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These are the tasting archives from Cheese club.
The first rule of Cheese club is you don't talk about Cheese club.
But feel free to read these tasting archives.
Cheese club cheeses so far
Cheeses in bold have tasting notes (below)
Beaufort, Beenleigh Blue, Casciotta D'Urbino, Cornish Brie,Curado, Forme D'Ambert, Grandma Singleton's Strong Lancashire, Gouda, Idiazabal, Katy's Lavender, Lanark Blue, Manchego, Mimolette Francais, Morbier, Mysterious mountain breakfast cheese, Oassau-Iraty, Pecorino Romano, Perl las, Raclette, Reblochon, Ribblesdale Blue, Roncal, Roquefort, Sage Derby, Sainte-Maure de Touraine, Sbrinz, Somerset Blue, Stinking Bishop, Windsor Red x 2, Yarg, Yorkshire Blue
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Grandma Singleton's Lancashire - 24th April 2007
Grandma Singleton's Strong Lancashire is a hard pressed cheese (it's from the North, after all) aged for a minimum of ten months. It is the strongest Lancashire cheese available in the UK.With a red wax rind, Grandma Singletons might look a bit like Edam from the outside, but that's where the similarity ends. Its slightly crumbly consistency contrasted with a strong, tangy flavour that lingered on the tongue.
Grandma Singletons is made by Singletons Dairy, a third generation family cheesemaking company. They're the only Lancashire cheesemaker to have a PDO for it's cheese.
Protected Designation of Origin - 23rd April 2007
Whilst still in the middle of a tasting drought, we thought you might like to learn some more about Protected Designation of Origin.Many European cheeses have a PDO, meaning they can only be produced in a certain area. For example, West Country Farmhouse Cheddar can only be made in the West Country. PDO means you're getting the real deal for your cheeseboard, so keep an eye out for the PDO symbol next time you're out shopping.
Let's bust some myths - 19th April 2007
Without a tasting session on the horizon, Cheese Club would like to take this opportunity to bust some popular cheese myths.Cheese contains a lot of fat
Not strictly true. Cheddar is only 34% fat and is one of the most concentrated sources of calcium, protein and vitamins A, D and B12.
Lactose intolerant people can't eat cheese
Not strictly true. Hard cheeses normally do not contain any lactose.
Cheese can give you nightmares
Not strictly true. The amino acids in cheese - tryptophan - may reduce stress and induce sleep*.
The above facts c/o The British Cheese Board. Check 'em out.
*Saying that, Cheese Club once all ate a slice of the same cheese before bedtime, and colectively dreamt that our pet dogs had credit cards, could use a mouse, and were shopping for beauty products on the internet.
Cheese Club does Cheese & Wine - 16th April 2007
Suspicions aside, last Friday seemed like a perfectly good day for a wine tasting, organised by one of Cheese Club's founder members.There were over 20 different wines to choose from, plus an impressive cheeseboard of Brie, an Idiazabal-like goat's cheese, unpasturised farmhouse cheddar, stilton and a wonderful slab of Cornish Yarg. It couldn't have got any better, and we surprised ourselves with how much we knew about cheese.
In contrast to the distinctive cheeses, all the wines started to blur after the seventh glass or so, despite our attempts to interpret tasting notes and overcome palette fatigue using the Cheese Club patented Barbershop Pole approach to wine tasting: red, white, red again, white again, repeat... We'll stick to what we do best in future.
Thanks again to our hosts for a most enjoyable evening.
Llangloffan - 12th April 2007
This is a raw milk cheese made in Pembrokeshire, Wales. This natural rind cheese arrives in the country aged about 7 to 9 months.The recipe is similar to Cheshire, but the Llangloffan is creamier. Llangloffan matures out to produce rich gamey flavors.
We went for the Red Llangloffan with chives and garlic, and very nice it was too. We bought it from The Welsh Cheese Centre - give them a visit if you're in the area.
