We've all been eating cheese the wrong way

Virgin Radio

1 Mar 2022, 17:58

Did you know that there's a correct order to eat a cheeseboard in?

If that's news to you then you're not alone.

Apparently, there is etiquette when it comes to fromage.

Edward Hancock is the founder of online cheesemonger cheesegeek.

He revealed that we should be eating certain varieties first, and some cheese just isn't made to be melted.

When eating a cheeseboard, we should start with the more delicate cheeses first, before moving on to the strong stuff.

He says: "Your palate is delicate, and it’s going to be doing gymnastics as it works its way through a cheeseboard. If you start with the blue cheeses or the punchy soft Brie style cheeses or washed rind cheeses, then there is no coming back from that. It’s a one-way street. 

"You want to start with the more delicate cheeses to ease yourself into it, so the fresh goat’s milk cheeses or British Territorial cheeses such as Lancashire and Cheshire.

"If you have these at the end, you’ll think they are tasteless, but they aren’t, they are just more shy and need some one on one time up front.

"I always start with these cheeses, and then move through to the more mature hard cheeses, then soft cheeses, finishing with blue cheeses and washed rind cheeses. If you then go back to the start, you will realise how much less you are getting out of the first cheeses you tried."

As for melted cheese, it's a foodstuff of the gods.

Not all cheese lends itself to melting though.

Edward says: "You are going to really struggle to melt many styles of cheese as they just don’t break down smoothly, they tend to stay clumpy. Fresh goat’s milk cheeses, for example, as well as some of the fresher, younger territorial cheeses (Cheshire not the greatest melter, Lancashire far better). 

‘Some of the world’s greatest melters are cheddar, of course (but not too aged) and the alpine cheeses (Comte, Gruyere, Raclette and Emmental). Ogleshield is a great British melter in the style of Raclette, but made in Somerset. And this is before we even get into baking a Camembert (try Tunworth from Hampshire with some garlic, rosemary and truffle honey) or a Vacherin.’

If by some miracle you have any cheese leftover, never wrap it in cling film.

Instead, it's best to keep it in the original wrapping.

"Re-wrap in the paper you received it in (a specialist store will have used special cheese paper) and place it in a separate compartment (e.g. salad draw) of your fridge as cheese can take on flavour from other things. Also keep blues away from other cheeses, as they will try to turn everything else blue," says Edward.

"If you have a larder, even better. You want high humidity and a consistent temperature of around 6-8 degrees (or slightly higher at 10 degrees is fine if the cheese is whole/uncut)."