East Anglia can proudly boast of some of the very best produce anywhere in England and our cheese is no exception. Our cheese hamper is the perfect way to cap off Christmas dinner, with a carefully curated selection of dairy products from across Norfolk, Suffolk and Lincolnshire, going from silky blues to fragrantly ripe soft cheeses, complemented with artisanal crackers and chutney to make this a cheese course to remember. We know the producers of each component, so we can testify to the commitment and craft which goes into every item included.
For lovers of complex, creamy cheeses, we have Mrs. Temple’s Binham Blue: made from the pasteurised milk from Holstein Friesian and Swiss Brown cows, grazing on the windswept pastures near Wells-next-the-sea. With a yellowish hue and its characteristic North Sea blue flecks, it’s less overwhelming than some other blue cheeses, instead tasting characterful and with a suitably decadent character.
On the other end of the spectrum we have an unpasteurised Norfolk Dapple, so named after its distinctive dappled rind. Smooth, slightly nutty, and with a long finish, it’s sure to please lovers of Cheddar, but also those who are seeking a new cheese experience. Winning silver and bronze in the British Cheese Awards, its quality will become self-evident when you try it.
Hailing from further west, Lincolnshire Poacher is an intriguing but delicious fusion of a classic Cheddar with an Alpine Comté, though the end product is truly unique, and a testament to the long tradition of cheesemaking in the area.
Raw-grass-fed Montbeliarde cows milk is the key to making Baron Bigod such a sensational Brie-de-Meaux style cheese, indeed, it is the only raw milk version produced in the entirety of the UK. The Crickmore’s commitment to their herd, and to cheesemaking, results in a cheese which rivals the very best in France but is a true taste of Suffolk.
Making butter using a lactic culture lends it a tanginess which harks back to how butter used to taste. Bungay Raw Butter is the only farmhouse butter produced in the UK using this method. Once again, the Montbeliarde milk is key to the flavour – and the velvety texture is a result of the milk being churned using traditional wooden ‘butter hands’. Once you’ve tried it you’ll never be able to go back to regular butter.
Of course, a great cheese board wouldn’t be a cheese board without great crackers – and Peter’s Yard have taken inspiration from the Swedish mastery of crispbreads to bake their Original Sourdough Crispbreads. Shipton Mill organic flour, organic fresh milk, and their signature sourdough starter makes the end product an experience in its own right, but perfect to pair with all of the cheeses in the hamper.
Candi’s Chutney Norfolk Crier Onion Marmalade won’t leave you teary-eyed – it’s a chutney of many dimensions: the sweetness of the onion sweated down with muscovado sugar, the tartness of vinegar, the aromatic heat of black pepper and mustard seeds. Candi, a professional chef for thirty years, has concocted a condiment which is as versatile as it is delicious, elevating and enhancing your tasting experience of each of the cheeses.