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Where to find us Summer of 2024

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 18:56:10 GMT

Throughout the summer we'll be visiting Food Fairs, Markets and More.

We're out and about again this summer and we'll keep you updated with our next events - See you there!
Carlton Place Market (Southampton) - Sat 6th July
Lymington Market - Sat 13th July (Coincides with the Lymington Seafood Festival!!!!)

Winchester Arts & Design Market - Sun 21st July
Lymington Market - Sat 27th July

Winchester Arts & Design Market - Sun 18th August

Lymington Market - Sat 24th August
Romsey Food Fair - Sun 1st Sept

Sturminster Cheese Festival - 14th & 15th September

September Events

Sat, 02 Sep 2023 10:20:19 GMT

Having a Cracking time in September.

It's been fantastic to get out and meet the lovely people who have enjoyed playing Crackerdash over the summer. we've had such positive feedback from visitors and new recruits that we're looking forward to meeting more of you throughout September at some fantastic events connected with cheese, great food and festivities.

This month we'll be at:
The Romsey Food Fair - 3rd September.

The Sturminster Cheese Festival - 9th & 10th September.

The Chiswick Cheese Market - 17th September.

See you there!

Cheese & Chilli Festival

Fri, 31 Mar 2023 18:22:53 GMT

Meet us at the Cheese & Chilli Festivals in Winchester and Swindon

We'll be at the Cheese & Chilli Festivals in Winchester and Swindon in June. There are between 80 and 120 trade stands at the shows (including Crackerdash!), offering Cheese & Chilli type products, Crafts, Tastings, Cooking Presentations, Demonstrations, along with children’s and adults entertainment including Crazy Golf, Human Sized Table Football, Treasure Hunts, Punch & Judy, Balloon Modelling, Magic Shows, Live Music, plus lots more. So if you're into your cheese and after a great day out pop this in the diary - we'll see you there!

The Cheeseboard - March

Mon, 27 Mar 2023 10:24:21 GMT

Six cheeses for a March cheeseboard

Having achieved my level 1 certification from the Cheese Academy last year I feel I have enough information to be dangerous rather than competent when recommending cheese! That said, we've played quite a few games of Crackerdash with a wide variety of cheeses. Consequently I thought it would be appropriate to publish an occasional Cheeseboard blog based on some of my personal favourites. This is the Cheeseboard for March:

That's the Cheeseboard for March, and whilst six cheeses may seem a cheese or two too many - can you ever have too much? I've based the selection on our Crackerdash game which has six cheese squares. Of Course you could always buy fewer cheeses and cut them in two so you don't need the full six, although the cheeseboard blog going forward will always feature six cheeses as I take the work seriously and that includes trying all the cheeses....

Visiting the home of Cheddar

Wed, 08 Mar 2023 12:17:22 GMT

Playing Crackerdash at the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company

It felt like a natural thing to do - play Crackerdash, "The Cheese Lover's Board Game," in the home of Cheddar. A little research led us to the wonderful Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company. The business is the only producer of Cheddar Cheese actually based in Cheddar itself. Luckily for us the ever enthusiastic Emma Hills at the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company was happy to host us and to participate in playing Crackerdash.

"Anything that involves eating cheese and I'm in!" Emma confirmed, which is a sentiment we can all get behind. We wended our way from Southampton to Cheddar via Salisbury (there are no fast routes to the Southwest from Southampton, motorways cease to exist on the South Coast at Bournemouth at which point you return to the 1960's).
Our route took us through the Mendip Hills, an area of outstanding natural beauty. Sadly the fog had found us for the last half of the journey ensuring we could only see 100 yards in any direction. The return journey though, was clear, and we can confirm that a visit to the Mendip Hills is a rewarding drive in itself.

Descending into Cheddar we left the morning fog behind and arrived at the home of Cheddar Cheese. The dairy is based in the heart of Cheddar, an attractive stone building with a welcoming shop facing the street. Inside there's a great range of produce that you'd expect from better delicatessens along with - you guessed it... plenty of varieties of Cheddar Cheese. All of which can be tried at the well stocked tasting bar. Knowledgeable staff will be happy to discuss the individual cheeses so you can learn as you munch.

We met Emma and were given a tour of the dairy, (visitors can also book the tour). The dairy receives a delivery of locally produced, unpasteurised milk every morning, and then the cheese making process begins. You can watch the whole procedure through large windows in the dairy. It is a fantastic way to understand the elements required to create an authentic Cheddar cheese. Once the Cheddars are made, they are placed into the cheese store to mature, each of these large round truckles can weigh 25KG or more, (little known fact - most international strongmen started out working in dairies, carting large cheeses about and benefiting from strong bones through extra calcium through eating cheese).

