For the last week, Pam and I have been preparing for the start of the show season. This will now see us attending food shows and food events every couple of weeks from now until Christmas. Next week I will publish a list of these events so that you can come and meet us, and more importantly, taste some of our fantastic products. It doesn’t seem five minutes since we put the cold counter away for Christmas, and so it was with some dread that we packed up and went to the Business Design Centre in Islington for the Country Living Spring Fair.
To state the obvious any event organised by Country Living is bound to be slick and well organised, but it was a joy to attend with some fantastic stands there catering for all sorts of gifts. My personal favourite was a company selling outdoor swings inscribed with messages, the best of which was “swing and think happy thoughts” I take it this message is meant in the purest way and any double entendre is entirely unintentional!
Anyway, with this being our first event of the year, it was great to be reminded of the reaction of the visitors to our smoked salmon and cheeses. Our range for this show was the following:
Isle of Wight Blue Cheese- This very special blue cheese is made by Rich Hodgson in Sandown on the Isle of Wight. Made with pasteurised Guerney cows’ milk, and is the creamiest blue I’ve ever had. Whatever you do, do not sit down with this cheese anywhere near a bottle of Montbazillac or Sauternes, or you may find yourself still there several hours later.
We then had two soft cheeses for people to try as comparison: the exceptional Tunworth – an unpasteurised cows’ milk cheese made with tradional re.nnet which was Supreme Champion at the British Cheese Awards in 2006, and the lovely Goldilocks – a pasteurised cows’ milk cheese from Jersey milkmade with vegetarian rennet.
Next, we had our bestseller, the legendary Lancashire bomb from Andrew Shorrock. This is the ultimate cheese on toast cheese, and is one of the inspirations behind the business. This was the first time we had tried Andrew’s newest innovation, the Lancashire Bomb with Worcestershire Sauce. It was fantastic and proved nearly as popular as the original so this will be on the site in the next few days too! The Lancashire bomb is proving so popular that we have created a cheese gift section on the site especially to accommodate your demand for it.
Away from cheese, we also took the remarkable Really Garlicky & Cracked Black Pepper Bacon from Ramsay of Carluke. Not only does this make great bacon butties, but it is also a great cheat ingredient in a carbonara…
Finally, we also had the ever popular Salar Flaky Smoked Salmon. Quite simply, this is the best hot smoked salmon I’ve ever tasted. With a firm yet moist texture, and a smoky flavour to drive the neighbourhood cats insane, this is one of those products that is so good it needs nothing added to it. Simply serve with a salad or scrambled eggs for a luxurious breakfast.
I hope to meet you at one of the food shows we attend this year!