After a frustrating evening the other Thursday, where I missed out on the latest Homage2Fromage meeting (let's just say that in future I'm not even going to attempt to drive), I consoled myself with a bit of a cheese and chutney tasting session.
I'd been given some interesting non-Yorkshire cheeses by Jane, who’d picked up some treats for me as an Easter present from Flourish & Prosper in Howden. The three cheeses were:
Smelly Apeth – a medium blue cheese from the Saddleworth Creamery. This wasn’t as smelly as the name might suggest, this had a lovely creamy, mellow flavour which would be great with a drizzle of honey.
How's Your Father – a creamy Lancashire, again from the Saddleworth Creamery. This had a creamy texture, with a good tang that came through but didn’t overpower.
Saint Nectaire - a French cheese from the Auvergne region of central France, which has been made since the 17th century, and was served to Louis XIV. It has as similar texture and appearance to brie (albeit with a brownish rind). It had a slightly nutty taste and texture, which I don’t think would be to everyone’s taste.
I also had a selection of locally produced chutneys from Sally at the Harrogate Preserves Co to try out:
Beetroot Chutney – great chunky texture, would go well with goat’s cheese
Sweet Tomato and Chilli Sauce – would be great drizzled onto soft cheese spread onto freshly baked bread
Pear, Date and Cinnamon Chutney – wonderful aroma, and a great combination of flavours that would complement a good blue cheese perfectly
Caramelised Red Onion Marmalade – sweet with a nice crunch to it, fantastic on its own on an oatcake and would be a great addition to any cheeseboard
High Dumpsie Dearie – plum, pear and apple jam, great combination, I would have this on my toast for breakfast as well as with a cheeseboard
Chipper Jam – Chilli and pepper jam, sweet with a nice chilli kick to it – would complement a really mature cheddar that could
I tried combining the cheeses and chutneys too. The Smelly Apeth and the Saint Nectaire both went really well with the Pear, Date and Cinnamon chutney. How’s Your Father went well with the Caramelised Red Onion.
I'll be selling the Harrogate Preserves Co chutneys at fairs and markets, along with the best selections of Yorkshire cheese, in the coming weeks.