Katy's Lavender - 11th April 2007
Katy's Lavender is from Yorkshire, England. It's similar to Wednesleydale, with lavender added before the final pressing.It had a fragrancy like stepping inside an English Heritage gift shop, put this was more subtle in tasting and complemented the creamy crumbly cheese well.
Having recently read some disturbing news, the chaps amongst Cheese club were careful to prevent any cheesey crumbs cascading chestwards.
Mysterious mountain breakfast cheese - 5th April 2007
Can anyone help?Cheese club had a big block of mountain cheese, the kind of stuff that you get for breakfast on skiing trips. It's a bit bland, but pleasant, slightly rubbery, and keeps well sandwiched a crusty roll shoved in ski jacket pockets.
Unfortunately we forgot what it's called.
Can anyone help us solve the world's second biggest mountain related enigma?
Can anyone help?
Cheese club had a big block of mountain cheese, the kind of stuff that you get for breakfast on skiing trips. It's a bit bland, but pleasant, slightly rubbery, and keeps well sandwiched a crusty roll shoved in ski jacket pockets.
Unfortunately we forgot what it's called.
Can anyone help us solve the world's second biggest mountain related enigma?
Answers please to the Cheese Club guestbook.
Reblochon - 3rd April 2007
"A semi soft cheese which tastes of walnuts, made from the richer second batch of cows' milk" from the Rhone-Alps, France.Our most eloquently packaged cheese so far, Reblochon came sandwiched between thin veneers of untreated pinewood, wrapped in a glossy full colour wrapper depicting alpine scenery. We tore off the wrappers with the vulgar zeal of spoilt children...
For once the bark was worse than the bite, since though it was mellow and creamy, the was no trace of the taste the potent aroma had intially promised.
Some of us thought Reblochon smelled like old school milk, for others it was like getting too close to the tea breath of a busdriver on a double shift, and for a few it had the hint of cows breath after a post coital cigarette.
Frankly all are pretty disgusting scenarios. Pick some middle ground in your mind, but spare anyone the imagery.
To do Reblochon justice, we recommmend oven baking a whole cheese, then dipping in crusty bread and serving with pickles.
Goodbye Cap'n Dave - 2nd April 2007
We're sad. Cap'n Dave has left Cheese club to become a pirate. He has given up the delicate flavours of the fromagery for the potent mix of firey rum, cannonballs and salt water.Let's hope he doesn't go all Ben Gunn and lose his mind craving a piece of cheese.
Happy sailings Cap'n Dave.
Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island
Amazon Price: $19.50 (as of 12/29/2009) 
Ribblesdale Blue - 20th March 2007
The Cheese Widow picked these. Outside of Cheese club, she's cruelly forced to live a cheese-free existence. This goes out to her and others in the same predicament.Ribblesdale blue is from Yorkshire, England.
"A goats cheese with a difference - an intriguing flavour with a wonderful aftertaste".
To say this cheese had bite is an understatement. Ribblesdale had loads of bite, it was keener than a spanked baboons bum in a blizzard. It tested the tastebuds of even our hardiest Cheese clubbers. Opinion was once again, split.
Somerset Blue - 20th March 2007
After the Ribblesdale, the mellowness of the Somerset Blue was greatly welcomed. The cheese consists of layers of blue cheese sandwiched between layers of mild farmhouse cheddar.By its very nature, this cheese must be heavily processed and manhandling, biasing us against it from the start.
Despite this it wasn't half bad. And combined with the Ribblesdale and the horseradish-laced West Harlech (not pictured), we had a well balanced cheese selection.
DV Cheese - 13th March 2007
In a break from the norm, Cheese Club has some audio-visual entertainment for you, kindly suggested by friend of Cheese Club KCStargazer.
Until those boffins at Squidoo invent Smellyvision shot in glorious Tasteorama, this is the nearest we can get to sharing a Cheese club meeting with you.
We like the cut of their jib.
Until those boffins at Squidoo invent Smellyvision shot in glorious Tasteorama, this is the nearest we can get to sharing a Cheese club meeting with you.
