Sweet Dreams are made of Cheese

I went off on one of periodic cheese hunts yesterday, there are a couple of spot on shops in the area, including one called The Cheese Block which is probably one of the cities best, they boast over 300 cheeses don't you know, I'm not sure if I could count that many but I found a few choice items to snaffle down. First up was the pictured rosemary manchego, a hard Spanish pasteurised sheep’s milk cheese that is wrapped in rosemary as it cures, imparting a strong herbal tone to the mild peppery flavour. I've waxed lyrical about the combination of manchego and quince before, so won't bore you again, but suffice to say, the combination worked a treat here.

The addition of a ripe pear seemed appropriate with the next cheese, another Spanish number, Picos de Europa, the sweetness complementing the salty blue veins in this creamy cheese, a mixture of cow, sheep and goats milk again wrapped in leaves to cure. This is usually served with honey, but I liked the pear a little better, not as cloying and refreshing at the same time.

Lastly, British goats cheese called something like Tickledon, I say something like because my notebook got a touch water logged by an unexpected deluge and my memory is not what it used to be. Anyway, a stunning creamy goats cheese with a fresh lemony zest to it that held its own against the armada of Spanish cheese on the plate. I'll go back and find out what it was called, probably good excuse to buy some more.