White Rock Fine Food

 OK this is very hard to decide, so hard in fact that I have chosen eleven cheeses…

All these cheeses find their origin in Western Europe. There are good reasons for this. Cheese generally started to become popular and its use recognized in the colder countries of Europe. This is primarily because cheese is easier to make in lower temperatures. Plus the fact that kept cool, cheese with its high protein content keeps better than milk. This made for a good storable  food source down the ages from the ancient Egyptians, through the Roman era right down to the present day.

So here goes with my own Top Ten (sorry eleven!) Not in any order of preference (I like them all)

1 BRIE

Sometimes refered to as the King of Cheeses, Brie originated in the region west of Paris, France.  Over time Brie has been made in other areas of France but the original and still most popular is Brie de Meaux, made to traditional recipes. Brie can be traced back to AD420, although the King of France at that time declared Brie a food for barbarians. How times have changed! Brie today is probably the most loved and perhaps revered cheese in its home country of France. Someone once remarked to me that they thought they could live without Brie. To which I replied yes but why would you want to?

Brie is a surface ripened cheese which means it will be soft with a delicate but distinctive sweet and smokey flavor, sharpening (as with most cheeses ) with age. Although it must be said that Brie is at its best from two weeks to six weeks. Some however like to let Brie ripen beyond that, it’s a matter of taste. A great favorite on plates of cheese, sandwiches etc

2 THE CHEDDAR FAMILY

We make several variations on the basic and very familiar Cheddar. Cheddar itself originated in the hilly region of Cheddar in Somerset in southwest England.  Cheddar has been made for hundreds of years in this region and has spread across England and indeed the world. Cheddar is a very versatile cheese and is complimented well by the addition of various herbs, pepper,and even smoked, to give the range of tastes we offer.

Cheddar is a so called hard cheese, which when mature after at least six months develops a strong flavour and can be grated easily. Cheddar is probably the best known cheese around the world which partly stems from its partnership with strong (room temperature!) real ale, crusty bread, salty butter and a pickled onion, the famous Ploughmans lunch, a staple of British pub food.

3 EMMENTAL

Emmental  is claimed by enthusiasts to have originated from Switzerland, but Germany, Austria, and France all claim Emmental.   Each region makes variations of this now world famous cheese. A good Emmental will be sweet,nutty and fruity all at once. Not forgetting its signature pattern of sometimes quite large eyes or holes which are formed  by helpful bacteria that give off carbon dioxide during the aging process.

No salt is added during the manufacture of Emmental, except for the traditional final brining of the wheels of cheese. This makes the cheese much lower in salt content than many other cheeses. True Emmental is made exclusively from unpasturised milk to preserve the natural bacteria present in the milk. (That’s how I make ours.)

Emmental is a very versatile cheese to be eaten with crackers, as an hors d’oevres, melted for gratins,  or most famously in fondue.

4 GOUDA

Gouda is a Dutch cheese by origin, which first became popular made into round balls coated with wax. This made Gouda easy to ship around the world in the days before refrigeration. Known today as Red Ball cheese locally here in Belize, it has become very popular as a low cost entry level cheese.  The original locally offered Gouda however is a different matter. Cheeses do not travel well and although they may survive long air flights or sea voyages, this is generally at the expense of the flavor.

Gouda is another cheese which lends itself to herb and spice combinations. Probably the two best known additions are carraway and dill. But Gouda has another trick up its sleeve. When aged for at least six months it matures into a taste sensation. In this form it is known as Old Amsterdam and is to be found in our offerings from time to time.

5 GRUYERE

This is the original Swiss cheese so beloved of our American friends. Gruyere as its nickname suggests traces its origin back to Switzerland. Gruyere tends to have much smaller holes or eyes, and what can be describes as a more assertive, softer and creamier flavour, than its cousin Emmental. Gruyere is however THE cheese to use for fondue due to its easy melting property.

 6 DOUBLE GLOUCESTER

 OK let’s get the pronunciation out of the way before we go on. GLOSS-TER is how it is said! This is a regional English cheese in the Cheddar family, made principally in the western region of Gloucestershire. Double Gloucester so called because traditionally cream was added to the milk before manufacture. However here at White Rock farm we are lucky to have a source of milk which  already has a high cream content due to the pastures on which the cows graze.  (There is also a single Gloucester made from skimmed milk.) Double Gloucester has a delicate slightly salty flavor, but very tasty. Usually Double Gloucester is tinted with a natural yellow dye called annatto which needless to say we grow on our farm here.

7 STILTON

Also  said to be the King of Cheeses. Strangely enough, Stilton did not originate from the village of Stilton, contrary to popular belief. In fact its origin and the name of its inventor are highly disputed in the area around Leicestershire. Earliest records from the eighteenth century show this cheese was originally made in a village called Quenby, but was supplied to the Bell coaching inn at Stilton in Huntingdonshire.  The cheese became known as Stilton cheese. Suffice to say the cheese was popularized by Daniel Defoe, the author of Gulliver’s Travels, who wrote about this marvelous cheese;  its fame quickly spread.

Stilton is the best known of the blue cheese family, so called because of the addition of a bacteria  during the making process. In olden times of course a naturally occurring penicillin  would have been used. These days Penicillin Roquefortii is most commonly used. This bacteria multiplies inside the cheese during the ripening process giving rise to the familiar blue veining.

Stilton has a special place in the food and dining traditions of old England. This tradition has like many others spread across England and thence around the world. Stilton traditionaly is eaten as a desert cheese after a meal most often at Christmas, accompanied by a glass of port. Stilton is quite a salty cheese and the addition of a glass of port which is quite sweet compliments the overall taste.

8 ROQUEFORT

Roquefort originated in and around the hilly region of Roquefort in south eastern France. The story goes that peasant farmers in that region used to make cheese to form a part of their lunchtime break when working with their sheep on the hillsides. One day a peasant left his uneaten cheese in a small cave and upon returning a day later, discovered a blue mold has started growing on it. He cautiously tasted the cheese and the rest is history.

Roquefort is another member of the blue cheese family and tends to be softer, more creamy and perhaps a little less “aggressive “ than its English cousin.

Roquefort is eaten generally like Stilton, after meals with a glass of something alcoholic, but over time has found its way onto the cheese plates of discerning diners.

9 WENSLEYDALE.

Wensleydale comes from a wild and quite remote valley in the north of Yorkshire in England. It has been made for centuries by small famers in the valley and indeed each of the many vales or valleys in the area make their own variations and have done so in spite of interference from successive government departments over the course of many decades. One such notable variant is Swaledale, which disappeared completely as a result, but has recently found its way into our offerings.  I stumbled across an old recipe for making Swaledale in one of my cheese history books. This has proved to be very popular and its return to life is to be welcomed.

Wensleydale is another very versatile cheese with a good nutty bite.  Besides its place as a dessert cheese is also commonly used in sandwiches, on the cheese board, and in cooking.

10 HAVARTI

Havarti is a cheese originating in Denmark. Generally a mild  flavoured medium cheese most commonly found combined with dill.  Popular with children and those seeking a milder cheese. An excellent addition to any cheese board.

11 CAERPHILLY

Caerphilly comes from the hills of Wales in the west of Great Britain.  A white cheese, sharp and full of flavor and unlike many cheeses it tends to be naturally crumbly.  A staple part of the diet of Welsh miners in former days,  despite almost becoming extinct at one point it survived and its fame has now spread far beyond Wales in the subsequent years. Described by one prominent authority on British cheeses as a “buttery dream of a cheese”. I also make a version of Caerphilly with goat milk which is a very tasty alternative for those who are lactose intolerant.