Noticing that we didn;t have much that would suit a gathering of 80 or so, I felt I ought to fill the gap. Helford - which is nudging 8kg - is an attempt to do that. I especially like the proportions of this one, and the colours and textures of the cheeses.
This time the base is Quicke's Oak-Smoked Cheddar. The smoking process gives a beautiful rich red-brown colour to the rind. Feeling that it's nice to balance the familar and the unfamilar, the next cheese up is the ewes' milk Fosseway Fleece. There has to be a blue somewhere, and this time we've used half a baby Stilton: Colston Basset, the best, in our opinion. On top of that are two small, contrasting, goats cheeses - the creamy White Nancy and (on the top) the firm Woolsery.
If you'd prefer unsmoked cheddar, just choose the 'plain cheddar' option from the list above. This will give you Quicke's Mature Cheddar - you'll lose the smoking, a bit of the rich colour ... and also a bit of the price!
Decorated by Annie, photographed by Bim. Annie's work is gorgeous, but I'm afraid we don't send the decorations (they're just too perishable) - just the cheese!
