The Not-So-Gloomy Blues (Cashel Blue)

Cashel Blue
Region: Tipperary, Ireland
Milk: cow milk

Another fabulous Neal's Yard cheese...Cashel Blue is Ireland's original artisanal blue cheese. It was first developed in 1984 by a husband and wife couple (Jane and Louis Grubb). It is entirely handmade by a single family on a single farm, and with each purchase it feels like taking a bit of Ireland home.

I particularly love the texture of this cheese, which is creamy but with body, and a bit inconsistent....which tends to remind me that it was made very far from any sort of factory. The flavor is wonderful: a bit salty, a bit sweet and somewhat mild. Mine was gone in a flash, but I had thought of trying it with something fruity (...maybe apricot jam on fresh bread?).

Surprisingly, the cheesemaker has an incredibly informative website, (www.cashelblue.com). Some interesting tidbits discovered: The wine pairing should match the maturity of the cheese: Less mature Cashel Blue works well with acidic, sweet and fruity wines such as a Geweurtztraminer or Pinot Grigio. More mature Cashel Blue works well with Sauternes or Tawny port. (Great! My intuition worked well, though the apricot jam pairing was perhaps taking it a bit too far). They also mention that the cheese gets creamer and less mild over time. (Mine was creamy and mild, which they conclude is at medium maturity level...I conclude that it was perfectly delicious!)