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biscuit so they are more immediately understood than the fruit pastes which are commonly consumed on the continent. Unless you are sat down with a cheese board, the pastes can sometimes be difficult to envisage.”
Having tasted the plum & port paste, the experience was memorable. While traditionally fresh fruit or chutney would be served with a cheeseboard the addition of a fruit paste offered a different dimension altogether. Paired with a slice of blue cheese and a biscuit, the deep, rich fruitiness of the paste cut through the strong, salty flavour of the cheese, with moisture added as the paste melted on the tongue. I soon realised that in all my visits to the cheeseboard this moisture was usually lacking, and following this it was not something I wanted to be lacking again! A quince and rosemary paste is being prepared ready for Christmas while a new cave-aged chutney, packed full of fourteen different fruit and vegetables and finished with a hint of port, won a Three Star Gold at the Great Taste Awards this year. The
six month aging process prevents light damage, allowing the flavours within the product to express fully and is another example of the lengths the brothers go to create quality produce. Not content with their own innovative range the brothers are currently working on adding value to the products of other Devon-based producers. ‘Cheese -butter’, a by-product of Jay’s need to remove fat from cheese in a bid to make a parmesan-style cheese, is now being used by a number of chefs in the region to make hollandaise, game terrine and other potted treats. The parmesan is used in Pipers Farm sausages, also created by Hillside.
The range has been taken on by a number of high-end suppliers including Harrods as well as a range of local farm shops. Jay’s attention to detail is ever present as bespoke products are made
for certain suppliers with bell and star shaped fruit pastes available exclusively in Harrods for the Christmas period. “We regularly call our buyers and tell them we have four kilos of a particular type of fruit, ask whether they would like a paste and whether we can put any particular twist on it. We can do that for people and this is a service that larger companies cannot always provide.” With Pam the Jam of River Cottage fame a big fan of the brothers’ work, the endorsements are rolling in thick and fast. The awards speak for themselves as these niche products gain recognition for adding a new dimension to a traditional offering. This Christmas why not try something a little different, and find out first-hand what a cheeseboard should taste like! F
INTERNATIONAL CHEESE AWARDS
SUPREME CHAMPIO
SUPREME CHAMPION
NANTWICH 2012 EST.1897 RESERVE
ON
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