Our next consideration was where to set up and play Crackerdash. Originally, we'd wondered if we could have played and filmed in the Cheddar Gorge Caves, where some of the cheese is matured in a natural underground cheese store. Sadly, the Longleat estate who owns the caves suggested a small fee (about 3 yrs worth of cheese for us) might be appropriate - so we passed on that idea and set up in front of the cheese store in the dairy itself, which to be fair was far more convenient and a great backdrop for the game. Emma kindly produced a selection of Cheddars (Cave Matured, Vintage, Mellow, Cider Garlick & Chives, Oak Smoked and Tomato & Red Onion) for the game. Along with some crackers, locally produced Pickles from Rose Farm, and their own amazing cheese straws we were ready to go.

We were joined in the game by Emma's colleague, Frazer. He decided, an invite to play Crackerdash and dig into their own fabulous cheese and crackers would be a lunch break well spent! We wholeheartedly agreed and have to say these authentic cheddars hit the spot. The cave matured cheddar (12 months) is worth a special mention with it's smooth texture and well rounded flavour, but any of the cheeses would be a great addition to a cheeseboard.

After a round or two of Crackerdash it was time to pack everything away and take our leave (and the remaining cheese - big thanks to Emma!) Before we left, we took a look at Cheddar and the route up to the gorge. This area is really focused on meeting the needs of visitors to the gorge, so there's plenty of eateries, shops and exhibitions leading into the caves. The shops are separated by sparkling mill ponds that run through the middle of the village. We were slightly surprised to see a robust looking goat wander across the road. We discovered that this is one of the few places in England where feral goats run free. Driving out through the gorge we spotted lots of these fellows clinging to the side of the gorge and happily browsing on the vegetation that only they could reach. It is well worth driving along the gorge itself, as the cliffs rise to 450ft on either side, making it a very dramatic landscape, infused with stories of our own prehistoric ancestors. Cheddar man was the name given to Britain's oldest whole human skeleton (circa 9,000 years matured) that was found within the gorge's caves. One can only wonder what he'd think about, knowing that there were large cheddar rounds now stored in those same caves - probably "where's my Crackerdash game?"

Post a pic - win 6 British Cheeses for Xmas

rory.g.church@gmail.com (Rory Church) — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 14:16:27 GMT

Post a pic and win cheese!

Enter our competition to win 6 great British cheeses for Christmas. Just grab a fun pic of your game of Crackerdash and post it to our Facebook page. We'll be drawing the winner a couple of weeks before Christmas so we can get a great selection of cheese out to you in time for a festive game of Crackerdash!

Crackerdash Lite Edition goes to Brighton

Fri, 02 Apr 2021 19:40:37 GMT

The Cheese Hut welcomes our new product.

Tony Cowling, Director of The Cheese Hut discusses all things cheese with Sarah Church, Director of Crackerdash whilst taking delivery of new Crackerdash "lite" edition games.

There are many reasons to visit Brighton, you could drop into the Royal Pavilion, take a turn on the Brighton wheel overlooking the beach or amble amongst the Laines, an English version of the Grand Bazaar, (OK that's a stretch). By far the most important reason to visit Brighton, is that you can take a brief diversion and head to the centre of dairy excellence that is "The Cheese Hut."

Based in Portslade, the Cheese Hut stocks more cheese than you could shake a fist of crackers at, which is officially over 120. Not only do they stock cheese, but from the start of April you'll also be able to pick up a game of Crackerdash - the new "lite" edition. This version uses a waxed fabric game surface that can be easily folded to fit a smart A5 box. It can be whipped out at a moment's notice to entertain friends at home or on holiday! Just don't forget the cheese and condiments (that's what The Cheese Hut is for!)

You could play an awful lot of Crackerdash games getting through this lot - and that was just one cabinet!

The wonderful thing about delivering games of Crackerdash (aside from meeting enthusiasts like Tony), is that we often come away loaded with new cheeses to try. The Cheese Hut has a cabinet reserved for Sussex cheeses which is a marvel and we could have browsed there all day. Unfortunately, the Covid rules (quite rightly) meant numbers were restricted in store, and a few people were chilling in the breeze outside, so it only seemed fair to keep our browsing under an hour.....

