese Book, it is a by-product. In Greece they use it in sweet dishes as well as savoury pies like spanakopita in much the same way as the Italians use ricotta. It's usually made from ewes' or goats' milk though and obviously has a firm enough texture to stand up to frying.

I wish it was more widely available. (The Greek food specialist Odysea seems to import it but doesn't currently sell it in their online shop.)

Ubriaco Capra: a great cheese to pair with red wine

I'm always on the lookout for cheeses to match red wine (which clashes with so many cheeses, especially washed rind and blues) but had forgotten about Ubriaco an Italian cheese matured with the skins, pips and seeds left over from red wine making.

As a result it has a savoury, vinous taste of its own which seems to chime in perfectly with red wine, especially if you eat the rind - as you're encouraged to.

The only downside is that it's not cheap. This version which I bought from Selfridges Food Hall cost £38.50 per kilo. According to a quick search on Google it comes from the Veneto, is made of goats milk and is matured in the skins of Traminer grapes. I think it would be great with a good Valpolicella or any medium-bodied Italian red come to that. It was certainly fine with a Côte du Rhône Villages.

I seem to remember buying a slightly cheaper version in Waitrose a while ago which may still have it in their larger branches.

What to do with the leftover Stilton?

You may have managed to get rid of the turkey but I think it's a fair bet you still have some cheese you bought before Christmas lurking in the fridge. And only one day left to use it up before you go back to work if you don't want to find it awaiting you whiskerily next weekend.

Here are six simple ideas that will avoid it going to waste:

* Make a quiche. The advantage being you not only give yourself a meal for tomorrow but the basis of a packed lunch or light supper on Tuesday or Wednesday. Here's the Stilton and leek quiche (above) I posted a couple of years ago.

* Make a mac'n'cheese. Remember the Ultimate Macaroni Cheese challenge last year? There were lots of great variations on the classic that would use up odd bits of cheese. Here's Signe Johansen's version which used four different kinds.

* Make a creamy Stilton linguine. Doesn't sound quite as romantic as Gorgonzola but it's a great supper for one and dead simple.

* Make a steak sandwich with caramelised onions and Stilton - or Stichelton. Like this one here.

* Make Stilton butter. Beat equal quantities of crumbled Stilton and room temperature butter with a wooden spoon, season generously with freshly ground black pepper and a little salt if you think it needs it. You can also add a tablespoon of finely chopped parsley. Spoon the flavoured butter onto a piece of foil, shaping it into a rough rectangle. Roll the foil around the cheese mixture to form a cylinder, twisting the ends of the foil like a Christmas cracker and chill until firm - or freeze. Put a slice on a steak or burger (having brought the butter back to room temperature).

* Make 'fromage fort', a classic French way of using leftover bits of cheese. First cut up your cheese and remove the rinds. Whizz a couple of peeled cloves of garlic in a food processor, add the sliced cheese and pulse until you have a thick paste. Add just enough white wine to make a spreadable consistency and season with cayenne pepper or chilli powder to taste. (For a stronger version you can add a spoonful of brandy). The spread keeps in the fridge for a couple of days and makes a tasty topping for crackers, crostini or toast.

Oh, and a Happy New Year to you all!

Christmas Cheese School

It’s hard to be objective about events in which you’re involved but I thought our Christmas Cheese School was just lovely. About 20 of us sat round a long candlelit (and electric heater-lit, hence the red glow) table in the nave of St Thomas the Martyr a late 18th century church in the centre of Bristol. (I confess I didn’t know what this part of a church was called but found the answer within seconds when I Googled it. The wonder of WikiAnswers.)

We kicked off with a talk on winter cheese by cheesemaker Todd Trethowan who explained how his Gorwydd Caerphilly changes at this time of year (the cows feed on silage rather than fresh grass which results in a more intense flavour) why you sometimes can’t buy goats cheeses (if the cheesemaker lets the goats kid) and why Vacherin is now at its best (you only have to taste it to see for yourself). We also found it went wonderfully well with the mulled cider donated by local producer Orchard Pig.

Cheesemonger Alex Te-Strote valiantly talked about how to put together a Christmas cheeseboard through several layers of cold while Andrew Cooper of the Bristol Beer Factory persuasively argued the case for putting beer as well as wine on the table.

