SUPERMARKETS are losing their power over us all; dodgy accounting on their part and changes in our habits as shoppers are conspiring to make the behemoths nervous. As a result there’s a vicious price war going on – no-one can fail to notice that, and of course we are all going to take advantage of…
THERE’s a slightly odd question that I’ve been asked more than once: “I’ve never had sheeps’ cheese before – is it very goaty?” Many people assume that anything other than cows’ milk will give a strong flavour of goat that they’ve experienced, perhaps on holiday on the continent, or as part of a recipe. Recipes…
IT’s a sad fact that Britain’s biggest selling “smoked” cheese isn’t actually smoked: look at the labelling and you’ll see that Applewood is described as “smoke-flavoured” and “smoky”. We won’t sell it in our shop – if a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing properly. Our suggestion to anyone who arrives looking for this…
HEADING north on the M5 has just become a bit more enjoyable. There is a new motorway services station that promises more than congested fast-food eateries, noisy slot machines, crowded chainstore shops full of grumpy travellers and toilets at least half of which won’t be working on any given day. And that’s without mentioning the…
A QUESTION that I’ve been asked more than a few times in my time as a cheesemonger is for a recommendation of a cheese or cheeses to impress the French. The identity of the person who appointed the French the arbiters of the world’s cheese eludes me, but there are world-beating cheeses from our area…
THE Apple Tree Farm Shop at the Gardens Group’s Brimsmore Garden Centre in Yeovil has passed a Horticultural Marketing Inspection with flying colours. The annual audit, which checks that the fruit and vegetables on sale in the Farm Shop are honestly sourced and labelled, was carried out by the Rural Payments Agency on behalf of…
IN Deadwood, where almost every shop offers gambling and Wild Bill Hickock is shot five times a day on Main Street, Mary Tautkus started her Chubby Chipmunk Chocolate shop ten years ago. She trained with the best in Belgium, and now makes truffles and various caramel delights, often with a gold flavour to match the…
MANY towns no longer have an independent green-grocer (Shaftesbury, Bridport, Wimborne and Glastonbury are among the lucky ones) but if you have a Somerset or Dorset farmers market locally you will be able to get some of the freshest, most delicious and locally grown vegetables around. A couple of years ago Somerset Farmers Market organisers…
THERE’s something afoot in the world of cheddar. Not the discovery that the Witch of Wookey Hole is real; but something with far greater implications. This year sees the British Cheese Awards taking place within the Bath and West show. Both events have been behemoths of the British Cheese scene – Bath and West specialising…
IF you really can’t stomach even the thought of goat’s cheeses, then please look away now. If you are tentative or just curious about them, then this Dorset made goat’s cheese, Nanette, is more than worthy of your consideration. If you actively like them, then this is a must for you to sample, as it…