Just because a cheese
is made in small batches by hand on a farm doesn't necessarily make
it a good cheese. Sometimes big dairies do a much better job of
making 'artisan' cheeses because they have the technical knowledge
and experience.
That's what outspoken
Cumbrian cheesemonger and maker Martin Gott told me in a recent
interview anyway. Not long after speaking to Martin, I was sent some Ossau-Iraty, which seemed to proved his point.
Intensely sweet and
salty with the most amazing flavours of dried porcini mushrooms and
curry leaves (no really, it's true!) it was an absolute corker of a
cheese.
It turns out that
rather than being made by some horny-handed French peasant up a
mountain, it was actually produced by a company called Onetik, which
operates a 30,000 sq m dairy in the French Basque region of the Pyrenees and turns over nearly E30m a
year.
An Ossau-Iraty was
named supreme champion at last year's World Cheese Awards, and like
that cheese Onetik's is matured slightly longer than most (about nine
months), which explains the intensity of flavour. It's made with raw
ewe's milk and has a firm, supple texture and dense consistency. Distinctive earthy rind as well.
Definitely worth
checking out.
Where to buy: It's
imported by the Cheese Cellar, who supply independent cheesemongers and
delis.
What to eat: It's
traditionally served with a black cherry jam
What to drink: A sweet
white would work well with the salt. Sauternes perhaps.
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