homage to fromage

My cheese obsession really began about four years ago, as my then boyfriend was a huge fromage fan. Having gone to a boarding school, him and his mates lived obsessively for treats and various hampers sent from time to time by generous parents. This led to the creation of Cheeseday Tuesday, when they would cram as many different fromages as they could into a sandwich along with salad and relishes. When he first told me about this, I felt slightly ill - I hate combining more than one meat at a time, and it's the same with cheese (unless on a quattro formaggi pizza...) Why confuse the tastebuds? Let them savour the subtleties one at a time. But I'll hand it to him - he did know his cheese. He introduced me to some wide ranging combos of cheese, biscuit and chutney which now mean the cheeseboard is my favourite part of not only Christmas dinner but of a good meal out full stop. I would much rather sub dessert for some decent fromage.

Having lived in France, I can confess to being a bit of a snob - if I eat French I expect it to be done 'right'. Not the British idea of French food, but le vrai de vrai. I remember going to see the famous Neufchatel cheese, one of France's oldest, being manufactured in Normandy on a school trip when I was about 12. I was fascinated back then by the beautiful heart shaped crumbly cheeses, and brought some back, squishy and warm, to munch chez moi... When I taught English at a French lycée, I was amazed to see fantastic cheeseboards placed on the teachers table in the canteen every afternoon! I must admit I avoided the fluorescent orange varieties kept under a protective cone, but absolutely filled my boots elsewhere. I also fell in love with a fresh and mild fromage I discovered in my local supermarché, Caprice des Dieux. During free periods, I used to sit watching Inspecteur Barnaby (France's dubbed Midsomer Murders) with a whole baguette, tub of this baby and some butter. Absolutely divine - not so bon for the waistline... There is also something fabulously decadent about studding a camembert with garlic, leaving to warm in the oven and then dipping into the melty goodness inside with crudites and toasted breads. My favourite Christmas treat.
Although I do love quality cheeses, French preferably, there is still nothing that feeds my hangover so sweetly as a simple cream cheese and Marmite toasted bagel, with a bit of rocket on top, and a cup of tea. I went through an addiction to these and literally had one a day for a week. I had to stop myself buying bagels as it was getting a bit ridic...

It's a shame most restaurants in England still serve up sub standard cheese platters as an afterthought to the dessert trolley, but there are still some good gems to be found. In December I stumbled across a charming French resto in Covent Garden, Mon Plaisir, where myself and ma mère sampled a board of epic proportions. Here, the waiter heaved out a groaning tray of gorgeous cheeses, talked us through their origins, and cut us pieces as requested - served alongside some delicious bread and beurre, we were in cheese heaven, all for £8.95. And as luck would have it, just round the corner was Neal's Yard Dairy, where we could stock up on some key pieces to go. Smell my cheese!

In the office today for lunch we decided to go for it with a cheeseboard for everybody to pick at. Eight of us got involved, and at £4 a pop we could afford to serve up a top selection of cheeses including a soft goats cheese, Pié d'Angloys, Boursin, Cheshire, Red Leicester, Cheddar, Brie, Stilton, Wensleydale with cranberries and a whiffy wildcard from the deli, Bert Epoisse Bourg. Alongside tomato and chilli chutney, olives, red and white grapes and biscuits... Divine. I'm off to Paris tonight so this will line the stomach suitably for the indulgence to come...

bbc gravy train

cheese medley

Oh and as Valentine's Day is approaching... If your partner is a cheese fan (or foodie) why not purchase these gorgeous heart shaped cheeses - absolute winner in my opinion!