We like the cut of their jib.
Random Cheese #4 Super short
Random. On the trampoline. Super Short
Runtime: 0:16 | 13 views | 0 Comments
automatically generated by YouTube
Lanark Blue - March 13th 2007
Lanark Blue is 'a Roquefort-style blue-green veined cheese' from Strathclyde, Scotland.In a word, challenging...
Rind-wise Lanark Blue had the appearance of fine italian marble. it would have made a beautiful, though odourous fireplace. Initial comments were favourable, but opinion slowly turned, much like the cheese had itself:
"too much blue, not enough cheese"
"soapy"
"possessed"
It's a shame, as this sample had been carefully swaddled in foil, laid to rest in a cool box, chauffered from Scotland.
Perhaps we'd just had too much blue in too shorter time. The Beenleigh Blue will take some beating, and a Lanark Blue that had been stupidly left for two days under a hot radiator could never come close.
Hard Cheese Hard Facts - 9th March 2007
Cheese club has a bit of a backlog at the moment. We should have some new tasting notes up very, very soon.In the meantime, please enjoy these Hard Cheese Facts.
Keep the faith, not to mention the first rule,
Cheese club
FACT 1
Cheese sales in Britain total £3 billion a year.
FACT 2
Britons eat 650,000 tonnes of cheese a year, 450,000 tonnes of which is cheddar.
FACT 3
If you put cheese in a naked flame, it will not try and bite you. This is where cheese and monkeys differ
Beenleigh Blue - 11th March 2007
Beenleigh Blue is from Devon, England.There was a lot of debate as to what this cheese was actually called. The cheesemonger had bad handwriting, so we weren't sure what the label actually said.
It was rich, sweet and slightly crumbly whilst being moist like a paste, rich and creamy flavours with a medium to strong blue tang.
It's not called Beauleigh, BoorLeapt or Buudlorpft.
Oassu-Iraty 28th February 2007
Ossau-Iraty is 'a semi soft cheese with a robust flavour of nut, olive and fruit, made from sheep's milk'. It comes from the Aquitaine, France.This is one of the most deceptive cheeses we've encountered so far. With promises of nut, olive and fruit, not only did it suggest a complex sensual experience, but also has all the major food groups covered - protein, fat and carbohydrate. Not so much a superfood as a supercheese...
Nietzsche's Supercheese? Has this cheese reached a state of being where all those eating it are no longer affected by pity, suffering, tolerence,the power of the soul over the body, the belief in an afterlife, and the corruption of modern values?.
Frankly, no.
What a disappointment it was to Cheese club to find Ossau-Iraty no more super than a bog standard mild cheddar.
We would however heartily recommend Perl las, which we also sampled at this session. This could easily stop a speeding brie and leap an on end packet of crackers in a single bound.
Thus Spake Zarathustra
Amazon Price: $19.99 (as of 12/29/2009)
Cathare - 26th February 2007
Cathare is 'a smooth fine-textured goats' cheese, covered in charcoal powder'. It's from Languedoc-Roussillon, France.Our sample was indeed, smooth and fine textured, and would have been fairly tasteless, were it not for the feeling that someone had dropped it into an ashtray and hastily blown off the excess dust before serving.
Cathare was pretty unremarkable, to tell the truth, but worth it for the novelty ash factor.
Saint-Maure de Touraine - 26 February 2007
This has to be the strangest cheese yet...Sainte-Maure de Touraine hails from Centre & Poitou Charentes, France. It's a creamy, firm, full flavoured cheese, with a greenish rind. Sainte-Maure's most notable characteristic though has to be the distinctive long straw that runs through its middle.
We didn't know whether we should eat the straw or not, and because we couldn't cut through it we didn't.
It reminded us of a chevre, the only noticeable difference being the straw and the distinctive aroma of 'manly' overtones.
Raclette - 22nd February 2007
Raclette is from the French Alps.'Traditionally eaten melted, has a sweet, nutty taste and aroma'.
