Hello! I have a cheesy ambition, and that’s to eat and review every cheese available in Borough Market. I’ll take requests, if there’s a cheese that you want to see reviewed.
SPOILER ALERT: I have tried *quite a lot* of these cheeses already, but I’ll try to not give plots away.
Neufchâtel
Cheese stats: French (from Normandy, actually), soft and unpasturised cow cheese
Bought from: Le Marche du Quartier
We ate this for lunch, on top of some sourdough bread.
It’s shaped like a HEART! *insert squeaking about cute cheese* Apart from that, it’s covered in a velvety mould. This, cheese science fact fans, is penicillium camemberti, and it’s the fungus that does the magic on camembert (hence the name) and brie.
I cut a slice from the cheese, and discovered that inside it’s two cheeses in one. Directly under the fuzzy white rind, there’s a smooth and sticky, slighly translucent yellow layer, while the heart of the cheese is lighter, crumbly and opaque. I scoff my slice. It’s tasty! Very buttery and creamy, but with a good tangy, acidic aftertaste and a bit of bitterness and plenty of salt. There’s a hint of mushroominess in the taste, which reminds me of Brie. I really like the contrast between the crumbly, fluffy core and the sticky layer around it.
Cheese-eating companion manages to keep a straight face while stating that it’s ‘floral, buttery, slightly grassy’.
Cheesy conclusion: This was a very good lunchtime cheese; not too stinky, and not too strong, but with plenty of interesting textures and flavours to keep us entertained.