As it happens we managed to make our selections quickly - too quickly! Yours truly committed a shooting offence and dropped a gorgeous helping of Balcombe Dairy's "Blue Clouds" creamy hand made blue cheese, suffice to say it did not bounce! It survived, but with a somewhat different shape that has been accusing me all day of a serious faux pas. We've eaten our way through some of Sussex on previous occasions, and now have some new Sussex stars to attend to, "Blue Clouds" first on the list. No doubt we will be back to The Cheese Hut for more!

Some of The Cheese Hut's Sussex cheeses that can be posted out, for more information click on their logo below.

Northumberland heads south

Sun, 27 Dec 2020 22:31:05 GMT

The great tastes of Northumberland come south.

Somehow a game to highlight local produce from the south coast morphed into a game showcasing the best local produce from Northumberland! We have to say, having sampled the fare, the locals in Northumberland have it pretty good.

The cheese and condiments came from the Northumberland Cheese Company and Northumberland Pantry. Both businesses have easy online ordering and engaging websites, pretty much our "shop windows" in the current limitations imposed by Covid. Delivery was excellent and everything packed securely and attractively. Christmas come early!

Our haul included 6 jars of condiments from Northumberland Pantry; Christmas Chutney, Tomato and Pepper Chutney, Pear and Ginger Chutney, Spiced Beetroot and Apple Chutney, Spiced Apricot and Orange Chutney and Northumbrian Chutney (with spiced plums and apples). Run by Alice and David Murray, Northumberland pantry focus on sourcing produce, services and materials from within the county of Northumberland. They fly the yellow and red Northumberland flag with pride. When great produce is right on your doorstep why wouldn't you?

The Cheese came from the Northumberland Cheese Company. Quality leads to success! In 1984 Mark Robertson's cheese called Redesdale (ewe's mike), was an instant hit with the locals and soon led to a wider range of Cheeses. Now based in a 19th Century Granary building on the Blagdon Estate you can visit for dairy tours and cheesemaking days. With their own cafe and tea room, we look forward to being able to take an extended trip North in more favourable times.

For our game of Crackerdash the selection of cheese included; Nettle, Elsdon, Smoked, Original, Redesdale, Marbler. The cheeses all came in 200g packs, so were a good size for the 6 cheese squares on the Crackerdash board.

Elsdon Goat's Cheese and Northumbrian Chutney - one of the many great combos!

The Cheese:

Elsdon; This bright white goats cheese is firm, with a delicate flavour. The mild goats cheese has a hint of nuttiness making this a great, attractive addition to the cheeseboard. A good choice for those who struggle with cows milk.

Original; This cows milk cheese is matured for three months to develop its well rounded, mild taste. Aside from the cheeseboard it can be used widely in the kitchen as it melts smoothly. We felt this went particularly well with the Xmas Chutney and the Northumberland Chutney.

Marbler; This looks great on the cheese board with it's orange / cream colouration. Perhaps it would be too much of a stretch to say that it is a reflection of the orange / red colours of the Northumberland flag, but it certainly flies the flag for the county. A great tasting mild cheese that everyone enjoyed.

Nettle; Another good looking cheese on the board. It has a creamy colour speckled with the green of the nettle, along with some chives, onion, parsley and garlic. Based on the Original cheese, the nettle mix adds a slight herby taste that is by no means overpowering.

Smoked; The oak smoked cheese takes the mild flavours of the Original and (following 12 hrs of cold smoking over oak chips) lifts the cheese to a new height. In fact the cheese won silver at the International Cheese Awards. The cheese gains an auburn coloured edge post smoking which is another attractive feature.

Redesdale; This ewe's cheese started the Northumberland Cheese Company story, and it was a strong start. We had to give orders for the team to stop nibbling the Redesdale before the start of the game, (it is sometimes tempting to get a head start). In this instance the head start nearly led straight to the finish, hardly in line with Crackerdash etiquette! The cheese is light coloured, slightly creamy in texture with a light and moorish flavour, reminiscent of a mild Manchego, but with none of the aged hardness.

The Condiments:

Christmas Chutney; This pickle has a hint of warm Christmas spices. The taste is well rounded with a great depth. Perfect as an accompaniment with the Original and Smoked cheeses.

Northumberland; The Northumberland chutney is smooth and rich, the taste of sultana's one of the stronger elements coming through. Whilst a rich taste, the chutney is by no means overpowering so makes a good match with all the Northumberland cheeses that we tried.

Pear and Ginger; This is a lovely light, fresh chutney. The sweetness of the pear is the more dominant flavour, with a slight note of citrus and hint of red wine vinegar coming through. The lightness of this chutney goes well with most of the cheeses, although the Eldon was a particular favourite.

