The Best farmhouse and artisan cheeses for summer entertaining
Summer is finally here and whether you are looking for a scrumptious treat for yourself or some spectacular cheeses to impress your dinner party guests, I would like to recommend the following five outstanding cheeses. No only are they wholesome, complex and delicious, they are also made by true artisans and matured to absolute perfection!
You can enjoy these cheeses separately, but they also work together as a cheeseboard.
1. Robiola Bosina: An elegant artisan cheese made with cow's and sheep's milk from the stunning Piedmont in Italy.
Robiola Bosina is a square little pillow that contains a decadently silky paste and smooth, well-balanced elegant flavour. Its eatable bloomy rind is resilient enough to protect its interior while it ripens to a deliciously silky oozing consistency. The paste itself is sweet, milky and buttery.
Enjoy Robiola Bosina with sparkling wines and light white wines, like Cremant d'Alsace and Feudo Arancio Gillo.
2. Munster: A characterful cows’ milk cheese from France with monastic origins.
Munster has been made all across Alsace and parts of Lorraine for many centuries. Today there are 3 grades of Munster available on the market: farmhouse, artisan and industrial. Needless to day, the farmhouse and artisan version are more complex and intense than their industrial counterparts.
Our Munster is artisan. Its washed rind is a lively orange colour and is deliciously pungent. The cream-coloured paste is a little crumbly when the cheese is young, and silky smooth and rich, when the cheese is fully ripe.
Enjoy Munster with its perfect companion from Alsace – Gewurztraminer, or other aromatic white wines.
3. Chällerhocker: A stunning off-the-beaten-track artisan cheese from the Swiss Alps.
Chällerhocker (pronounced 'holler hocker', meaning ‘sitting in the cellar’) is a first-class artisan cheese made in the Alps and matured for over 10 months.
This raw cow’s milk cheese is beautifully Alpine in its nature – nutty, buttery, smooth, complex, and of course lingering. The paste is dotted with occasional protein crystals which provide a delightful crunch.
Chällerhocker is the perfect cheese to pair with brioche-y champagnes, smooth white wines or complex red wines.
4. Tinto: One of the newest farmhouse cheeses from Scotland.
Tinto is a gouda-style cheese made with raw goat’s milk on a farm in Lanarkshire. The name comes from a distinctive hill and landmark located 8.5 miles to the south of the farm where it's created.
Matured for 2-6 months, Tinto develops a complex character with sweet nutty notes and a slight earthiness from its natural rind.
Tinto is a great cheese for every day enjoyment but also for serving on a cheeseboard.
Enjoy Tinto with medium-bodied red wines, craft ales or whisky.
5. Gorgonzola Dolce: A beautifully soft and mellow artisan blue, perfect for summer entertaining!
Everything about this cheese is seductive – its rustic yet very elegant look, its luxurious creamy texture, its slightly smelly aroma and its sweet nutty aftertaste.
This Gorgonzola is an remarkably mild blue cheese that is why it’s strongly recommended for people who would like to be gently introduced to the blues.
Compliment Gorgonzola Dolce with some honey, fresh fruit, slightly sweet sparking wines, like Moscato d'Asti or a lovely fruity champagne.
I hope you enjoy these cheeses and have a lovely summer savouring cheese and life!
The Cheese Lady x
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