Stilton and Port
Bread and cheese is one of those combinations that can be delicious, yet also conjures up prison food - or in my case - boarding school food in the 50s, which we imagined was somehow similar to prison. In the holidays my sister and I walked to the shops on our own. We bought our lovely fresh, tasty Cheddar, cut into slabs from a large truckle, at our local grocer. Back then, sweets were a treat, not part of lunch. A snack was bread and cheese, and an apple. We played in the street with our friends and were quite safe, we climbed trees, skinned our knees and got our clothes dirty, we had fights and arguments but nobody sued anybody.
In the dormitory at my convent boarding school ‘lights out’ were at 8.30pm - and
I wasn’t tired. If Mother O’Toole (known as ‘Scaly-Peely’ due to chronic psoriasis),
caught me talking, or reading with a torch under the bedclothes after lights out,
the punishment was to stand in the corner for lunch and dinner the next day. A
plate of bread and cheese was put in front of me. In fact this was often preferable to what was on offer at the tables in the refectory. The bread was baked daily by the Nuns, and the cheese - referred to as mousetrap - was perfectly OK, although sometimes a bit stale and mouldy.
It wasn’t until I had left school that I began to appreciate the wonderful array of
artisan cheeses that are now made in the UK. Some mild and sweet, some with
that hint of wrestler’s armpit that is so important. Many are wonderful to cook
with - try Apple & Wensleydale Soufflé with Butterscotch Sauce. Often cheeses
are named after the county in which they are made - Cheshire, Devon Blue,
Double Gloucester, Dorset Blue Vinney.
Others like the king of British cheeses, Stilton, can only be made in three
designated counties - Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire. Stilton has
its own Certification Trade Mark and is an EU Protected Food Name. This means
that it must be made from locally produced milk, it has to be made in the familiar
cylindrical shape. It forms its own crust and inside is the magical blue veins
radiating from the centre. Cropwell Bishop Creamery is the best name to look
for, they have been making Stilton since the 1800s, it was the current world
Supreme Champion at the Nantwich Show in 2009. Their Stilton can be bought
at Fortnum & Mason, Harrods and Paxton & Whitfield. Best eaten at 11-14
weeks, it get stronger once it is cut. Stilton’s unique flavour makes it suitable not only for special occasions but also for perking up everyday recipes and delicious snacks. With its slightly open texture and creamy content it melts and crumbles easily.
But the perfect accompaniment to Stilton is Port served at the end of a meal.
Perhaps instead of a dessert. To serve a whole or half Stilton, cut the top off and
cut in slices about 1 1/2” deep - it is all about keeping the surface area level so it
does not dry out. Don’t scoop. Plan ahead. Have a bottle of port - such as
Warre’s 1963 Vintage - upright for a week to settle the sediment. Decant, and
leave to settle for several hours before tasting. Port is the world’s greatest
fortified wine, characterised as sweet, grapey and rich - Port and Stilton: a match
made in heaven.
Apple & Wensleydale Soufflé with Butterscotch Sauce Recipe
Theo Hodges
Theo Hodges was born in Kent. After a degree in Graphic Design she joined J. Walter Thompson Advertising Agency as an Art Director working on accounts such as Rowntrees, Kraft and The Butter Council. While she was at University in Perugia, Italy she started collecting recipes from friends and family. In 1980 she set up her own design agency: Theo Hodges Design Consultants. For many years when they were young Theo, her sister and six cousins used to spend vacations at her Grandmother’s Victorian vicarage in Kent. ‘The thing about remembering childhood’ she says, is ‘there’s a whole lot of oblivion, and then out of it something floats up, quite sharp and clear. Many of the meals I can still see vividly and various recipes of mine were originally from Granny’s kitchen. ‘The kitchen garden was stuffed with raspberries, huge red dessert gooseberries, strawberries, runner beans, peas and much more with the hens in a shed at the back. But Granny only ate chicken breast and runner beans, followed by raspberries and Jersey cream - and therefore so did we. When raspberries were out of season, and in those days the season was much shorter, Granny made Victoria sponge cakes sandwiched with cream and home-made raspberry jam. On this limited but delicious diet we all thrived’. Theo’s mother was an excellent cook as well, and had been taught by the house- keeper at their house in Mougins, South of France. And once rationing was withdrawn in England in 1952 and good, fresh ingredients became available again, she amassed an enormous number of recipes which has formed the basis for Theo’s collection of family desserts.