London to Paris

We're done London now. While there we had an extensive private tour of the Neals Yard Dairy cheese maturing rooms. The next evening we were invited to a private tastings hosted by Neals Yard Dairy where the topic of the tasting was regionality. We tasted 10 different cheeses. It was interesting to listen to the comments from all in attendance. Some of the staff of Neals Yard have worked there for over 10 years, and their knowledge really shows as a result of that. We also enjoyed dinner at St. John Bread and Wine. They specialize in carnivorous dishes "from nose to tail".

We enjoyed a lovely Champagne breakfast at St. Pancras train station, while waiting to catch the Eurostar to takes us via the Chunnel to Paris. At 90 meters long, The Champagne Bar is the longest in Europe. It's a comfy place, with spacious banquest, nice millwork, and heated seats.

One of the first things we did after arriving in Paris was visit E. Dehillerin, one of the greatest food equipment stores there is. Today's agenda is a tour of fromageries, etc. Tonight we'll try to see if we can squeeze into Joel Robuchon's l'Atelier.

London

Allison and I are in London for a few days before heading to SIAL in Paris. We were both pretty tired by the time we arrived, but we managed a short walk around the hood. Our first stop was Bedford & Strand for a glass of wine and a bit of cheese. We tried Isle of Avalon, a washed rind cheese from James Aldridge's farm in Godstone Surrey, made more in a French style. Next was Waterloo, which was originally made with Guernsey milk from a herd of cows on the Duke of Wellington’s estate, hence the name. It has a white rind flecked with grey and rust coloured mold which, when opened, reveal a buttercup yellow interior, an oozing texture under the rind and a slightly firmer, curdy consistency in the centre.

We stopped in at Gordons Wine Bar, the oldest wine bar in London. Try passing these stairs and ceiling heights with city inspectors...It was standing room only. No table service. You get your drinks from the bar, and your food from a separate bar/counter. Great atmosphere here.

We both didn't have too much energy left so we headed back to the hotel to get a good nights sleep in preparation of a whirlwind of looking at food and cheese shops today, including a tour of the maturing rooms at Neals Yard Dairy.

Allison Spurrell Interview - All you need is Cheese

Here is a link to Allison Spurrell's recent interview with Ian Jones All you Need is Cheese Podcast "The Pursuit of Pleasure Podcast"

All You Need Is Cheese is a Canadian Podcast updated monthly.The host, Ian Jones, interviews cheese lovers, artisanal cheese makers, restaurant owners, visits epicurean events and top Canadian culinary destinations. Each show has it’s own archive page recipes, tourist info, blog links, etc. If you love good cheese and fine food, you have to check out the All You Need is Cheese Podcast.

Check out the facebook fan site here

Hidden Details

We removed the aluminium siding on the facade of the building on Hastings today. To our surprise, there were some hidden architectural details that have been covered up for what my guess is at least 40-50 years. I'm sure they have a technical name, but there are beveled indentations on each of the four columns and on the parapet. We also got a glimpse into previous paint colours.

Fiscalini Cloth Bound Cheddar

This bandage wrapped raw milk cheddar comes to us from Modesta, California. Mariano Gonzalez, a world-renowned cheese maker, winner of many awards including “the outstanding cheese of the year” and five times “the Best Farmhouse cheese in North America” as voted by the American Cheese Society, is now the senior cheese maker at Fiscalini Cheese.

He handcrafts and inspects every 60 pound wheel of Fiscalini Farms' bandage-wrapped raw-milk cheddar. It is quite rare for an English-style farmhouse cheddar like Fiscalini's to be produced in the U.S. Only All Natural materials and processes are used when Gonzales makes Fiscalini Cheddar. Using Fiscalini's own milk and aged for 18 months on the property, Fiscalini Cheddar cheese was voted "Best Farmhouse Cheese" at the 2002 American Cheese Society Awards in Washington D.C. Fiscalini Cheddar Cheese is a wonderful example of the success of the artisan cheese movement in the U.S. today. Rich, buttery and sharp, Fiscalini Farmstead Cheddar is a world-class cheese.

Now available at both locations - $6.99 per 100 grams

Hastings Update

Floor poured: Check...

The cement guys were working late last night putting in a new layer of concrete over the existing floor. Hats off to them and their 12-14 hour day. Give it a couple of days to set, and we can seal it.

It's nice and bright inside as we get so much natural daylight inside, and that doesn't account for the two big skylights that are blocked out for now. One skylight will be right over the kitchen (left side), with another one sitting over the cheese cutting area (right side). The front windows are almost floor to celing.

Fenocchio Renato Olive Oil

We just received a small amount of extra virgin cold pressed olive oil from Italian wine producer Fenocchio Renato. There were only 1000 bottles of this oil produced. This oil is a Farmstead Wines selection.

Renato has been cellar master in a major estate in Barbaresco until 1993 when together with his wife Milva, they decided to take care of the family vineyards and start bottling their own wines. The first vintage was 2000. Renato and Milva Fenocchio spend much of their time in the vineyards. The estate has about 11 hectares spread amongst the major crus of Barbaresco, Neive and Treiso, with soils ranging from the argilo-calcaire of Barbaresco to the grey-blue sandstones of Neive.

This single varietal oil has a rich green hue and is a bit less peppery than some of the Italian oils we sell. It get's its sweet fruity aroma from the taggiasche olives, which are considered to be the premium eating olive grown in the Liguria region.

$48.00 / 750ml bottle