Spiced Beetroot and Apple; Beetroot is a bit like marmite... people seem to be strongly for it, or strongly against it. In our game most people were in the latter camp. In the spirit of properly comparing tastes though, yours truly ensured every cheese was tasted alongside a small spoon of the deep purple chutney. By the end of the process I had not quite undergone a conversion, but it would be fair to say I would no longer shy away from this chutney. The beetroot flavour is dominant but is not overpowering. It combines with the red wine vinegar to give a sharpness, and a slightly sour note that comes through in a good way. Used in small quantities it can work with the cheeses, but of course there are thousands of other meals that can be enhanced by a chutney. As we didn't specifically purchase chutney's to go with a cheeseboard, it would be unfair to judge the beetroot chutney only on the basis of complimenting a cheese. Of course if you are a big fan of beetroot this will be right up your alley.

Spiced Apricot and Orange; Wow! This chutney is bright and strong, a small explosion of orange citrus notes with the red wine vinegar adding acidic tones. Initial thoughts were that the chutney was too overpowering to go with the cheese... however.... when used in small quantities alongside the cheese it made a great match. Sometimes less is more and that is certainly the case when used with the Northumberland Cheese. The spiced Apricot and Orange chutney went from "not sure" to "unmissable!"

Tomato and Pepper Chutney; Judging by the speed that this chutney disappeared it was the team's clear favourite. Light, full of fresh tomato and pepper flavour (not spicy), this was a winner. It went well with the cheese, but would be at home on any plate! No need to check any "use by" dates as once this jar is opened it's gone.

Thoughts:

We thoroughly enjoyed our "Northumberland" game of Crackerdash, with great cheeses and condiments making the journey South. You can check their web sites out by clicking on the images below. Even better place an order and get a small, but tasty piece of Northumberland in the post!

We're going Crackers!

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 12:35:41 GMT

A Cracking Review

The Three C's of Excellence.

Crackerdash has three core elements. They are the three C's of excellence; Cheese, Condiments and Crackers! Each one a gastronomical treat. Put them together in a harmonious balance and your taste buds can reach a new level of enlightenment.

We've reviewed Cheese, we've reviewed condiments. Now it is time for us to discuss the last piece in the Crackerdash Trinity - the Crackers.

On this occasion we introduced Crackers from two Artisan bakers; Peter's Yard and Artisan Biscuits.

Peter's Yard crackers are named after their creator (Peter Ljungquist) and his small bakery based in the heart of the Swedish countryside. Passionate to revive traditional Swedish baking methods and recipes he, along with like minded friends, turned to slower, sourdough techniques. Ian Tencor and Wendy Wilson Bett, visiting from England, were deeply impressed with the crackers and began importing to the UK. The great quality of the crackers quickly led to high demand. In order to keep up, production was moved from Sweden to Shipton Mill in England. With an emphasis on original recipes, high quality ingredients, organic flour and milk, along with sixteen hours of sourdough fermentation before use, Peter's Yard crackers deserve to be on any table.

Miller's Elements and Harvest crackers are produced by Artisan Biscuits based in the beautiful Derbyshire Peak District. The bakery is a long standing family business which started more than 100 years ago. Keeping a traditional, handmade approach is key to Artisan Biscuits - " made by real people" - it's a philosophy we can't fault. The Miller's Elements range is a "tribute to Earth, Fire, Water... and Ale. The basic building blocks of a life worth living."

Peter's Yard Sourdough Smoked Chilli Flatbreads.

Although these flatbreads are ideal for dipping they are a great inclusion for the game. Aside from their great taste the long thin shapes makes a nice contrast against the more usual round or square crackers. Not too flavoured to overpower your cheese, these were a big hit with the team. We also had a packet of seeded flatbreads that we didn't use in the game, however, by the next day they had also been devoured. A clear thumbs up for Peter's Yard flatbreads. On a positive note, like most of the crackers in this review they are a pretty healthy nosh. You can overcome the guilt of eating a marvellous high fat cheese in the knowledge it is balanced by a high fibre, low in sugar, low in saturated fat, no artificial colours or preservatives, hand baked cracker!

Peter's Yard Sourdough Crispbread.

These small round crackers hark back to their origin in Sweden. They have a great snap and crunch with a texture that works really well with the cheese. The simple natural ingredients (organic of course) produce a pleasant savoury taste that will suit most cheeseboards.

Miller's Elements Earth

These crackers are created using potato as a base. This gives them a crumble rather than a "crunch." Beetroot and spinach are added to the mix to produce an "earthy" taste. One player mentioned they felt healthier just eating the cracker. The addition of Beetroot gives these crackers a deep red colour. Not only do they taste great, but they look fantastic on the plate. The adage "looks as good as it tastes" has been demonstrated to be a real psychological effect, so making your crackers and condiments look good, will actually make them taste better!.

