This is a new feature of 'The Teddington Cheese Wire'. We receive many e-mails from customers giving feedback on the cheese. As well as finding out what our customers want, we also discover new ideas and facts. In this edition, some of the comments are published. If you have any ideas or feedback on anything that may be covered by The Teddington Cheese Wire please feel free to drop us an e-mail.

Comment of the month

"You might be amused to know that with all the strictures in the UK over what pregnant women should eat, a move to France for the 9 months in question might make life easier. We visited the Spa hotel at Evian, which has 100 years of treating people under its belt. There the nutritionist I saw told me to increase my egg consumption by whisking an egg into pasta sauces, and to increase my protein consumption by eating some at each meal. The hotel had a magnificent cheeseboard of many cheeses, and I enjoyed nearly all of them in the course of a week. Many were undoubtedly unpasteurised. I read somewhere that the only cases of listeria were from pasteurized cheeses. Maybe one day the European Union will get its recommendations for pregnant women sorted out (they thought even gentle tennis was a bad idea while I was being encouraged to be as active as possible at home), but I suppose until then, good sense will have to prevail."

....... J.M. via e-mail

- Cheese Tips -
Reusing your
mail-order cheese packaging

As regular customers know, we send all of our deliveries out in polystyrene boxes. With recycling in mind, most people are reluctant to throw them away, and over the years we have received a few suggestions on what to do with them.

1. If you have a greenhouse, why not make a few holes in the bottom of the polystyrene box, fill it with compost and use it for growing seedlings.

2. Place the boxes in the boot of your car, and you have a ready made coolbox for your shopping.

DID YOU KNOW?

'Chalk & cheese'

This curious phrase actually derives from farming practices in Wiltshire. The chalk grasslands in and around Salisbury plain were farmed for mutton and wool, whereas dairy farmers who produced local cheeses used the lush green pastures of the North West. At Salisbury market, the two groups would meet, but the quiet plains farmers never mixed with the lively outgoing cow farmers. They were like chalk and cheese!

- Cheese focus -
Reblochon
Savoie, France

Reblochon derives from the word 'reblocher' which when literally translated means 'to pinch a cow's udder again'. Although graphic, this refers to the practice of holding back some of the milk from the first milking. During the 14th century, the landowners would tax the mountain farmers according to the amount of milk their herds produced. The farmers would therefore not fully milk the cows until after the landowner had measured the yield. The milk that remains is much richer, and was traditionally used by the dairymaids to make their own cheese. The Chartreux monks would bless the houses of the mountain peasants in return for these "cheeses of devotion".

Reblochon is traditionally made from the milk of three breeds of cattle, the Abondance, Montbéliarde and the Tarine. It was decreed as an A.O.C. cheese in 1958 and is therefore subject to certain regulations to ensure the preservation of its name, quality and status. This includes renneting within 24 hours of the last milking and bringing the milk to the place of production as soon as possible after milking.

The flavour of Reblochon is delicate and subtle. It is a very fresh tasting cheese and the smell also reflects this. The paste is smooth and ivory coloured, with a supple texture. The natural rind varies from yellow to orange and usually has a light covering of white mould.

Each cheese is 9-14 cm in diameter, 3-3.5 cm high, weighs 240 - 550g and has a fat content of 45%. Affinage (maturation) takes only 2-4 weeks. Although it can be made on an industrial scale as indicated by a red label, ours is a fermier cheese, denoted by the green casein label on the rind. This means that the whole production is carried out on one farm and milk from neighbouring farms is not allowed. Each Reblochon comes sandwiched between two wafer thin wooden discs.

Reblochon is excellent on the cheeseboard, perhaps with a glass of Savoie wine, or can be enjoyed when melted on baked potatoes. It was made famous by the recently invented Tartiflette (see recipe).

- Cheese Tips -
Catering for parties

When organizing an event such as a cheese and wine evening or a dinner party, it is always difficult to judge amounts as well as providing a balanced cheeseboard. At The Teddington Cheese we have come up with a few simple tips to help you choose the perfect selection for your event.

Amounts needed will obviously vary depending on the event, but as a general rule of thumb we suggest the following:

For events where cheese is the main feature, such as a cheese and wine evening, we would recommend 4- 6oz or 100-150g per cheese eater. For events such as dinner parties where cheese is one course of the meal, reduce the quantities to 2-4oz or 50-100g.

Each piece of cheese should be large enough to look the part on a cheeseboard. Avoid the temptation to have lots of varieties of cheese. Smaller pieces can look lost when presented on a cheeseboard. Through experience we have found that the optimum number of cheeses is 5. Try to adjust the amount per cheese rather than the number of cheeses, and where possible aim for at least 200g per cheese. Of course some individual cheeses are smaller than this, but make an equally attractive addition to the selection.

When choosing the types of cheese, try to aim for a balanced selection. Maybe choose variety of colours e.g. blue veined and orange, and/or a variety of milk types such as cow, goat and ewe. Remember to take into account different people's needs, such as hard pasteurized cheeses for those who are pregnant, or milder ones for children.

When presenting the cheese, remember to allow a good couple of hours for it to reach room temperature, and most of all, enjoy it!