Well, you don't half love Byam Trotter's Wild Garlic Pesto – we've sold absolute tons in the last week since it came in, so I've had to order more! We've been handing out samples and once tasted, straight into the shopping bag it goes. It's great to have it back! Please be aware though that it contains walnuts, for those of you who have to be careful with nuts.
Byam's yummy pesto!
Customers have also been raving about Sebastian Kobelt's hand-crafted Easter eggs – this is what the salted caramel one is like inside. Only a few left though, so make sure you get one! We have two available, one filled with salted caramel truffles and a Scottish-themed egg filled with Cranachan truffles. There's also a couple of the traditional Italian Easter Colomba cakes left as well.
Our guest cheese this week is Maréchal, which you can read about below. It's been a wee while since we had it in and, I have to say, it's absolutely delicious!
All the best in cheese George Mewes
Guest Cheese of the Week Maréchal
Here's our latest guest cheese, folks – say hello to Maréchal from Switzerland! While drawing heavily on the Gruyére tradition – a hard pressed, cooked curd cow's milk cheese with a smooth buttery paste – Maréchal is a relative newcomer, created by Swiss cheesemaker Jean-Michel Rapin in the early 1990s.
Jean-Michel has dubbed his recipe Blumenkase, or flower cheese, as he rubs the rind as it matures with hay cuttings, which include the leaves and flowers of the grasses and herbs that local cows eat. While balancing the humidity of the rind, it also gives the matured cheeses a subtle herbaceous note. Maréchal is buttery, grassy, sweet and nutty with fragrant notes of herbs and nuts and an intense robust and savoury flavour.
The Rapin family produces cheese in the heart of Gruyère country, the Broye-Vully district of the Canton de Vaud in Western Switzerland, and the cheese is named after Jean-Michel's great-grandfather who was a maréchal-ferrant – a blacksmith. Fourteen local farmers deliver fresh, still-warm milk to the dairy and it's transformed into cheese no later than 10 hours after milking. Ours has been matured for around a year before it hits our cheese counter.
If you're a fan of Gruyére, then don't miss this one – its herby and savoury character is delightfully different and it goes brilliantly with a plate of olives. Drop in for a sample!
Treat of the Week Stockan's Oatcakes 50% off!
Based in the Orkney harbour town of Stromness for more than a century, Stockan's traditional oatcakes are now shipped all over the world to those who know their foodie stuff. Superb with all kinds of cheeses, or even munched on their own, they come in thick and thin versions. Even better, they're half-price this week! Available now from George Mewes Cheese in Byres Road, Glasgow and Stockbridge, Edinburgh.
GOAT Ragstone – Lactic, sharp and grassy with notes of honey in a creamy texture. Pasteurised, traditional rennet, from England.
EWE Corra Linn – Smooth texture, fruity flavour, sweet and nutty with earthy, heathery undertones. Unpasteurised and vegetarian, from Scotland.
HARD PRESS
Gorwydd Caerphilly –Creamy yet dense paste. Bright clean flavour, malty and juicy finish. Unpasteurised cow's milk and traditional rennet, from England.
CONTINENTAL Morbier – Rich, creamy, nutty, fruity, bold and complex milky finish. Unpasteurised cow's milk and traditional rennet, from France.
SOFT
Baron Bigod – Brie-style rich, substantial paste, creamy on the outside to almost chalky within, buttery, mushroomy. Unpasteurised cow’s milk, traditional rennet, from England.
BLUE
Picos de Europa –Pasteurised mix of cow and goat's milk. Dense veins of blue, bold and salty, strong, spicy and rich. Traditional rennet, from Spain.
