Speciality Food January 2024

don’t think it brings anything to the table, which is quite a rogue thing for a cheesemonger to say, isn’t it?” He prefers pointing out products such as balsamic onions from Silver & Green or, a bit more leftfield, pairing Stilton with dark chocolate. “I did a tasting event with Bullion Chocolate a year ago. Their 70% chocolate with Colston Bassett Stiltonmerges so well, but people never think about doing anything like that.” Another professed unusual pairing he loves to show off is Crooked Pickle’s Sweet and Sour Pineapple. “That’s just fabulous. People get really confused when I put it on, but it goes with some harder cheeses, like Old Winchester, or White Lake Pecorino.” Edward’s personal favourite, and a pairing he gives to every person joining The Cheese Geek, is Tunworth with truffle honey and a sourdough cracker. Although it’s beginning to ‘break through’, honey with cheese remains a mystery to many customers, presenting a real EDWARD HANCOCK THE CHEESE GEEK JAKE BENNETT-DAY VINO GUSTO COMMENTATORS GEORGE HAMMOND GEORGONZOLA SAM WILKIN FOOD CONSULTANT THE PERFECT MATCH @specialityfood 28 T ake a piece of excellent quality farmhouse Cheddar. It will be firm but supple. Its texture, sometimes punctuated by calcium lactate crystals, may have a gentle crumble about it. There could be notes of toasted nuts...or even fruit. It is a joyous, delicious expression of the milk fromwhich it was made. Now pair that same cheese with a sliver of cool, freshly cut apple. Perhaps with a nip of gently sparkling cider. Or maybe a pint of British ale. That very same Cheddar will be transformed. We’ve been pairing cheese with beer, wine, spirits and (later on) various other fruit pastes, chutneys, pickles and the like, since the Middle Ages. Back then, the pairings just ‘made sense’. They married together products drawn and created from ingredients cultivated on the same land. Of course, today, pairing is more about deriving even further pleasure from our cheese – and impressing guests! a great way of getting people to see cheese in a different way.” What to pair with cheese It’s beneficial, says George Hammond of Georgonzola, to start with classic, recognisable cheeses if your customer isn’t well versed in the more unusual varieties. Fromhere, suggest pairings you know have worked well in the past. Blue cheese, he says, is “fabulous” with honey. And strong, washed-rind cheeses, are nirvana with sour beer. “I love putting sour beer with things like Renegade Monk and Rebel Nun from Feltham’s Farm. They cut through the funk.” George likes to suggest fresh strawberries, or tart, slightly sweet black garlic vinegar with soft cheeses, such as Finn or Bix. “And a still cider is great with things like Baron Bigod. Something semi-dry to go with the mushroomy flavour of the cheese. Or take away the cracker and use a slice of apple instead.” Edward’s match for Baron Bigod and other brie-style cheeses is off the beaten track – wild cloudberry jam, which he describes as a kind of orange-scented blackberry. Surprisingly, Edward isn’t a huge fan of most cheese and chutney combinations. “The problem is chutney can be too sweet or acidic. But wild cloudberry, it kind of tricks your brain into thinking it’s going to be sweet, and provides that fruitiness to match the creaminess and richness of the cheese. It works very well with dairy.” That said, if customers (which probably applies to most) DO want chutney, the majority, reveals Edward, like a red onion or caramelised onion variety, so it pays to try a few, seek out the very best, and make it your ‘star player’. “It’s accessible,” he says. “People know it, and knowwhat to expect. It works across all the cheeses too.” More unusual cheese pairings Like Edward, George isn’t a big fan of chutney with cheese. “It’s very controversial, I know,” he laughs. “I prefer to match cheese with other things I’d eat on their own – and I wouldn’t eat chutney on its own. I Grazing, cheese and charcuterie boards continue to grow in popularity as a casual at-home entertaining option, and cheesemongers and fine food retailers with the knowledge to guide customers towards ‘just the right thing’ to elevate their selections from the counter, will be well placed to capitalise on upselling other stock – from crackers and pickles, to chocolate. “Offering a couple of nice cheeses isn’t enough these days,” says Edward Hancock of The Cheese Geek. “We’ve found we can build out the taste profile of cheeses with well-chosen condiments or a glass of something that goes well with it. That’s an effective way to create a moment to remember. It changes cheese into something moreish and something even better, opening up a whole new range of directions, and is CHOOSING THE PERFECT CRACKER An often forgotten about part of the cheeseboard is the cracker. After the thrill of choosing cheese and ladening their basket with relishes and accompaniments, customers have a tendency to throw in any old biscuit. Be mindful of this, and prepare to offer your recommendations before they skip out the door. Edward Hancock says, in his opinion, sourdough crackers are one of the finest vehicles for any cheese, as they have the perfect texture and don’t impinge on the flavour. Naturally, Jean- Baptiste Robert, managing director of Peter’s Yard, agrees. “With their thin, crisp texture, distinctive crunch and delicate flavours, our sourdough crackers are made with premium ingredients which deliver extraordinary pairings.” The cracker specialist has launched a pairing wheel alongside the Academy of Cheese, which can be found on the Peter’s Yard website, as a guide for cheesemongers, and customers. Suggestions include matching blue cheese with fig and spelt crackers, crumbly cheeses such as Lancashire with rye and charcoal crackers, and soft bloomy cheeses with pink peppercorn crackers. Good artisan cheese stands alone as a ‘showcase’ product in fine food retail...but it can be taken to new heights with the right partners in crime I prefer tomatch cheesewith other things I’d eat on their own