Blue Monday

It’s only early in our journey, but it’s time we got the important stuff done. There’s no avoiding it. Any good cheese blog (she says referring to an imagined and fictionalised collective) must do it at some point or another.

It’s Blue Monday.

Now I don’t want to frighten off those who are only finding their feet in the fromage ménage, but a good blue is the staple of any cheese lover’s repertoire. If you’re new to this, I understand you may want to watch from the sidelines (please remove your sandshoes), but I will eventually win you over.

Introducing Roaring Forties Blue, made by the renowned folks at the King Island Dairy. Wrapped in its waxy little shell, this cheese is a very non-offensive and creamy blue. Less pungent than varietal offerings like Stilton and Roquefort, this rindless number has darling lines of mould that give it a sharp quality, but it still maintains a smooth flavour. Sure it’s the roaring forties, but any roaring is neatly moderated by all that swell forties charm – think polite on the nose, decorous on the tongue, and “ain’t you just the neatest doll” of an aftertaste.

Add it to a plain water cracker to get the most out of its flavour. Match it with some sweet dried fruit to perfectly complement the flavour. Or do as I do now and enjoy it with a glass of red. Seriously, blue cheese and red wine get all up in my olfactory and gustatory grill.

Red wine, white crackers, blue cheese – my Tricolore of Monday night pleasure…