Speciality Food April 2024

CHEESE UNCUT @specialityfood 20 New retail perspectives from industry experts “Cheese - the principal ingredient” JAMES GRANT NO2 POUND STREET While Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses in Lancashire is still verymuch in recoverymode following the fire which destroyedmuch of its stock at the end of 2023, owner MatthewHall says it’s onwards and upwards for the cheesemaker in 2024 . In addition to having built a temporary packing facility at the dairy, and recently purchasing Hampshire Cheese Company (maker of Tunworth andWinslade) blue cheese is back in production, and the teamwill soon be bringing a new series of products to the market. “It’s a bigmilestone,” Matthew explains. “We had these plans, before last November when the world went a bit topsy turvy, to create a bigger movement within blue cheese. And Exiting NPD news fromButlers we’re about to unleash those plans. For us, it’s all about saying ‘blue cheese goes mega at Christmas, but it kind of drops off a little bit throughout the rest of the year’. What is the driver behind that? Why does that happen? Blue cheese is a great product, and as a category people are interested in it, but what can we do all-year-round, to make it evenmore accessible and relevant?” Through research, the team discovered consumers still very much want to include blue cheese in their occasions, but they crave convenience, and a more portable product that could be used easily in picnics, as part of a grazing board, or in a burger. Blacksticks Blue has formed a jumping point for the NPD process. “It’s perfectly positioned for cheeseboard usage,” says Matthew, “but it’s messy to cut. So we’ve developed Blacksticks Every Day. You get all of the flavour in terms of that rich, umami savouriness and creaminess, but when you take it out of the packet you can slice it thinly and grate it.” Next in the line-up are Blacksticks Mega Melts – a pack of four 80mm Blacksticks slices “perfect for popping straight on top of a gourmet burger.” “Burgers as an occasion are massive,” says Matthew. “And the black and blue burger trend coming across from the States is mega but, actually, taking a wedge of blue cheese and trying to slice it is difficult. This new product totally ticks the boxes for convenience and flavour.” Completing the new trio is Blacksticks Dip, which picks up on the growing desire for dips and on-the-go options in fine food retail. “Cheese is consumed by 98% of households, but there isn’t a premiumised cheese offering in this space. Generally those who make dips are into food manufacturing, so you’re looking at processed dips, and those don’t fit in with consumers looking for something for premium occasions.” Nothing is added to Blacksticks Dip. “We take Blacksticks Blue as a base andmix it into a softer version of a blue cheese in dip format,” says Matthew. “It’s just two ingredients.” Speaking of ongoing plans for 2024, he adds, “We’re still verymuch in the midst of trying to rebuild back from the fire, but we’ve got a great team of people to implement this and we’ve got the energy and enthusiasm to drive forward.” For more information contact: louise.barnes@artichokehq.com 01206 508629 CHEESE BUYER 2024 2024 issue Coming soon! T here has been a lot of talk about what to drink and eat alongside your cheese in recent years...and I think we need to praise the chefs that are working with cheese and making it a feature on their menus in increasingly delicious ways. Last year a fellow cheesemonger and I attended dinner at The Artichoke - a Michelin Starred restaurant in Amersham - to present an inspired dinner, with each course paying homage to an artisan cheese. The art of the chef is being able to work with ingredients, whilst carefully preserving the nuances. For the tasting, The Artichoke matched beautiful spears of poached asparagus with toasted hazelnuts, artichoke purée and Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese. This was sublime, and worked in such harmony. The chefs’ palates were aligned, allowing each ingredient to shine. Recently I was also thrilled to have attended Pearly Queen in Shoreditch. Tom Brown’s food is amazing, and my last course had to be cheese. He had picked Cashel Blue, served with warmed gingerbread and homemade treacle and whisky syrup. The deep buttery and salty piquant flavour of the blue cheese married perfectly with the syrup and warm cake. Recently I met with the Guild of Fine Food, The Royal Academy of Culinary Arts and The Academy of cheese. All of which I have been associated with for many years. It is clear that for many restaurants, cheese training needs to be put on the agenda. So, with the brilliance of these associations and positive collaboration, I am on a journey to help educate the teams that serve up excellent food and wines. As a cheesemonger it is my goal to engage my wholesale customers in restaurants and talk about the product and why it tastes like it does. All wholesale cheesemongers should be on the same page. The buck shouldn’t stop when the sale is made. I was recently at a restaurant in Soho. At the end I ordered the cheese. Wigmore and Hafod arrived. Sadly, the waitress only knew that one was Welsh and the other English. No more information was offered. No mention of the milk type or background or even a brief description. I left feeling let down, as if the cheese was just something that had to be on the menu. As people are waking up to real cheese and wanting to know about provenance we need to take heed. I don’t blame the chef, but the wholesaler for not talking to their customer or helping guide their choice. As chefs are inspired by ingredients, they are also inspired by cheese as it is a principal ingredient. If we want more artisan cheese to be sold then let’s help educate our fabulous chefs and restauranteurs. Check out The Artichoke and Pearly Queen restaurants as these chefs are helping to promote the brilliance of cheese.