Then I took a different angle on matching cheese by pairing Joe Schneider's Stichelton (the amazing unpasteurised version of Stilton) with a Douro red, Monbazillac sweet wine, the Bristol Beer Factory’s Ultimate Stout, local producer Bramley and Gage’s Sloe Gin and Avery’s Bristol Cream sherry. (The most popular pairings seemed to be the Monbazillac and sherry though I was very taken with the stout)

The evening was punctuated with bursts of festive organ music played by one of the Trethowans Dairy cheesemongers Charlie Usher (below with mulled cider) who won the title of young composer of the year a couple of years ago. Talk about versatile . . .


The next all day Cheese School is on Sunday February 6th at Bordeaux Quay. If you're in a panic for a last minute Christmas present you can buy gift vouchers here!

Borough's night cheese market

After a bit of lull on the cheese front I’ve spent two consecutive nights at cheesy Christmas events. No, I don’t mean panto but Borough Market’s Evening of Cheese in London and our own Christmas Cheese School in Bristol about which I’ll report in a day or so.

I’d missed out on the Borough event last year so was determined to make it. Held in the Jubilee market it brings together all the cheese traders and shops in and around the market including Neal’s Yard (of course), French affineur Hervé Mons and a brilliant Swiss stand, Käseswiss which I’d been meaning to visit for a while. You could (and I did) buy mulled cider then wander around the stalls nibbling. There were so many great cheeses you don’t normally get the chance to taste of which the Bermondsey hard-pressed cheese (below) must be the most recherché.



Needless to say I spent far too much including a box of delicious but wildly expensive Elvas apricots I bought from a Portuguese stall together with a fabulous sheeps cheese called Casa d’Agua Levada, set with cardoons ...


... a good hunk of the most perfect Comté from the convincingly French-looking John of Hervé Mons (below) and L’Etivaz, a Swiss cheese made from summer milk.


There’s a full list of Borough Market’s cheese suppliers here


I was wondering, as I was nibbling, what is the best Christmas cheese. Stilton/Stichelton are obviously candidates. A good artisanal cheddar? An aged Comté? Vacherin Mont d’Or - although I associate that more with January? What’s your seasonal favourite?

Candlelit Christmas Cheese School

A quick plug for those of you who live in or can get to the West Country next week - we have our first Christmas Cheese School next Thursday (December 16th), a candlelit tasting at the wonderfully atmospheric St Thomas the Martyr church in Bristol.

This is a mini, seasonal version of our all-day cheese schools with three rather than the usual six elements:

* A talk about winter cheese by cheesemaker Todd Trethowan of Gorwydd Caerphilly - i.e. what sort of flavours you can expect from your favourite cheeses at this time of year

* A talk on how to put together the perfect Christmas cheeseboard by Ben Ticehurst, head cheesemonger of Trethowans Dairy

* and an exploration of different drink pairings with Stichelton and Stilton by me. Blues are one of the most interesting cheeses to match as they work just as well with fortified wines, spirits, beers and liqueurs as they do with still wines.

There are still a few tickets available (at £40 a head) but they're selling fast so get in quick! If you miss it we have another all day cheese event on February 6th for which you can buy gift vouchers on the Big Barn website (they also sell a number of the Trethowans' cheeses and their scrumptious new range of matching jellies)*. The last day for orders is December 18th.

* And no, just in case you were wondering, I'm not on commission!

Knaafeh: a most unusual cheesecake

The other cheesy highlight of my trip to the Lebanon was a wickedly delicious dish called Knaafeh which is commonly served for breakfast. It’s a bit like a cheesecake based on a rubbed pastry called mafrookeh and topped with a stringy cheese which tastes like mozzarella.

It is generally served with a syrup made from orange flower water and sometimes in sesame bread which would obviously add a fair bit to the calorific overload.


The pictures are of one we tasted in Patisserie Douaihy in the Place Sassine, a really friendly pastry shop and café.

I was planning to try and make it when I got back but having studied this recipe from Anissa Helou, a food writer who leads trips to the Lebanon, I can see it’s not that straightforward - unless you can order the pastry from a Lebanese shop. I may just have to head back to Beirut . . .