MENU dorset issue 22 MENU22..dorset pdf issue 22. | Page 12

 P Made in dorset L E N T Y  Rhapsody in Blue Dorset Blue Vinny Woodbridge Farm Stock Gaylard Sturminster Newton Dorset DT10 2BD 01963 23133 Email: [email protected] www.dorsetblue.com 12 S omething hard, something soft and something blue – that’s what you need for a classic cheese board and Dorset Blue Vinny is a great option for the latter. Not only is it steeped in the county’s history, but it could convert those who think they don’t like mould in their cheese. “Because it’s not hard hitting, it would be a good introduction to blue cheese,” says Emily Davies, the daughter of Mike Davies, one of Rick Stein’s Food Heroes, whose family revived the traditional brand 35 years ago. “Stilton would be its nearest relative but Dorset Blue Vinny is much more delicate – with some blue cheeses you can get quite a sharp, sometimes metallic aftertaste, and with ours you shouldn’t get that.” There was nothing delicate about the way Dorset Blue Vinny was produced when it used to be made in nearly every farmhouse in Dorset. “There were all sorts of wonderful and weird ways of making the cheese go blue from dragging mouldy horse harnesses through the mill to parking the farmer’s muddy wellies by the vat,” Emily told us. “You’ll be relieved to know that we don’t do that any more.” Instead, what we have is a great modern interpretation of a classic cheese, which, following the onset of the Milk Marketing Board in the 1930s, had been lost to us. With farmers being able to command a better price for milk, there were no leftovers with which to make Dorset Blue Vinny. Thankfully, it was resurrected by Dorset farmer and trained cheesemaker Mike Davies, and today, the family’s Friesian dairy cows produce the milk that is used to make the cheese which is enjoyed by consumers, chefs and producers across the region. Sturminster’s Hotch Potch Pies have made a Dorset Blue Vinny and steak pie, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has made River Cottage soups with the cheese, and Purbeck Ice Cream have even produced a cheesy ice cream. “I wasn’t sure about it,” admits Emily. “It was bizarre – I love ice cream, love our cheese, wasn’t sure they need to needed to be together, but it’s absolutely incredible.” It turns out that the cheese goes well with sweet stuff, like, for example, the family’s own pear chutney, which is the perfect accompaniment. As Emily advises, leave your cheese out until it reaches room temperature (about four hours) to allow the flavour to come out and eat it with the pear chutney (which you can order online) and a digestive biscuit. Wash it down with a glass of port, a full-bodied red wine or even some Somerset Pomona from The Somerset Cider Brandy Company. www.menu-dorset.co.uk