Great stuff

Inspired use of cheese by operators can extend any offering that operators want to provide their customers. John Porter reports.

Cheese may not always take a starring role, but most menus would suffer without it. Whether it's a goat's cheese and salad starter, cauliflower cheese served with Sunday dinner, or a classic ploughman's lunch, cheese is often used to add flavour and substance economically.

Rising food costs mean that every ingredient on the menu has to work hard. Dairy products have risen in price to the extent that speciality and artisan cheese are a luxury in their own right, while the even higher cost of meat means that a cheese dish can be a cost effective option.

In September the annual Great British Cheese Festival is held at Cardiff Castle. This year more than 400 cheese varieties, as well as British beer, wine and cider to accompany them, will demonstrate the boom in craft cheese production.

Ironically, one pub has highlighted the diversity of cheese by serving a cheeseboard of a single variety. The Five Mile Cheeseboard at The Montague Inn in Shepton Montague, Somerset, features five craft types of cheddar all produced within five miles of the pub.

With the pub located in the traditional area for making cheddar, the selection demonstrates their diverse flavours and textures – sweet, tangy, creamy and crumbly.

Taking things a step further than the cheeseboard is Will Holland, head chef at Michelin starred La Bécasse in Shropshire. He says a cheese trolley is the ultimate way to serve cheese.

"Guests can choose exactly what they want and buy with their eyes – and nose. Presenting cheese on a trolley is an incredible way to showcase the best from your region and the potential for front of house staff to inform, educate and pass on their knowledge is massive."

Holland works with specialist supplier, Cheese Cellar, which sources from a range of artisan producers. With cheeseboards being an increasingly important part of the offering for restaurants and food pubs, operators need to have a range of cheese that meets the expectations of discerning customers.

Tracey Colley, exhibition and retail coordinator at Cheese Cellar, says: "Diners would not expect to come month after month and find the same desserts available, and this applies exactly the same for cheese.

Customers also want to understand what they are eating, why it tastes as it does and learn about the producer."

Adele Bird, channel marketing manager at Bel Foodservice UK, adds: "Just as you would revamp a menu, the cheeseboard should also be redesigned at several points throughout the year. With such a huge variety of cheese available, there is little reason for the offer to remain unchanged.

"Consumers need to be excited by this British menu staple – using different bread, crackers and chutneys, made from seasonal ingredients, to complement the cheese is necessary to ensure that the cheeseboard continues to impress and that it is profitable."

None of which means operators should neglect the importance of cheese as an ingredient of course.

Kraft has worked with consultant chef Sophie Wright to develop recipes for its Philadelphia brand. Its soft cheese makes a base for a creamy or cheesy sauce with the addition of milk, white wine or stock, and will not separate during cooking.

Possibilities include blue cheese sauce to serve with rare steak, rich mushroom sauce to enhance roast chicken, and a white creamy sauce finished with a few herbs to pour over salmon.

Wright says: "Philadelphia is great for sweet as well as savoury dishes. It not only makes the 'ultimate' cheesecake, but also has many other uses in a professional patisserie kitchen. Passion fruit is one of my favourite additions – it's sharp yet sweet and works so well when folded into some Philly and sweetened with a little icing sugar. This also makes the perfect filling for a crunchy yet gooey Pavlova."