Did you know that grapes, that many people of on the cheese board, is not often the best choice with cheese? We pair certain foods/flavour profiles so that they enhance one another. Grapes in a few ways can make cheese taste bitter, especially for Blue & Washed Rind Cheeses. For other types of cheese, it may not always worsen the cheese, but it may not enhance the cheese board experience. Better options can be apples, figs, pears. You have either try dried fruit such as dried figs, dates & cherries. By no means am I a flavour-wizz. I'm parroting a few do's & don'ts with cheeses 😅 So on that basis, what I know is, it's sweet & salty pairings thing. Pair sweet foods with cheese and you are good to go! Though dark chocolate pairs well with certain cheeses too, and I believe this due to having similar flavour profiles whether it's, acidic, nutty, savoury, sweet, creamy, etc. In this instance, it's recommended to experiment and experience a small bite of each, separately, and then together. Chocolate can be made in so many ways with different beans. The flavours can vary even if two bars are both 95% dark. What do you enjoy with cheese? . . P.S. Excuse the last minute crappy photo. I'm still in Torquay 😅

I'm closing up the workshop to take a short break to Torquay. Going to be sad to leave my oversized cheese babies in the cheese cave but thankfully I have a secret someone to just check up on them, flip them, brush them, and maybe give them a little spank every now and again. . Expect a few posts about food from Torquay. Don't worry, I don't spam to much. . UPCOMING EVENTS . Sunday 30th June @tfsundaymarket in Bristol. Saturday 6th July @yeovilveganmarket (will have Blue & Washed Cheese). Sunday 14th July @tfsundaymarket in Bristol (will have Washed Cheese). Saturday 20th July @veganeventsuk.co.uk Bath Festival (will have Blue & Washed Cheese). Sunday 21st July @veganfairs Stroud - UNCONFIRMED (with have Blue & Washed Cheese). Sunday 28th July @tfsundaymarket in Bristol. . CHEESE CAVES . I mentioned a cheese cave a lot recently and I noticed many are, understandably, not sure what it entails. What used to be actual caves, a cheese cave is a cold-type room with a very specific climate that is required to help cheese age & develop naturally. Climate falls on two main components. Temperature & humidity. Each cheese has its own requirements on the climate, however at its base, a vegan cheese needs a minimum humidity of 80% with a temperature range of 10-14 degrees Celsius. A mold cheese requires a 90% humidity as a must. This climate helps the microbes, I mentioned in another post, develop naturally. They produce the rinds, flavours & textures synonymous to cheese, as well as stop the cheese from having problems such as promoting bad growth, drying out, etc. On the topic of drying out - to my fellow vegan cheese makers, please don't just use a wine fridges with no other alterations. It's making me cry. I can see your cheese has dried to dust 😅 Please get your humidity up at the very least or vacuum pack your wheels instead. Please! Within the cave, the build up of microbes over the years increases where every cave has their own unique community. This community gives each cheesemaker the ability to develop a unique rinds, flavour & texture to them, so there's potential of 1000s of vegan cheeses out there if done right. Just like dairy. Just better 😉

Right, hopefully this is the last update on the packaging I use regarding the environment 😅 To catch everyone up; cheese needs a special type of the packaging and the stuff I use in my prepackaged range fits the bill as it creates a safe barrier and climate. It's plastic free and is home compostable (better than industrial compostables and biodegradables). . A fan found out that the council removes the packaging from collected compost waste (either a machine limitation or it looks like plastic) which in turn costs the council money (probably?). . So, please only compost the packaging in your green waste that you use in the garden, and not the stuff that is collected. If you can't do that then please place in general waste. It was quite important to know however, what would happen if the packaging ended up in the oceans. I received a response from the manufacturers and they mentioned to conform to a certain protocol that the packaging requires 90% degradation in marine conditions. Trying to make sense of the fancy lingo, they also say it does not break down into tiny particles, so nothing like mico-plastics. Another statement: "...films conform to EN 13432 and as such are certified as biodegradable and compostable due to the fact that they break down into water, carbon dioxide and biomass by the action of micro-organisms. As part of EN 13432 our films have been tested for biodegradation, disintegration, absence of heavy metals and ecotoxicity. They have been shown to have no toxic effects on plants (following tests on summer barley and cress) or in the aquatic environment (following tests on Daphnia).". . There's no mention of what happens in landfills, however I think it's safe. They also mention that clean energy is created when it's incinerated. I'm pretty happy with this (as long as I understood everything correctly 😬😅)

Converted quite a few veggies so far. Maybe I should be keeping count on all these wins 😅 The cheese in the background is the Washed Rind Cheese. Aged in a high humidity environment and washed three times a week with my cultures & brine solution for that depth in flavour and a bit of a stinky wiff. It's aged in a Blue Cheese cave which helps give it a bit more "oooof" to is profile. It's currently out of stock online, but I have some in the works for several July events, and to sell online. Check out my site for all events & online store details. I'm on track to having this part of my regular range so that I always have it on hand ☺️

Very grateful that @thebowlshed have returned. A firm favourite of mine as the acai smoothie bowls are on point with glorious nutrients & noms. My only problem is Charlie (my Labrador) was getting hot & bored so I had to eat my bowl quickly, hence the badly rushed photo 😬 @thebowlshed, don't leave me again (you can find them tomorrow @theharboursidemarket in Bristol).

Excuse the face 😝 The not-so-humble cashew. It's the base of nearly all artisan cheeses because of its creamy and neutral flavour. As it doesn't offer the same structure to that of dairy, it makes it pointless in trying to make curds, however it's become synonymous in vegan cheeses anyway. Though it's a great ingredient, it does have a major drawback of being pretty damn expensive. And though I'm not clued up on all details, we can safely say it has a sizeable carbon footprint (how is grown, cared, imported, etc). . There's also this thing called "blood cashews" which I won't go into the details. I done what I can to source it ethically as possible through a local supplier in Bristol. They in turn, import them from Vietnam. But, given its drawbacks of cost and allergies, I've always been working in the background for a British-grown plant-based nut-free alternative for over 6 months. I got my eyes on something, but lack of timing is delaying experiments. Working out the science background of it is challenging, though it's the same-old story where I want to be as traditional as possible when it comes to cheese making. With cashews being a blended/creamed to create cheese, I'm going for the milk, curd & rennet approach with the nut-free alternative. No matter which way you spin it, there's a reason why dairy cheese is so loved that people will fight over it (and no, it's not because of the addictive nature of fatty based foods). . Anyway - watch this space. No cheese making today. Taking a jaunt with Charlie the Labrador around Bristol harborside to feed the mind, soul and belly ☺️ . . . . . #bristol #bristolfood #bristolfoodie #bristolvegan #bristolvegans #veganaf #eatplants #cashewcheese #cleaneating #cleanfood #ukvegan #entrepreneur #foodblogger #ukvegans #foodinstagram #foodlover #foodphotography #healthyeating #healthyfood #plantbased #instavegan #smallbusiness #veganbristol #vegancheese #veganfood #veganfoodporn #veganfoodshare #vegansofig #veganuk #whatveganseat