Every day should be a celebration of good cheese and we are spoiled here

Every day should be a celebration of good cheese.

With Brexit, there are problems getting British cheeses over here. A cheesemonger told me in order for him to stock proper English Stilton it would have to be exported to Paris then sent to Dublin and finally to Belfast. This could potentially double the cost of British cheeses for sale here. The alternative is to buy the cheeses now made here.

Cheesemaking is relatively new to Northern Ireland with only a handful of producers practising their craft. Historically Ireland was a nation of butter makers and cheese production was reserved for when a child was born. A curd cheese was made to celebrate the birth, much like a cottage cheese, and was named the “crying cheese”. It’s purported that the Romans didn’t invade Ireland because we were a nation of “barbarous butter makers”.

Cheese making in the south of Ireland flourished with the arrival of Austrians, Germans and Dutch who settled here from the 1950’s onwards. While the trade is now established across the island, it’s only been in the past few years that there have been any producers in Ulster. Now Kearney Blue Cheese from Down, Young Buck from Newtownards, Dart Mountain Cheese in the Sperrins and Ballylisk in Tandragee, have been recognised globally in international awards. The milk from here is probably the best in the world – we can complain about the rain but it makes for rich pastures that result in a liquid that in turn creates an epic added value commodity.

Grilled cheese sandwiches have become extremely popular in the past few years. Mini Maegden is a converted caravan that sits in a carpark on the road to the Giant’s Causeway. It is home to amazing grilled cheese sandwiches. People queue up and can wait for an hour for these cheese delights. Hot buttered fried sourdough bread oozes with beautiful melting cheeses. It really is well worth the trip and wait. The people behind the fabulous Noble restaurant in Holywood have opened a grilled cheese shop in the town called Melter. The first recipe is for a grilled cheese sandwich you can make at home. I’ve included a recipe for bread but feel free to buy a good loaf. This sandwich could be made exclusively with cheeses from here – Ballylisk brie, Dart Mountain cheddar and Young Buck or Kearney blue. You’ll be supporting local dairies while eating something really decadent and delicious.

Cheese fondues were one of those things that were very on trend in the seventies but have fallen out of favour. Who knows why because warm, velvety melted cheese dipped with freshly pieces of bread sounds like it never should go out of fashion. Dart Mountain cheese, based in the Sperrins, make an Alpine style cheese called Kilcreen. It’s ideal for this recipe – it melts beautifully and has a rich, nutty taste. Traditionally fondue was made with white wine and a toot of Kirsch but the recipe this week calls for dry local cider instead. The apple flavour works well with sharp cheeses. Don’t worry if you don’t have a fondue kit – use your best saucepan and dig in.

Two days of cheese celebrations to start your week with a bang.

For more cheese ideas go to heritagecheese.uk that feature some of my recipes and videos.