Miller's Elements Ale

Hail the ale - what's not to like! Rather than using ale to produce the crackers they incorporate the ingredients that go into your pint. Hops, barley, roasted wheat and malt are used to create these savoury crackers. The crackers have that slight ale bitterness and were described by one player to have a "warming taste."

Miller's Harvest Three Nut and Three Seed

Both of these square crackers are made with a base of stoneground wholemeal flour. The three nuts in the mix are hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds. The nuttiness comes through in the cracker but it is fairly subtle so works well with the cheeseboard. The three seeds in the cracker mix are Poppy, linseed and sesame seeds. The crackers are quite hard so have a satisfying crunch and again the seed taste comes through, one player described as this as "salty" but perhaps that shows there's a variation in peoples taste.

In Summary

You couldn't go wrong having any of these crackers lined up for a game of Crackerdash. We felt though, that it would be better to mix them in with a wider variety of crackers to introduce them to players just as you'd offer a range of cheeses. Our "go to" from the selection would be one of the Peter's Yard sourdough flatbreads and Miller's Elements Earth. These add great taste and will look good on any plate for a game of Crackerdash.

For more information on Peter's Yard and Millers Elements you can click on the buttons below:

The Dorset Food and Drink Festival

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 11:57:20 GMT

The pop up event that goes with a bang!

Always pay attention! This is particularly true when standing in a fort and demonstrations of ancient military hardware are taking place. There's nothing more unsettling, when a pleasant conversation about cheese is interrupted by a small cannon going off directly behind you. This leads to a quick check of the heart, followed by a check of the trousers - or was it the other way round?

We were attending the Dorset Food and Drink "pop-up" Festival, taking place at Nothe Fort in Weymouth. Blessed with fantastic weather and the equally stunning scenery around Weymouth bay this was a great event to visit and support. In particular we were meeting up with Peter and Steve from "The Book And Bucket Cheese Company" to chat seasonal promotions and hear their latest news.

NEW CHEESE ALERT!

First bit of news, Peter has added a range of cow's cheese to sit alongside the great sheep's cheese already produced. They are; Blyton - a Dorset Brie, Pratchett - a creamy Dorset blue, Huxley - a Halloumi style cheese and Huxley Fire - Holloumi with Dorset Naga Chilli. Happily we kidnapped some of these along with a haul of sheep's cheese so look forward to a tasting session / game of Crackerdash imminently.

AWARDS!

2020 is the year that "never was" in many ways, however Peter and Steve somehow managed to gather a host of awards in the few events that did take place. Four Cheeses were awarded Gold standard in the "Taste of the West Awards" and 5 Cheeses managed 6 stars in the 2020 "Great Taste" awards. In addition for a second year running they are finalists in the Dorset Food Drink and Farming Awards - fingers crossed!

Sarah meeting Peter and Steve - hiding in the shade!

Along with the cheese we came away with Rhubarb and Custard. Not the old style sweets, nor a sickly sweet pudding - this was something to add a bit of fire to the belly. Produced by Weymouth 51 (named after the 51 varieties of Chillies that they grow locally and are used across their range of sauces), Rhubarb & Custard is a "medium" strength sauce that certainly has a kick. More importantly though, as we discovered it has a really great flavour. Sometimes just reading the ingredients can give you a great insight the quality of the product. In this instance, using local purveyors; Dorset sea salt harvested from Chesil beach, Fermented organic apple cider from Dorset Nectar, Jurassic spring water from Lyme Regis. No wonder that this is another Gold winner in the "Taste of the West" awards and a great addition to the pantry!

For more information on the Venue, Producers and Dorset Food & Drink click on the buttons below:

Artisan Cheese - A local voyage of discovery

rory.g.church@gmail.com (Rory Church) — Fri, 17 Jul 2020 15:02:04 GMT

Petersfield Farmers Market - We'll never eat all of that!

One of the great things about Crackerdash is that whilst the game stays the same, the cheese and condiments will vary. So there is always something new to experience! Consequently we naturally move along the line of cheese exploration. Starting with supermarkets (nothing wrong here), moving to online orders, visiting delis and local markets, through to full on food tours, tasting sessions and specialist cheese mongers.

On this occasion we were keeping our cheese expedition local, visiting the farmer’s market in Petersfield, Hampshire. It would be fair to say that in the same way a wine has a “Terroir” associating taste with the local environmental factors, Cheese is subject to the same conditions.

