Last weekend's gossip: It's all here!!! :) (Well, it's a start) | 103 comments (103 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 0)

And if Neal's Yard dairy and it's supply of artisanal cheeses from Britain isn't good enough, then there's La Fromagerie just off Marylebone High St where she can get Reblonchon and camembert to her heart's content.

Or if she's feeling less posh she can get 'em from Sainsbury's like the rest of us.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 01:06:59 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (4.00 / 2)

I think I have sampled a lot of British cheese already and I love it. But one can never have enough of good cheese, right?

"If you cannot say what you have to say in twenty minutes, you should go away and write a book about it." Lord Brabazon

by Barbara on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 01:27:03 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 0)

Red Leicester, Sage Derbyshire and Stilton are all from my home territory in the Midlands. Great cheeses!

I've never really understood Finnish cheese - it is of the Gouda, Edam variety and quite bland. I would surmise that Dutch specialists came to start up the industry in the 19th century, just as our chocolate comes from Fazer (Swiss).

Funny - there was a quite integrated cross-culture Europe back in those days...

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 01:51:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 0)

Fazer, chocolate? you must be kidding, ever tasted real Belgian chocolate? :)

The struggle of man against tyranny is the struggle of memory against forgetting.(Kundera)

by Elco B (elcob at scarlet dot be) on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 02:05:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 0)

Ah, yes, now we're at war!

;^)

"In such an environment it is not surprising that the ills of technology should seem curable only through the application of more technology..." John W Aldridge

by proximity1 on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 02:09:55 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (4.00 / 2)

You said war?

Just look at what is a lyonnais chocolate manufacturer

Or another French one!

Weapons of Mass Dégustation...

"Dieu se rit des hommes qui se plaignent des conséquences alors qu'ils en chérissent les causes" Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet

by Melanchthon on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 03:45:21 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 0)

I have, but these days I'm only allowed the 70% cocoa varieties. Fazer has a new one called 'Thin Dark' which suits me very nicely thank you.

Chocolate is not worth fighting over. ;-) You win

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 02:17:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (4.00 / 2)

"I've never really understood Finnish cheese -..."

That's because you have never really listened to Finnish cheese. Isn't it!?

"In such an environment it is not surprising that the ills of technology should seem curable only through the application of more technology..." John W Aldridge

by proximity1 on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 02:11:38 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 1)

There's a particular type of Finnish farmhouse cheese which has the texture of a silicon pancake and squeaks as you chew it. Is that what you meant?

Finnish cheeses are designed to be grated into wide thin pieces. I like my cheese either chunky or able to move about under its own steam.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 02:22:49 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 1)

On peut designer des fromages?!?!?

ça alors!

"In such an environment it is not surprising that the ills of technology should seem curable only through the application of more technology..." John W Aldridge

by proximity1 on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 02:42:17 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Proxy (none / 0)

You're clearly going full out for this week's PN award, while Nomad is out in the field...

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 02:44:34 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Triloq... (none / 1)

What's a "PN" award? (Don't tell me if it's something you wouldn't want to receive for yourself!)

"In such an environment it is not surprising that the ills of technology should seem curable only through the application of more technology..." John W Aldridge

by proximity1 on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 02:48:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Triloq... (4.00 / 2)

I suggest searching the archive for comments containing "pilkkunussija".

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 02:56:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Triloq... (none / 0)

I am the proud holder of the rank of (I think) Knight Commander of the Order of the PN. So there.

There are designer everythings, so I'm sure there must be designer cheeses. If not, this is perhaps the moment to jump in and make some money.

(Some years ago, a clever not-quite-crook in France succeeded in marketing "vintage" foie gras to silly snobbish rich people. The idea was that there were good years and less good, and years with this flavour or that, in other words a whole apparatus of connoisseur know-how akin to knowledge of wines. It was all the rage for some years, and I seem to recall that even Président Mitterand fell for it. In fact, the foie gras was bought on the wholesale market from Poland and had nothing special about it at all. The "designer" was caught and that put an end to it.)

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 03:49:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Triloq... (none / 1)

From a PN point of view, there is a difference between 'designer' and 'designed'. Designer as an adjective implies that some ponce has added a label and bumped up the price. Designed, on the other hand, means refined in some way in order to improve.

And indeed 'designing' as an adjective applied to a person implies selfish scheming. The Great Designer, of course, is god, who is more into shellfish scheming.

No doubt other PNers will be able to dissect these points ad nauseum which literally means totally sick of marketing.

BTW Afew is indeed a KC and entitled to be addressed as Me Duck, and to receive a large Melton Mowbray pork pie from the Crown each Easter under a statute from 1706.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 04:24:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Triloq... (none / 1)

As long as the pork pie doesn't date from 1706 (vintage?), and is accompanied by a nice piece of Stilton, His Duckship will graciously deign to accept the Crown's gift.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 04:35:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 1)

Which reminds me, I must write a diary about the various psychedelic effects of different cheeses.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 03:31:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 0)

You absolutely should. I'm on a life-long quest for the perfect cheeses and chocolates. Or that is my excuse for surviving primarily off and spending insanes amounts of cash on them.

