The Cheese Board

[oddoneout]

Since early childhood I have adored Norwegian Gjetost, sometimes known as Brown Cheese in Norway. It is made from the whey of goats’ and cows’ milk. Delicious sliced thinly with a cheese slicer, I love it on toast at any time of day. It has a distinctive sweet, caramel-like flavour, unlike any other cheese. Funnily enough, Mrs K grew up in Norway and speaks Norsk but she cannot abide the taste of my beloved Gjetost.

I remember that one. When my children were young they were dairy intolerant(still are to a certain extent) so things like cheese were difficult. There was a cheeseshop cum deli in town though which stocked this cheese in a 100% goat milk version. It was christened chocolate cheese by the children and much enjoyed, but its cost meant small portions only. Another cheese they had was pecorino, used like parmesan, grated to top grilled or baked dishes. The difficulty was that it had a very strong "characteristic" smell when so heated which wasn't the nicest when it got round the house. Fortunately it tasted fine.
On a happy note, although the cheeseshop shut its doors many many years ago, the business itself continues as market stalls, now run by the next generation, and comes to town once a week. It specialises in locally made cheese, and also offers less usual continental types.

[Old Grumpy]

Since early childhood I have adored Norwegian Gjetost, sometimes known as Brown Cheese in Norway. It is made from the whey of goats’ and cows’ milk. Delicious sliced thinly with a cheese slicer, I love it on toast at any time of day. It has a distinctive sweet, caramel-like flavour, unlike any other cheese. Funnily enough, Mrs K grew up in Norway and speaks Norsk but she cannot abide the taste of my beloved Gjetost.

I remember it well...

...I went to Hardanger in 1976 before university on a scheme where you spent 3 months working on a fruit farm. Board and lodging provided and 100 Krone* weekly pocket money IIRC.

Brunost or Gouda in a big block sliced with an implement then new to me - an ostehøvel. I still have the one I acquired during my stay as I was so impressed with the concept.

*Then about £10

[cloughie]

When i lived in france i always noticed a much larger choice of cheese in the supermarket.

There was also one here before Brexit!

[cloughie]

Of course there are Brie Encounters (courtesy of Wallace and Gromit!).

We must listen to some Camembert Humperdinck this evening.

But not the dreadful guy who croons out of toon!

[Keraulophone]

Since early childhood I have adored Norwegian Gjetost, sometimes known as Brown Cheese in Norway. It is made from the whey of goats’ and cows’ milk. Delicious sliced thinly with a cheese slicer, I love it on toast at any time of day. It has a distinctive sweet, caramel-like flavour, unlike any other cheese. Funnily enough, Mrs K grew up in Norway and speaks Norsk but she cannot abide the taste of my beloved Gjetost.

[HighlandDougie]

Dear God! Well, FF, worse than my worst imaginings.

[JasonPalmer]

When i lived in france i always noticed a much larger choice of cheese in the supermarket.

[french frank]

My favourite is Roquefort.

Good choice. Though it has to be said that a lot of the cheeses on sale in supermarkets are mass-produced, even if they come from France - much as there's artisan Cheddar and mass-produced 'cheddar' made by the process of 'cheddarisation' which means it can come from New Zealand or Canada rather than Cheddar.

And what's good enough for wine is good enough for cheese.

[Old Grumpy]

Must admit I do like a bit of chutney with my cheese. Nice cheddar with some fig chutney or fig jam is one of my favourites.

[JasonPalmer]

We dont have the habit of cheese after dinner though in my bachelor days i remember buying the christmas cheese board selection specials in the january sales. My favourite is Roquefort.

[JasonPalmer]

When I was ten I was given this illustration book of a French children's story, which told of how the Bastille came to an end. A poor little boy sees a lonely current bun in a shop window. Being starving he sneaks into the shop and steals it. A copper in the street blows his whistle on seeing this, and chases after the boy, catching him. He is taken away and imprisoned in the Bastille. But he still has the bun, and, being still hungry, is about to bite into it when the bun speaks to him, for it is a magic bun. It tells the little boy that for his kindness in rescuing him, he can have one wish granted, anything he wants. He tells the bun that he wants to escape and (in my version) for all prisoners of conscience to be free. So the bun says "Abracadbra" or whatever that is in French, and the Bastille is instantly transformed into one huge Gruyère cheese, which all the prison's rats start eating up, while the prisoners are able to escape through the holes that Gruyère cheese is well-known for.

In my adaptation, all the travails of the French Revolution were thus neatly avoided, the guillotine was turned into ploughshares, there was no need for Karl Marx to write "Das Kapital", and they all lived happily ever after.

I remember reading an issue of philosophy now magazine that was focused on karl marx and reading he was heavily influenced by the french revolution, i did once start reading das kapital but put it down when i thought he talking nonsense, like the ragged trousered philanthropist, badly paid jobs are an advert, or signal one could say, that gives people an incentive to try get better paid jobs instead. As a business enterprise graduate i like free markets.

[Old Grumpy]

Vacherin Mont d'Or is in season now ... gorgeous, gooey when baked in the spruce box ... just spoon it out or serve with bread, crudités, potatoes like raclette. Not cheap ... I pair it with Aldi Aqua Vale sparkling water

Luckily for you the EU seen have seen raisin:

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/economy/article/2023/11/22/french-meps-claim-victory-as-european-parliament-votes-not-to-ban-camembert-box_6279745_19.html#:~:text=European%20Union-,French%20MEPs%20claim%20victory%20as%20European%20Parliament%20votes%20not%20to,the%20traditional%20wooden%20camembert%20box.

*And please, no crudités on here...


...Règles de Maison et tout ça.

[french frank]

Vacherin Mont d'Or is in season now ... gorgeous, gooey when baked in the spruce box ... just spoon it out or serve with bread, crudités, potatoes like raclette. Not cheap ... I pair it with Aldi Aqua Vale sparkling water

Enfin! A sensible post (if you won't consider that an insult ). Cheese that's eaten with a spoon (not baked), that's a cheese.

[oddoneout]

And later on, we'll watch Cheddar Garbler.

As she battles the bad Baron Bigod to retain her Gurney Gold.

[Pulcinella]

And later on, we'll watch Cheddar Garbler.