They may be cheesy, but they're nice
07 Mar 08, 18:35
Beyond expectations
You may not think it's possible to dream about cheese, unless you are Wallace or Grommit or whichever one of them really likes cheese, but it is. When I was accidentally living away from London in the middle of Australia last year, I dreamed of Neal's Yard Dairy, this little one in Covent Garden. Oh, I like the one in the Borough Market - it's where I was first introduced to people who know cheese and love to tell you about it and even share it with you. It's where I had my first cheese love, a Colston Bassett Stilton (possibly the world's perfect cheese). But there is something lovely about going to this quaint little closet of cheese. Don't go there to stretch out and make a day of it. Go there on a mission. Walk right in, let the smells of sheep, cows and goats, grass and cream and mold (the good, cheese-making kind) hit you fast and full-on, and don't be shy. Ask the friendly, knowledgeable staff to tell you something special about that cheese or this one. Don't worry about asking them to help; that's what they are there for and it means they get to try some cheese, too. My friend asked to have a try of "that stinky one there" and the guy serving us made a show of trying to take a slice out of his colleague right next to the cheese requested. We all had a good laugh. I promise it wasn't as cheesy then as it is telling about it now. It was fun. Fun and cheese. Wow. Heaven?
