Juliet Harbutt picks her Top 10 Unusual Blues for Christmas for the Speciality Food Magazine …
British Blues
The British Cheese Awards attracts entries from around 75% of cheesemakers and in 2014 ninety one blue cheeses entered. Only the Americans come anywhere near that number yet sadly most people struggle to name more than 3 blues. But as Stilton runs low at Christmas try offering some of the 90 alternatives.
Drunken Burt
Region Cheshire
Weigh 180g and 750g
Shape disc
This is a small deliciously creamy cheese with a serious identity crisis. I don’t know if it is a barely blue cheese with a rind that tastes more like icing or a washed rind cheese with intermittent blueing or even a Camembert with a very thick, soft pink rind that tastes almost better than the interior.
Made by Claire Burt using pasteurised cow’s milk from local dairies Drunken Burt is like their Burt’s Blue but instead of piercing the cheese to encourage the blue veins to develop, the cheese is washed in Cider. This seeps into the rind giving it a sweet yeasty taste, speeds up the ripening process and when almost runny throughout it tastes like vanilla ice cream. Whatever its meant to be I like it just the way it is.
Unusual Blues by Juliet Harbutt for the Speciality Food Magazine
Juliet Harbutt picks her Top 10 Unusual Blues for Christmas for the Speciality Food Magazine …
British Blues
The British Cheese Awards attracts entries from around 75% of cheesemakers and in 2014 ninety one blue cheeses entered. Only the Americans come anywhere near that number yet sadly most people struggle to name more than 3 blues. But as Stilton runs low at Christmas try offering some of the 90 alternatives.
Drunken Burt
Region Cheshire
Weigh 180g and 750g
Shape disc
This is a small deliciously creamy cheese with a serious identity crisis. I don’t know if it is a barely blue cheese with a rind that tastes more like icing or a washed rind cheese with intermittent blueing or even a Camembert with a very thick, soft pink rind that tastes almost better than the interior.
Made by Claire Burt using pasteurised cow’s milk from local dairies Drunken Burt is like their Burt’s Blue but instead of piercing the cheese to encourage the blue veins to develop, the cheese is washed in Cider. This seeps into the rind giving it a sweet yeasty taste, speeds up the ripening process and when almost runny throughout it tastes like vanilla ice cream. Whatever its meant to be I like it just the way it is.