Food & Drink Innovation Network » KEVIN BEER AT PILGRIM’S CHOICE GIVES CONSUMERS CHEESE ADVICE

KEVIN BEER AT PILGRIM’S CHOICE GIVES CONSUMERS CHEESE ADVICE

October 29th, 2009

Last Christmas the British public purchased over 32,500[1] tonnes of cheese – that’s the equivalent in weight to around 438,750 reindeer[2], 4.7m turkeys[3] and a whopping 143m Christmas puddings[4]!

Of this staggering amount, the nation’s No 1 cheese was Cheddar, which sold over 16,000 tonnes during the festive period.

But, what makes for a perfect cheeseboard? How should the components be arranged? Is one cheese knife enough? How about some runny honey with your goat’s cheese, what about the connoisseurs very own quince jelly or even a little truffle with your blue?

Kevin Beer, Head Cheese Grader for Pilgrims Choice, is entrusted with ensuring the company’s cheese is selected only when it’s perfect to eat. A true master of his craft he can identify a cheese’s age and origin by his sense of smell alone. This means he understands the finer subtleties of creating the perfect cheeseboard for friends and family. Here Kevin shares a few hints and tips on how to add some real wow factor this Christmas:

Let it breathe!
Remember – your cheese needs to breathe to ensure it’s at peak condition at the point of consumption. Don’t forget to remove it from the fridge and out of its packaging – you don’t want your cheese to sweat. Place it onto the board 30 minutes before serving to allow the natural flavours to come into balance.

…and relax!
The texture of the cheese will also relax and cheese such as camembert or brie will become creamier and more yielding. But remember, there’s a fine balance between relaxed and running off the plate – 30 minutes at room temperature is plenty!

Make room…
Allow space on your board for each cheese so that flavours don’t mingle into one another. Better still – go for two boards and plenty of knives so everyone can tuck in at once!

To serve…
Your Christmas cheeseboard needs to indulge the senses and offer an array of colours, flavours and textures. There needs to be something for everybody so I suggest the following selection, which complements each other perfectly:

Cheddar is the nation’s favourite hard cheese and we love Pilgrims Choice West Country Farmhouse Mature. This slowly matured, tangy Cheddar is handmade at Parkham Farm in Devon, using local milk and has creamy notes with a rustic, open texture.

Webster’s Stilton with its fresh ivory flesh and wonderful mellow blueing will add a splash of colour to the cheeseboard and in my view, the Christmas cheeseboard is incomplete without it.

The sweet, fresh and creamy flavour of Wensleydale with Cranberries is ideal to offset the tanginess of Stilton or Farmhouse Cheddar. Plump juicy berries blended into the delicious, crumbly Wensleydale cheese complement each other in a taste that is addictively luxurious…

…and to accompany
The finishing touches are all important! In the Beer kitchen, we always serve our cheese with high-heat baked water biscuits, oat cakes or digestives as they have a slightly sweeter crunch to contrast with the intensity of the Cheddar or Stilton.

Any sweet pickle or chutney will go well with stronger traditional cheese and freshly ground black pepper goes down well too! I love home made sweet runner bean chutney and quince jelly is another family favourite for that sweet and sour taste.

With a twist
For soft cheeses – such as goat’s cheese – serve with clear runny honey and for stronger soft blue varieties, try grating a little truffle into the honey for some understated festive decadence!

Cleanse
As you move around the cheeseboard, cleanse the palette with generous slices of fresh fruit. I like to serve apple or pear, honeydew or cantaloupe melon and of course grapes!

Cheese and wine – the perfect marriage!
Serving your cheese with wine or beer is an age old tradition with all sorts of combinations working in harmony.

Port and Stilton is one, but for me, strong farmhouse Cheddar with beer or cider is the ultimate pairing. As a West Country man, I would go for Sharp’s Doombar Ale; its warm fruity notes open the palette to the cheese’s rich and velvety texture.

For wine lovers eating strong flavoured cheese, you need a ‘big red’ – my wife enjoys a St Emilion with her Stilton and a robust Rioja with a Pilgrims Choice Vintage FarmhouseCheddar. But for lighter mould ripened cheeses such as a Somerset camembert or brie, consider a desert wine such as Muscat.

“In my house, more planning goes into my Christmas cheeseboard than the turkey and Christmas pudding combined but that’s because I’m absolutely passionate about it, said Kevin.

“For those with less time, follow my tips; select different textures and colours – and of course, a Pilgrims Choice Cheddar – for a great cheeseboard but most importantly, buy what you like and have a merry Cheesemas!”

The Food & Drink Innovation Network

KEVIN BEER AT PILGRIM’S CHOICE GIVES CONSUMERS CHEESE ADVICE

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