I didn't even have a knife for cutting the cheese - you don't expect me to have a PHOTOGRAPH of it for you, do you?
A hard unpasturised goat’s milk cheese, made in Somerset and bought from Neals Yard Dairy.
Kat joined me for an impromptu picnic lunch, and we bought a wedge of this. (Note to self: next time choose a SOFTER cheese if you have no knife!) It’s a very pale parchment-coloured cheese, hard and smooth and with a smattering of tiny gaps, covered in a crumbly wrinkled light grey rind.
It starts off sweet, juicy and buttery, and slowly develops a tang reminiscent of cheddar. It’s not too sharp or farmyardy a cheddar flavour; it’s sweet and mellow, salty and creamy, subtly almondy. Bright citrussy lime notes give a glimpse of a younger goat’s cheese, and there a hint of something dark – coffee grounds or maybe cocoa powder – in the finish.
The rind’s great, too; it’s hard, crumbly, and chewy. It tastes smooth and mellow, with a bit of sparkly pineapple fruitiness, a touch of straw, and lots of damp earthy composty mushroom flavours.
Kat says that the rind tastes like the cupboard under her stairs!