Hello! April has been a busy month with a lot of cheese going out the door. I think we've had a pretty great selection of cheese this past month and we will have even more options by the end of this week. Our next shipment arrives on Friday and will be hitting the shelves on Saturday. Our website has our full list of cheese (current and incoming) on our main In Stock page.
Monthly cheese box deliveries and custom cheese orders will be heading out the door on Saturday/Sunday (April 29th/30th). If you placed an order or still plan to, you will receive your delivery email this week.
I will be at the store this Saturday if you want cut-to-order cheese..
Mother's Day! Yes, we will be doing cheese platters for Mother's Day. Or really any kind of cheese order. Order a cheese box, a cheese platter, a cheese & cracker platter, a piece of cheese, a cheese & cracker & olive platter, 5 cheese, 10 cheeses....any combination you would like for pickup or delivery on Saturday, May 13th. Tell your mom or somebody else's mom, or a grandma, a neighbour, or really anybody, that you love them with the gift of cheese. Mother's Day orders must be in by Friday, May 12th.
And to make this even more special all Mother's Day cheese platters will receive 10% off. (minimum 50$ purchase and only available for online orders made for pickup/delivery on May 12th/May 13th). Use the coupon code MOTHERS2023.
If you follow us on social media you will have seen that the deli at the Mustard Lady store got an upgrade. A bigger, brighter deli fridge has really allowed us to showcase our cheese. It looks little bit empty right now, but don't worry between me and my cheese, and the Mustard Lady's plan for fresh meat it will be chock-a-block full before you can see cheese. Look at it! So beautiful and ready to be filled up.
Alright, the other thing on my mind is grilled cheese. Coming soon (as in later this week) we will be offering grilled cheese mixes. This will be a package of pre-shredded cheese ready to be added to your grilled cheese, or omelet or whatever...you get the picture. I made the most divine grilled cheese sandwiches in my air fryer last week for a friends party. They were a hit! So I've decided to share the joy. Think of it like a four/five cheese mix that you can get at the grocery store, but fancier cause it's made with delicious French & and fancy Canadian cheese. If I remembered correctly I had a mix of: Comté 36mth, Capri Ella, Morbier, Delice des Appalaches, Cantal Entre-Deux, and Thea sheep cheddar. Basically a mix of all of the firmer cheeses in my fridge. Grab a mustard from the store while you are at it and have a gourmet feast! Keep an eye out.
MONTHLY CHEESE REVIEW
My favourite goat cheese this month is Mothais sur Feuille de Chèvre. I love this stuff, plus it looks beautiful. Wrapped in chestnut or plane leave it ripens to a wrinkly textured rind. But its the inside that makes it shine. Seriously creamy! Like many soft cheese it ripens from the outside as the proteins and fats are slowly breaking down, so you often get a mix of textures. This one was totally creamy but much denser in the center. Flavour wise, yes, it was definitely goat, but not overly goat. There was no barnyard in there, although if you leave it long enough that might happen. I shared a round with some friends, and I swear I only glanced away for a moment and it was gone! I am bringing in more this month, so if you like goat and want something special, 100% recommend. This would be a beautiful addition to a Mother's day brunch platter.
The Bois Blond...yes! I had a customer who cut it up and put it on her sandwich which she said worked well. I personally threw mine in the oven for a bit and created a mini fondu. It was pretty great. Two of us powered through it. It's a perfect cheese to keep in the garage fridge if you have one...a wee bit stinky. My husband gave me the side-eye when he came upstairs to the aroma of it baking...but the flavour was much lighter. If you like stinky cheese and you like fondue it's a win. Come think of it, that would actually be a great camping cheese. Wrap it up in some tinfoil and bake it and then dig in. I don't know if the aroma would attract bears or repel them...
Reblochon Fermier. I have been bringing in the Reblochon de Savoie semi-regularly. This is a well known French cheese that comes in a "farmer" style and a "production" style. Reblochon Fermier is a farmer's cheese and is made in small batches using traditional methods and raw cow's milk. It has a higher fat content and generally a stronger flavour. The Reblochon de Savoie is made in larger quantities by several dairies and may contain pasteurized or raw milk. Flavour wise and texture, I think I personally prefer the Reblochon de Savoie. I find the texture to be a bit creamier and the flavour has a bit more to it. Which is surprising given that it is made in a more modern method than the Fermier.
Have any of you had the opportunity to try both? Do you have a preference?
