Easy Cheesey

By Head Chef, Guy Day

Over the last few weeks our late night Thursday openings have been a great way for our customers to meet the suppliers to the shop - we started by sizzling sausages with Steve Robinson our butcher in the shop, and last week saw us team up with some of our local producers to host a cheese and cider tasting evening.

It was a great evening and we welcomed Bertelin Cheese from Eccleshall, Staffordshire Organic Cheese from Newcastle-under-Lyme, Brock Hall Goats Cheese near Bridgnorth, Mr Moyden from nearby Newport and Lightwood Cheese from Worcestershire.   To accompany the cheese Shropshire Fine Herbs sampled their range of oatmeal biscuits and it was all washed down with Mahorall Farm Cider from Ludlow.

Over the last few years we have been only using local cheese on our cheese boards at Weston and this is due to the fact that our local cheese is as good, if not better than a lot of continental cheese, however it would be nice to find a local parmesan style cheese, a ripe and runny brie or a soft mozzarella style cheese in the region.

I would like to thank all the producers who came along to take part on Thursday, you all have fantastic job which makes my job a lot easier!

Utilising some of the many cheeses that we have in the shop I have put together the following recipes: 

Brock Hall Goats cheese cake

You will need four 7cm x 4cm rings

Base: 

180g Shropshire Fine Herb Sea Salt and Cracked Black Pepper oatmeal biscuits, crushed but not to finely
65g melted butter

Filling: 

300g Brock Hall Goats Cheese
100ml double cream semi-whipped
1/2 garlic clove crushed
60g sundried tomatoes chopped
1 1/2 leaves of gelatine soaked in cold water
2 tblsp basil oil
1tsp chopped chives
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Mix the biscuits with the butter and push into each of the rings - you may not need all of the mix
2. In a processor blitz the goats cheese
3. Warm the basil oil so its slightly warm and dissolve the gelatine into it, then add the goats cheese and pour into a mixing bowl
4. Fold in the cream and then add the tomatoes, chives and season to taste
5. Spoon the mixture on top of the biscuits level off and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours
6. Turn out on a plate and serve with salad leaves dressed with a little pesto

Bertelin Farm Cheese and Onion Rarebit Pastie

Ingredients:

375g cheese grated
75g milk
20g plain flour
30g white bread crumbs
1 tbsp grainy mustard
1 slurp of Worcestershire Sauce
1 egg and 1 for egg wash
1 egg yolk
1 quantity frozen puff pastry
2 small or 1 large onion roughly chopped
500g potatoes boiled but not over cooked and keeping a little bite.

Method: 

1. Slowly melt the cheese with the milk but do not boil
2. Add the flour, bread crumbs, mustard and cook out for a few minutes until the mixture leaves the side of the pan
3. Allow to cool and add the Worcestershire sauce
4. Place in a processor and slowly add the eggs
5. When all the ingredients have been incorporated place in a fridge and cool
6. Roughly chop or slice the onions and saute until soft
7. Cut up the potatoes, keeping them chunky
8. Mix all the ingredients together and season to taste - you may like to add a little more Worcestershire Sauce at this point
9. Take the puff pastry and roll out until 1/2 cm thick - be careful not to stretch the pastry
10. Cut into 12cm squares, egg wash the edges and put a large spoonful of the mix onto the centre of the pastry, roll over into a triangle and seal the edges with egg wash and paint the outside with the egg wash.
11. Place in the fridge to chill for 1/2 an hour, and then bake in a pre-heated oven 170C / Gas 5 / 325F until golden brown

Serve warm with a glass of Mahorall Farm Cider