The Hungry Seagull flies into new territory this week. I shall be reviewing a new food product, something I hope will become a regular feature on my blog.
So, fromage lovers rejoice! Waitrose has released a new cheese. I picked this up in Waitrose's Brighton store, keen to try something new.
Cremeux du Jura is a soft cow's milk cheese with an edible rind, similar to camembert. It is presented in a wooden box surrounded by a spruce hoop (inedible!) and this particular brand is pasteurised so nobody need fret about nasties lurking inside.
To taste, the cheese has a fresh, creamy character. Most of the flavour is in the slightly chewy rind while the centre is smoother than yoghurt and twice as dense. Its strength develops the longer it is open, with little flavour on the first day growing to a noticeable tang on the second.
The taste is a level up from earthy, it is woody. It reminds me of the smell of damp shrubbery on a warm autumn's day. Yet it is a subtle taste. This is a cheese which needs to be enjoyed on its own rather than be hurled into risotto. Not that it would hurt a risotto - I'm sure it would add a delicious creaminess - but the subtle flavours would be overpowered even by leeks. Even by leeks.
I feel this cheese would work best either for lunch, with good bread, salty olives and sweet fruit, or on an after-dinner cheeseboard with crackers and grapes. In other words, occasions when the cheese is the star and its subtleties can be appreciated.
In terms of price, the cheese is fairly expensive. At just under £6 a pop, it is certainly not a lump of cheap cheddar. Although not as pricey as many of the offerings from specialist cheese shops, it is still not a casual purchase and is, perhaps, one best avoided by any but the connoisseur.
That said, for the connoisseur, or at least the committed cheese lover, Cremeux du Jura is a great quality, super-creamy delight with a distinctive woody tang and is well worth trying.
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