NEWS IN BRIEF

The Cheese Connection is a new mobile cheesemonger and street food business in Bristol, founded by Luke Maslen and Alex Kiely. The pair have converted a Mercedes van into a bright yellow mobile shop and kitchen, selling local cheese, toasties and raclette.

Blur bassist Alex James has signed a deal to supply his Blue Monday cheese – made by Shepherds Purse in Yorkshire – to more than 200 Morrisons stores.

Milk prices continued to fall with the UK average down to 38p a litre in May, compared to over 50p a litre at the start of the year. Farm groups have warned the current price doesn’t cover production costs, forcing many small dairy farms to close.

Four cheesemakers have received grants worth of £1,000 each in a new scheme set up by the Academy of Cheese and funded by Chiswick Cheese Market. Dean Storey of Monklands Cheese in Herefordshire; Tracey Longhurst of Wildcroft Dairy in Surrey; Millie Preece of the Dairy Door in Shropshire; and Aine Rubikaite, an aspiring goats’ cheesemaker in East Sussex (pictured L to R) were last month awarded the money to s end on cademy of Cheese certifications and cheesemaking guidance. They will also receive bespoke support and mentoring, as well as opportunities to promote and market their cheeses.

THREE WAYS WITH...

Corinium

This raw sheep’s milk cheese from Lombardy, Italy, is made in a similar way to Taleggio with a springy-to-soft texture and funky washed rind. The cheese won the Ann-Marie Dyas Award for Best Artisan Cheese at the World Cheese Awards 2019 and is made in 1kg blocks by Caseificio avialattea. t is ashed in brine and aged for around two months.

Red wine

Cheesemakers Roberto acchetti and alentina Can say the buttery and hay notes of the cheese pair well with the local Moscato di Scanzo wine, made with grapes of the same name. These red wines are usually made in a sweet style (passito) by drying the harvested grapes to concentrate sugars. But the dry (secco) versions are full of herbaceous and s icy avours, as well as leathery undertones. he aromatic avours add emphasis to the funky cheese.

Mushrooms

There’s an intense umami avour to uintano, reminiscent of stock cubes. Similar savoury notes can be found in mushrooms, such as porcini, helping ramp up the deliciousness when paired with the cheese. A few slices of fresh porcini sautéed in butter are a great accompaniment, or add cubes of the cheese to a pasta bake.

Smoked mutton

There are hints of animal and lanolin notes to the rind of uintano, which marry nicely with the smoky perfume of Capreolus’ Smoked Mutton charcuterie. It’s made from legs of Herdwick mutton cured with rosemary, juniper, garlic, black pepper, and Port, before being air-dried and smoked over beech wood. The texture is soft and supple, with complex notes of smoke and spice, which seem to wrap around the rustic cheese.