Along with accounting for all the dark arts of cheese making the cheese maker also has to contend with their environment. Different livestock will produce widely different milk yields, with very different structures and fat content. The quality of milk will depend on the landscape, how lush or dry the pasture is, what grazing is available amongst other factors, all of which can determine what cheese can (or cannot) be made locally. So local markets are a great way to get an insight into the agricultural strengths of the region.

As an aside, it does seem unfair that the term for a cheese maker is simply “cheese maker!” If you specialise in the sale of cheese you’re a Cheese Monger, if you age the cheese you’re an “Affineur.” Surely taking everything into account above the cheese maker is deserving of a far more grandiose title… Magician, Mage, Artiste de Cheese… who knows!

Whilst our sights were set on artisan cheeses and condiments we were soon weighed down by numerous other products. Smoked trout pate, venison bacon, specialty sausages and pork pies, the list goes on. Sarah, my wife and fellow Crackerdash Director, observing the increasing size of my shopping bag complained, “we’ll never get through all that!” Which just goes to show that after more than 25 years of marriage she still underestimates my capabilities.

It is quite easy to spend money at a farmer’s market. As a shopping experience it is great to be able to talk directly with artisan producers, understand the provenance of the food and support some of those businesses that have been most affected by the recent lockdown. So I felt fully justified in adding a pack of venison kebabs to my haul and moving on along the smorgasbord of stalls.

Our first cheese discovery was the Sussex Charmer, and what a discovery! The stall was manned by the equally charming Angus Fraser who led us through the cheese and butter on display. The Sussex Charmer originated when two family farms, one producing cheddar (The Harrison family) and one producing an Italian style hard cheese (The Bookham family) combined their cheese making talents to produce the Sussex Charmer. This unique product has gone on to win Gold at the International Cheese Awards no less than 8 times in recent years!

Following our game of Crackerdash later in the day, there was a little “Charmer” left over, which I was looking forward to. I discovered though, that an unnamed person with lactose intolerance had weighed up the great taste of the Sussex Charmer against the downside of intolerance and decided taste won the day. They had noshed the remainder ahead of me! So alongside all the awards that this cheese has accrued it can be said that the great taste of the Sussex Charmer literally “trumps” lactose intolerance… no small accolade.

Aside from the Sussex Charmer we also came away with Bookham and Harrisons’ “Twineham Grange.” This is an Italian Style hard cheese that is suitable for vegetarians. Having used it to replace the Parmesan in a Carbonara it ticked all the boxes, and it’s great to see a local UK provider producing such a fantastic alternative, we’ll be back for more!

Our next cheese stop was with Beau farms who hail from Tadley in Hampshire. They specialise in goats cheese, producing a range consisting of Brie, Soft Cheese and award winning Gouda. Having kept goats in the past Sarah was quickly enjoying a discussion about Saanens, Anglo Nubians and her history with goats. Sadly we arrived late in the day and all the soft cheese had been sold - always the best form of quality assurance! We left with a plain Gouda (nothing plain about it!) and a version with some chilli added which was enough to give a nice tingle, but not have one rushing for a glass of milk. Both cheeses were excellent and we’ll be back (early in the day) to ensure we procure some of the soft cheese and Brie next time.

Sadly I forgot to ask the goats cheese question that has been bugging me for some time. I’ve been told that the strong goaty taste in cheese, that some people find unpleasant occurs when a Billy goat has been kept with the herd. This affects the hormones and consequently the milk. I’ve also been informed that the harder the cheese is worked during the processing phase the stronger the goat flavour is produced in the cheese. Perhaps both are valid, but if you know the science please do drop me a line!

You can find more info on Bookham and Harrison Farms here: https://www.bookhamharrison.co.uk

More info on Beau Farm and their goats cheese is at: https://beaufarm.co.uk/

And watch out for news and updates from Angus Fraser’s Local Food and drink Tours; https://www.facebook.com/localfoodanddrinktours

Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses - Blue Mouse Review

Sun, 28 Jun 2020 12:51:19 GMT

A taste of Lancashire comes south.

Butlers Blacksticks Blue, (in reality a creamy orange cheese, dotted and streaked with blue), looks as fantastic on the cheeseboard as it tastes in the mouth. It had starred in an earlier game of Crackerdash, and just as one bite leads to two, one cheese can lead to another. In this case another five great cheeses. Having noted that Blacksticks Blue was a product of Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses we decided to investigate further. In the true spirit of a Crackerdash cheese adventure we hopped onto the internet, took a virtual ride up to Lancashire, discovered the Butlers family history, grabbed some treasure, lobbed it into our cart, flashed the plastic and then turned off the laptop and made a cup of tea. OK, Indiana Jones it was not!