THIS MONTH'S CHEESE LIST
Over the past year, I've slowly developed my list of regular cheeses that I bring in each month with a handful of variations. I try to make sure we've got some triple cream, some washed rind, some good, aged, harder cheese, and some fruitier flavours. And always a good selection of goat and sheep. So we can always expect to find some Comté 36-month, Morbier, one of Chateau de Bourgogne, Brillat Savarin or Delice de Bourgogne for the super creamy type, a good ripe goat cheese (or a few), and 1-2 blues. I generally try to have at least 20 different types of cheese in the deli at any given time and I think by the end of the week we will have 28 different cheeses available. Wowzers!!
I think everything on the cheese list for this coming month has been brought in before, with the exception of the Manchego añejo, which has been aged for 12 months. I've been trying to get a specific hard sheep cheese in from Europe and I keep getting shorted, so I thought I would give the aged Manchego a go instead. Given that Manchego is the most popular cheese in Spain, it's a good bet! The year-old Manchego has a harder, more crumbly texture than it's younger version, but with bit of creaminess and some nutty tones. I've only ever had the younger (6 mth) Manchego, so I'm interested to see how this one stands up to some of the other Spanish firm sheep cheeses we've had in the past.
Our full list of cheese (both in the deli and what is arriving later this week) is below.
Our full cheese list - May
European Cheese
Coeur de Savoie (FR - cow) - fruity, medium firm, what I think of as a typical French flavoured cheese
Mothais sur Feuille (FR - goat) - a soft to firm goat cheese round. They are aged on a leaf of chestnut, sycamore or plane tree. Creamy texture allllll the way through.
Cantal Entre-Deux ( FR-cow) - a firm cheese similar to Comté with maybe a bit more fruitiness to it.
Comté 36 mth (FR - cow) - Aged to perfection and full of flavour, this is a firm cheese
Bleu D'Auvergne AOC (FR - cow) - It is a bit salty with a medium intensity and a soft texture.
Chateau de Bourgogne (FR - cow) - 200 gram round of creamy, slightly lactic triple cream
Lingot (FR - cow) - a little bit funky the closer to the best before date, it has a bloomy rind and a creamy texture
Pont L'Eveque (FR - cow) - A soft cheese with a tangy flavour and and aroma of hazelnuts
Tomme de Savoie (FR - cow) - Raw cow's milk cheese, earthy flavour with a pliable, firm texture and nutty flavour
Dutch Mimolette (Netherlands- cow) - Yes its back! This was surprisingly popular at our December cheese tasting at the deli. A hard (like, super hard to cut) cheese with a creamy texture once in the mouth. A little bit salty and fruity.
Manchego 12 mth (Spain - Sheep) - A firm sheep cheese with a nutty personality, I mean flavour
Bleu D'Affinois (FR - Cow) - A mild, super creamy cheese with flecks of blue spread throughout
Roquefort (FR - Sheep) - A medium strength blue cheese, very creamy, with pockets of brine
Cabécou (FR - goat) - Those little pucks of goat cheese that we had in the deli for Christmas. Try one immediately and save the other for a few weeks as the flavour intensifies.
Vacherin (FR - cow) - the glossy, soft cheese wrapped in a spruce bark. A bit of woodsy flavour.
Morbier (FR -cow) - the world famous French cheese with the mid-line of ash.
Brie de Meaux (FR - cow) - the raw cow milk cheese. A distinctive, sometimes softly funky brie.
Brebirousse d'Argental (FR - sheep) - the orange rind on this cheese makes it stand out. It maintains a fairly mild flavour even with age. The texture of the paste is glossy, and while it gets soft and slumpy, I've yet to see it get super oozy.
Munster - (FR - cow) - the flagship stinky cheese! A washed rind with an epic aroma and creamy, slightly milder flavour
Butter - (FR - cow) of course! More butter! Always more butter!
Ontario & Quebec
Capril Ella (Ontario - goat) - an excellent melter or general purpose goat cheese. Zero goatiness, so really a perfect every day cheese
L'Origine de Charlevoix (Quebec - cow) - Crystally/crunchiness often associated with washed rinds, with mild to funky flavours.
Grey Owl (Quebec - goat) - Ash covered, soft goat cheese
Fleuron (Quebec - cow) - A creamy blue cheese, with a mild flavour
Madelaine (Quebec - sheep) - A tender brie-like, soft sheep cheese
Le Pizy (Quebec - cow) - I always recommend that you let this one ripen. You'll know when it's ready when you give it a gentle squeeze and the center gives. A popular cheese in Quebec.
Paillot de Chevre (Quebec - goat) - a cylinder of mild to medium strength goat cheese. It has a soft to chalky texture
Ile-Ash-Island ( Quebec - cow) - a creamy, mild to salty brie style cheese with a mid-line of vegetable ash running through the center
Keep it Cheesy!
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