I await your cheese diary with, er, baited breath. </ducks & runs!>

Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. -Voltaire

by p------- on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 04:00:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 0)

Helen, can you also dowse for cheese? (Or chocolate, for that matter?)

"If you cannot say what you have to say in twenty minutes, you should go away and write a book about it." Lord Brabazon

by Barbara on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 04:15:13 PM EST
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Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 0)

Jonathan can certainly dowse for sweets.

A society committed to the notion that government is always bad will have bad government. And it doesn't have to be that way. — Paul Krugman

by Carrie (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 04:22:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 0)

Once I teach you how to dowse, you can try for yourself.

Tho' usually I find that going to the cheese counter is sufficient to find cheese.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 04:40:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 0)

Eau de Stilton has been commissioned by the SCMA as part of the STICK ON THE STILTON campaign for 2006, to encourage people to try eating Blue Stilton cheese as part of everyday meals - scattered on a pizza, sliced onto a burger or slipped into a sandwich.

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. Oscar Wilde

by Sam on Wed May 24th, 2006 at 04:49:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 0)

Mmmm. Neal's Yard. Yum. $20-$32/lb (depending on cheese and store) - ouch. Not something for daily consumption.

BTW over the past decade the US has developed a really tasty artisanal cheese industry, unfortunately it's an expensive one. But they're often better than the imports, especially as the government has been cracking down on raw milk cheese imports (used to be that the stores would stash some into their other imports and you could buy them under the counter 'psst, buddy, want some Vacherin Mont d'Or')

by MarekNYC on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 01:57:50 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 0)

Yea, I've seen that in Whole Foods market. Neal's Yard stilton made me giggle.

Neal's Yard is a shop, not a manufacturer

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 04:46:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 1)

Neal's Yard is a shop, not a manufacturer

We are a small dairy near Dorstone, overlooking the Wye Valley, Herefordshire. We make fresh and mould-ripened cheeses. yoghurts and creme fraiche. I have owned and run the Creamery since 1990.

Originally we were the same company as Neal's Yard Dairy

Neal's Yard Creamery

I presume that's what's being sold here under the Neal's Yard label. In any case it is very good.

by MarekNYC on Tue May 23rd, 2006 at 05:24:45 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 0)

Well the cheese I saw in LA was called Neal's Yard Stilton. Stilton cannot come from Herefordshire. What I saw looked like a load of crumbs and offcuts of stilton from the shop all squashed together and re-badged for the USA. and I giggled when I saw it.

So it was easy for me to presume you were being sold something similar. Sorry

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Wed May 24th, 2006 at 05:34:04 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 0)

I cannot believe this huuuge discussion on cheese!!! :)))
I think that next time that I will want to write something, I will just write a whole bunch of random words and see which ones get elaborated on the most.... LOL.

"If you cannot say what you have to say in twenty minutes, you should go away and write a book about it." Lord Brabazon

by Barbara on Wed May 24th, 2006 at 07:29:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 0)

But where else would you have war declared over the design details of Finnish cheese ? And is a design ever finnished or merely abandoned ?

Maybe we should ask certain parties whose idea it was to get off at the wrong metro station so that we had to walk 50 miles through a raging hurricane in the first place ? One that suspiciously stopped when we arrived at the restaurant.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Wed May 24th, 2006 at 08:51:33 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: cheeses-- french and english... (none / 0)

Okay, okay, I admit, it was me! But I really had no idea it was so damn far... you guys made it seem like it was "just around the corner"!

"If you cannot say what you have to say in twenty minutes, you should go away and write a book about it." Lord Brabazon

by Barbara on Wed May 24th, 2006 at 09:51:15 AM EST
[ Parent ]

French hurricanes - the 50 mile hike (none / 0)

Well, if it hadn't been for the hurricane, it would have been a pleasant stroll of what...a kilometre ? Less ?

As it was it was a bit of a trial, especially for Johnny. We'll know next time.

keep to the Fen Causeway

by Helen (lareinagal at yahoo dot co dot uk) on Wed May 24th, 2006 at 10:42:52 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: French hurricanes - the 50 mile hike (none / 0)

You're allowed a bit of exaggerarion in writing ;) from time to time, otherwise it would be no fun.

"If you cannot say what you have to say in twenty minutes, you should go away and write a book about it." Lord Brabazon

by Barbara on Wed May 24th, 2006 at 11:25:20 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Last weekend's gossip: It's all here!!! :) (Well, it's a start) | 103 comments (103 topical, 0 editorial, 0 hidden)

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