Thanks...Jon...Some success histories starts like this....

http://jhbcheesy1.com/2014/04/18/serra-da-estrela-cardop-unpasteurised-sheeps-milk-suitable-for-vegetarians-thistle-rennet/

Serra da Estrela Cheese: The texture of the paste varies depending on its age, from a very soft semi-liquid when young, to a soft but sliceable solid when older, despite this we can control some part of this maturation and texture with our flowers. It is a cured cheese created by artisanal producers with a white or slightly yellow color and a uniform creamy consistency with at most a few small holes in it. Its particular qualities result from slow draining of curdled raw sheep’s milk which has been coagulated by using local Cynara cadunculus thistle ecotypes that we have selected.”

 

It arrived this week and I wanted to get the full flavour so I initially tried it without any accompaniments, and my first impressions were of the initial bitterness of sheep’s milk but I found that it mellowed and developed into what was a nutty, creamy and floral taste. The aroma of this cheese hints at something more along the lines of an alcoholic washed rind cheese but no alcohol is involved with this cheese. For my second taste I used an apricot & peach chutney on a biscuit which worked really well with the cheese as the sweetness cut through the bitterness of the sheep’s milk. The 3rd test was with some honey and I found this to work very well, so I got a peach and cut it into little cubes. I also cut the cheese into pieces and served the Cheese with peaches & honey and this was my overall favourite. I can imagine myself with a glass of wine in the gardens of Casa Da Insua and a plate of this cheese which is the picture of bliss. If this is what the future of sustainable foods look like then I welcome it with open arms.

I realise that this was a long article but I feel that this is one of the highlights of my Blog so far and I’m immensely proud to have been given the opportunity to try this cheese. I hope that within the near future I will be able to visit Viseu and in particularly stay in this hotel to meet all the wonderful people that have created this cheese. This cheese is unfortunately difficult to get hold of but if your after any please message me at jhb.cheese@gmail.com and I will try my upmost to help you out through my contacts but I can’t promise anything.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading and would love any comments below.

I wish you all a Happy Easter Weekend,

Jon