We'd definitely recommend a visit as this Lancashire family business have some real treasures courtesy of their innovation and dedication - not forgetting the contribution from their own cows and goats. You can find them here: www.butlerscheeses.co.uk

A quick delivery was confirmed when a knock at the door revealed a package from the North, (We're based in Southampton so most things come from the North!) Butlers put their love into making cheese, but also into the delivery of their cheese. A neat cardboard box, printed with inviting statements, "a taste of the unexpected" affirmed we were indeed on a cheese adventure. Opening the box the cheeses were nestled amongst wood shavings, used for sustainable packaging. It was difficult not to dive straight in, but Crackerdash is a game of etiquette, and noshing the cheese ahead of the game would be a serious faux pas!

Our six cheeses were:

Blacksticks Blue, this cheese is widely available and can be purchased from most supermarkets, and rightly so. It has a fantastic creamy texture with a taste of blue coming through that is the perfect strength to convert anyone not sure about blue cheese into fans, whilst giving those who like their blue cheese enough of a hit to keep coming back for more. If you've not tried this yet pick one up on your next trip to the shops, you won't be disappointed!

2 x Lancashire Cheeses, Mrs Butler's and the more mature Trotter Hill. These Lancashire cheeses are separated by the time they spent maturing. Mrs Butlers, (one of the original family recipes) is matured for between 3 to 5 months, Trotter Hill is matured for a minimum of 12 months. The extra time takes the mild and creamy cheese and adds more tanginess and gives it a crumble to the texture.

Button Mill, this is a small soft cheese with a white rind. It is produced in tiny artisan basins in small batches, so a lot of love goes into this unique and individual cheese over it's 12 days manufacture.

Beacon Blue - Goats cheese. Butlers describe Beacon Blue as "silvery like the moon, silky smooth, creamy and fresh on the tongue," and who are we to argue! We're excited to have a blue goats cheese on the board and if looks are anything to go by we're expecting great things.

Ravens Oak, another goats cheese. This time a small white soft cheese with a delicate white rind. Whilst we used the cheese for Crackerdash as it had arrived, we've noticed that a recommendation is to bake the cheese as you would a camembert. Our boards can take up to 140 degrees so this would have been a great option for the game.

We had plenty of condiments lined up alongside the cheese and a variety of crackers, so we were good to go and introduce the team to some new cheeses. As usual we used the Eurovision points system, albeit with no favoritism and 1st, 2nd and 3rd place were awarded as follow:

1st, Button Mill. This little gem arrived on the Crackerdash board in amazing condition, as though a life long "Affineur" had prepared and placed the cheese just for us. (As we venture on our own cheese journey we're learning more appropriate terminology, for those that may not know an Affineur is a person whose status is just below a "head of state" in that they oversee the aging of the cheese and are consequently indispensable!) The delicate flavor and perfect soft consistency won everyone over, so this small champion takes the win.

2nd, Beacon Blue. Butlers description of this cheese was spot on, smooth and creamy with a gentle taste of blue we could keep coming back for more.

3rd, Blacksticks Blue. Just pipped by "un point" the blue cheeses had a strong showing. This is one of our favorites but on this occasion Beacon Blue just sneaked ahead.

And the good news... There are more great looking cheeses from Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses for us to investigate, so watch out in future reviews for Stratford Blue, Kidderton Ash, Burland Bloom, Rothbury Red, Crumbly Lancashire, Goosnargh Gold and Inglewhite Goats cheese.

The adventure continues........

Artisan Cheese from the Book & Bucket - Blue Mouse Review

Sat, 23 May 2020 15:58:59 GMT

100% Sheep milk, 100% Brilliant

We've got our hands on some fantastic cheese from The Book and Bucket company. Based in Dorset the company hand makes Artisan cheeses from locally sourced sheep milk. The milk is collected and made into cheese on the same day. A great cheese needs a great name, so these cheeses are appropriately named after great writers. The cheeses we introduced to our game of Crackerdash were:

Austen ; A creamy feta style cheese.

Hardys ; A signature Dorset hard cheese, reminiscent of a mature Manchego.

Orwell ; A velvety soft cheese.

Orwell and Wild Garlick ; Soft cheese with wild garlick foraged from the Cranbourne Estate.

Shakespeare ; A White bloom rind cheese - Brie.

Smokey Burns ; A Dorset smoked Halloumi.