We sampled this cold and unadulterated, and while it made for a pleasant dessert cheese, we salivated at the prospect of sticking some generous shavings into a galette along with some sliced ham and a good fresh egg. Maybe we would have but we had to save the remaining cheese for absentee clubbers.
We also tasted a couple of bonus French cheeses, but being the cheese-fuelled love desperados we are, we didn't know their names, and we didn't care.
Curado - 12th February 2007
Back to Spain again...Made with the milk of cows and sheep and goats, we could easily be excused the uneasy feeling of consuming the Cheeses of Dr Moreau. Even the rind looked part herring bone, part sharabang radial tyre.
Despite the initial skepticism, Curado had the pungency of goat/sheep cheese, but with nutty, buttery overtones - not really that surprising when you think about it.
Ditto for those of us who thought Curado was a little waxy, but we'd probably eaten the rind, which needless to say, was made of wax.
Are we not men?
The Island of Dr. Moreau (Bantam Classics)
Amazon Price: $4.95 (as of 12/29/2009)
Cornish Brie - 9th February 2007
Sometimes it's nice to take a break from the relentless persuit of EU Protected Designation of Origin cheeses and try something a little naughty.In Cornish Brie we have a new West Country take on a traditional French stalwart of Brie, a 'workhorse' cheese if you will... a 'cheesehorse', or a 'workcheese' (but not a 'horsecheese', that's Mongolian traditionally).
Cornish Brie was extremely fresh tasting, extremely creamy, extremely good on a cracker. However, as it's not a PDO cheese, it won't be appearing on the cheese ladder.
Sbrinz - 1st February 2007
Sbrinz is 'a rich tangy hard cheese, the oldest in Switzerland'.Cheese club cares about the environment. However, we feel quite guilty about the number of food miles our Sbrinz clocked up on the way to Cheese club: hand couriered by plane from Switzerland, several car journeys through the East Midlands, then left in a fridge. Sbrinz finally limped its way to Cheese club by post, intact and edible.
Hats off to Bongo and The Ox for making this particular cheesey dream a reality.
Though not as rich and tangy as one might expect, it was definitely hard, a refreshing change from the plethora of poncey lowland cheeses we seem to have sampled a lot of lately. It was a tad on the salty side, though this could be due to the inpromptu curing period in the Royal Mail central sorting office in Derby.
To conclude, Sbrinz would be an excellent foil to the softer cheeses on your board.
Oh, and we made a man out of Sbrinz and biscuits.
Windsor Red revisited - 30th January 2007
Windsor Red is from Leicestershire, England.'A rich sharp cheddar with a full taste of wine or port'.
This cheese got a knocking at our last tasting, but to be fair, we did it the injustice of sampling a poor imitation. Take a look at the picture. On the left is a generic, processed 'cheddar with port', and on the right is a bonfide Windsor Red - on colour alone anyone can see there's no comparison.
It still had a plasticine texture, but the flavour was far superior, mild and creamy but with a subtle porty nose. Come back Windsor Red, all is forgiven!
Beaufort - 30th January 2007
Beaufort is from Rhone-Alpes, France.'A hard nutty mountain cheese with a distinctive concave edge'.
The Beaufort we sampled had a distinctive CONVEX edge. Nevertheless, it had a pleasant smoky taste with pungent overtones that lingered in the nasal cavities. Even the fromago-phobes amongst us really liked this one, it would be a popular addition to any dessert cheese board.
Windsor Red - 18th January 2007
Windsor Red is from Leicestershire, England.'A rich and sharp cheddar with a full taste of wine or port'.
We were excited about this one, as it's the most eye-catching on the cheese chart. However, when it came to the tasting we were woefully disappointed. It was like eating mildly cheddery play-dough.
In the cheese's defence, we were not sampling bonafide Windsor Red, but a generic 'cheddar with port'. So we're quite willing to give a proper Windsor Red another try, and we recommend that you always get the original cheese rather than a cheaper copy.
