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Northumbrian Pantry Buying Local – The Cheesemonger

by | Nov 24, 2022 | Buy Local, Christmas

We have created a series of articles celebrating all the wonderful foods found in our local shops in the region. There is no better time than now to support our neighbouring delis, farm shops and independents with many local delights that do not feature in supermarkets.

This article will showcase ten different kinds of cheese available in the region’s cheesemongers. Many of which are also from the UK’s regional cheesemakers. We pair each cheese with one of our varieties of chutney, relish or pickle.

Cheddar and ‘Hannah Glasses’s Pico Lilla (piccalilli)

Piccalilli and cheddar, particularly in a sandwich, work very well together. The mustardy tang ness pairs particularly well with mature cheddar.

Officially the most popular cheese in the United Kingdom, covering 51% of consumption. Originating in the English Village of Cheddar in Somerset, it has been produced from as far back as the 12th Century. It was not until the 19th Century when Somerset dairyman Joseph Harding innovated and modernised cheese production. He is known as ‘The Father of Cheddar’ to this day.

Did you know; Only the name ‘West Country Farmhouse Cheddar’ has a Protected Designation of Origin?

Roquefort and ‘Pear and Ginger Chutney’

The salty and tangy sheep’s cheese is smoothed perfectly by the pear, with added warmth from the ginger. This is one of the most popular cheese pairings our customers enjoy and give feedback to us.

Folklore has it that Roquefort was created some 2000 years ago when a love-struck shepherd, distracted by his young love from tending his sheep, left his lunch, a piece of bread and cheese, in a cave where he had been sheltering. Returning a few days later, having remembered his cheese, he found it had a greenish mould in the centre and tasted delicious. To this day, Roquefort sheep’s cheese continues to be matured in the caves of Cambalou.

Stilton and ‘Spiced Pickled Pears’

With bold, creamy and salty tastes, Stilton enjoyed with our ‘Pickled Spiced Pears’ is a delicious combination to have on your festive cheeseboard.

Stilton has a ‘Protected Destination Origin’ from the European Commission and another seventeen other kinds of cheese in the UK. It must be made from pasteurised local milk, so if a producer uses unpasteurised, it will not qualify.

Stilton the town is in Cambridgeshire, just 80 miles north of London on the main north-south A1 motorway. When Stilton first appeared, the road was crucial for stagecoaches travelling North in the 18th Century. It is thought that this allowed the cheese to be marketed more easily throughout the country and cement its place in British cheese royalty.

Brie and Camembert and ‘Tomato and Red Pepper Chutney’

Our ‘Tomato and Red Pepper’ is a sweet, light chutney made with fresh tomatoes and pairs perfectly with smooth and creamy soft cheeses.

Brie vs Camembert?

Brie is made in large steering wheel-sized rounds, so we often see it as already cut sections. It comes from the northern part of France, about 90 miles East of Paris and has been made there for over 1000 years. Brie is softer and smoother with a more refined buttery taste. Camembert is subtly deeper, earthy and slightly more intense.

Camembert is made in Normandy, comes in small wooden boxes, and has only been there since the 18th Century. It is thought that the wooden boxes allowed the cheese to be transported to the markets in Paris more easily.

Soft Goats Cheese and our Beetroot Varieties

The earthiness of beetroot pairs exceptionally well with the tanginess of goats cheese. Such is its popularity and also that it is so readily available in the region. We have four beetroot varieties available at Northumbrian Pantry.

Goats are browsers, and amazingly the variations in flavours of the cheese are influenced more by the food of the goats than any other cheese. In the Loire Valley, it is said the cheese varies in taste in relation to the region’s terroir. Goats cheese is also seen as a ‘summer cheese’ with it coming more alive in flavour with the lush green foods for the goat during that season.

Hard Goats Cheese and Spiced Apricot and Orange Chutney

Some goats cheese can have citrus flavours, making our ‘Spiced Apricot and Orange Chutney’ a well-suited cheeseboard condiment for the cheese.

Goats cheese flavours range enormously depending on ageing, the source of the milk, the source of food for the goat, and the method of making. The stand out might be tangy, earthy and with younger cheeses hints of citrus. It’s all in the capric acids and fatty acids, which provide distinct tastes and aromas.

The textures vary from a light mouse, with a more creamy and crumbly feel that comes with ageing. The appearance on a cheese board often stands out, with them being cylindrical or in a roll and paler, more white in shade.

Goats cheese has a lower fat content than cow’s cheese and lower lactose, making it more easily digestible. It may be viewed as a more ‘healthy’ option and perhaps why we see feta, traditionally a goats cheese, used in salads in Mediterranean dishes.

Northumbrian Red Onion Relish and the widest selection of cheeses

We use onions widely in our varieties as they have superb flavour-enhancing properties. Our ‘Northumbrian Red Onion Relish’ is one of our biggest sellers as it pairs exceptionally well with a wide range of foods and cheeses. It’s the most versatile variety in our selection.

Our ‘Red Onion Relish’ is fresh, bright and crunchy as it is cooked in very small batches and for a short period.

Legend has it that you can predict the severity of winter by the thickness of the harvested onion skins. The thicker the skin, the tougher the winter ahead.

Manchego Cheese and ‘Spiced Carrot Jam’

This combination is regularly featured in our customer reviews and is extremely popular. Manchego’s sheep cheese is often featured with a sweeter condiment, and our sweet Persian-inspired recipe works very well.

Manchego is Spain’s most widely known and famous sheep’s cheese. It came from Manca and was originally made from the Manchego sheep.

Famed for its herringbone design on the rind of the cheese, this was originally left by esparto grass wrapped around these cheese to allow the right amount of moisture to be released.

Red Leicester and ‘Chilli Relish’

Our Great Taste Award Winning ‘Chilli Relish’ is made from a recipe of fresh cherry tomatoes and serrano and Thai chillies. The cheese’s deeper, fuller, and slightly tangy finish provides a wonderful pairing with the relish.

Red Leicester is made similarly to cheddar, although crumbly in texture. Typically aged from 6 to 12 months, the colour comes from a vegetable dye called annatto.

It used to be called Leicestershire Cheese but became known as Red Leicester to distinguish it from ‘White Leicester’ a wartime recipe used for wartime rationing in the 1940s.

Cornish Yarg and ‘Spiced Beetroot and Apple Chutney’

This hard, white, crumbly cow’s milk cheese is a family cheeseboard tradition after a gift from Cornish friends with its nettle leaf rind making it so distinctive. Our ‘Spiced Beetroot and Apple Chutney’ works exceptionally well with hard cheeses.

Before being left to mature, the cheese is wrapped in nettles which changes the cheese’s acidity and affects how the curd breaks down and matures.

‘Yarg’ is simply Gray spelt backwards after the founders’ Alan and Jenny Gray.