This set of cheeses was particularly well received by one team member who has a lactose intolerance. Whilst sheep milk still contains lactose it is more easily digested than cow milk due to the smaller fat globules, which also means it is less likely to cause high cholesterol. Great news for cheese lovers and for those who have to live with the after effects of lactose intolerance.....

Our players were introduced to the cheeses during the game and asked to give their preference by the simple means of awarding 3 points to their favorite cheese, 2 points to the second, and 1point to the third. A bit like Eurovision, only more sensible, non-political and based on quality content!

And with the results in:

1st Place - Shakespeare. In a close fought finish the Brie won through. This creamy cheese had a lovely mellow taste with a slight hint of its origins that made it immediately moorish. With or without accompanying condiments this is a great cheese.

2nd / 3rd - We have a draw! Hardy and Orwell cross the line hand in hand. The Hardy cheese was really good, describing it as a mature Manchego is fairly accurate, although we felt that the hard exterior belied an interior that was slightly softer and with more depth than a Manchego offers. The Orwell - a velvety soft cheese was very well received, with comments of hint of saltiness, melts in the mouth, light and refreshing, great with condiments, all being noted. So we'll give both cheeses second place.

Honary mentions; All the cheeses were fantastic, but it's perhaps a bit unfair to judge the Smokey Burns Hollumi on the basis of eating it cold with crackers. After all if we'd grilled this beauty we may well have seen a different winner! Everyone loved the smokiness, and one comment was that it reminded a cocktail connoisseur of an "old fashioned" (Whiskey cocktail)... seems unlikley! It would also be fair to say that the Austen, a feta type cheese also suffered from being eaten off a cheesboard rather than being part of a light lunch. This cheese would be our "go to" for those summer salads, we've not had better.

All in all it was a great evening, a good competitive game, enhanced with excellent cheeses. If you want to find out more about the Book & Bucket Cheese Company you can find them here: www.thebookandbucketcheesecompany.co.uk

Condiments - what to give your guests!

Fri, 15 May 2020 07:16:49 GMT

To feed or not to feed... that is the question.

You can play Crackerdash without any condiments, they are an embellishment not a necessity. If you are planning a game around a set of fine cheeses though, why not spice it up with some fancy condiments? Sure you could play it safe with a few pickles, olives and a relish or two. After all, who knows what your guests like? So here's a thought, why not ask your guests to bring their favorite condiment along? Go further, ask them to bring their favorite cheese! That's what we call a win, win! You can learn a lot about a person based on their favorite cheese - but that's a topic for another blog.

If you are the sort of host who lives life with the ethos "go big or go home", this is the chance for you to shine. If you are having French cheese, why not add garlic bread and snails? Anything is possible, it's your choice (although that might be a bit of a car crash on the taste buds). Italian cheese with antipasti, Spanish cheese with tapas. Make the game the centrepiece of a large meal or a light finish to an evening dinner, it's all good.

Then there's drink, as a host you dictate what passes as a condiment. If that includes a selection of shots or beverages, who are we to argue? Your house, your rules.

If you know of, or make an unmissable condiment let us know so we can give it a go. Now, pass the chocolates over and shake the dice - it's your turn.

Launching a social game in Lockdown!

Sun, 19 Apr 2020 14:06:45 GMT

Crackerdash video conference game

Launching a social game in the middle of a lockdown creates its own challenges. With the depressing backdrop of bad news and social distancing we need to balance the books by sharing as much love and fun as we can. So we're cracking on! Whilst we wait for orders to arrive from suppliers tied up by the lockdown, what better way to spend the time by playing Crackerdash with friends.... via video conferencing!

We had four families conferenced in, with each family being represented by a single mouse, so what befalls one befalls all! Altogether we had 9 players. Back at HQ a laptop shared the board game and we used another for chatting and running the game. I had been a bit skeptical, worried that the game may not flow very well over a video link but it turns out my fears were misplaced.

The game ran very well with the dice being thrown and moves made at HQ. The highlight being the moment one of the teams landed on a cat square whilst there were 6 crackers on the discard pile. Consequently each family member ended up with 10 crackers on their plates, making a win rather unlikely! Victory was snatched away on a couple of occasions and the group even had to Hurrumph a player for poor cracker maintenance. So whilst we were not together around a table, we most certainly were in spirit.

With a great start to the evening, and a few drinks being enjoyed it is worth pointing out that the Crackerdash team can't be held responsible for later events. This includes a Crackerdash Director re-colouring her lips with a sharpie marker, and another player filling in his beard with a black marker and adding sideburns and a monobrow.... the list could go on.

Stay well - have fun!