5 cheese pairing ideas with Fraser MacLellan, Froth & Rind

What’s on your dream cheeseboard?
My dream cheeseboard would probably feature about 30 cheeses but I’ll try and narrow it down a little. Colston Bassett Stilton would be my choice of blue, I just can’t get enough of it. My soft choice would either be Carboncino, an Italian mixed milk cheese, or Yarlington by King Stone Dairy, a newcomer and absolutely delicious. Quickes Vintage Cheddar is fantastic with wonderful depth of flavour, although Shepherd’s Store ewe’s milk cheese would give it a run for its money and then I’d round it off with Dazel Ash, a wonderful goats cheese.

What’s your all-time favourite cheese pairing?
At Froth & Rind, we make our own cold brew coffee liqueur and we recently paired it with Landana 500 Gouda and it was amazing. It worked way better than I expected, so that is my current favourite, although I may be slightly biased. Before that, I would probably say Cashel Blue with a nice sweet Muscat.

Any unusual pairings you’d recommend?
We get amazing doughnuts to the shop every weekend and recently we asked the baker to make some with a Gorgonzola and berry jam filling. They were so delicious. The slight tart of the berry jam, with the rich blue cheese and sugar from doughnut all blended really beautifully. We’ve also made blue cheese and port ice cream and that was a winner too. I like trying to combine the dessert and cheese courses and see what happens. Goats cheese brownies made with Valencay are also well worth a taste.

What do you love to drink with cheese?
At the moment I love a good rustic apple juice. It’s so versatile and depending on the apple it’s made with it can work with cheddars, washed rind cheeses and even some blues. We use a small Essex-based maker and their varieties are so good.

What must-have cheese kit would you recommend?
I love my cheese wire. So much easier and cleaner than a knife. A large one for the shop and a small one for home.