The cheeses that I love: Rory Mellis

Rory Mellis has grown up in the cheese world. His dad (and IJ Mellis founder) Iain, was a cheesemaker for many years before he opened his first shop in Edinburgh’s Old Town in 1993, with Rory witnessing first-hand the growing interest in the UK for artisan cheeses.

Here he shares his favourites from Britain and beyond.

1. Parmesan

I think everyone should have Parmesan in their fridge. It basically goes with any type of meal – it’s a really versatile cheese. We’ve always worked with a 30-month aged Parmesan because, for me, it has the perfect balance. It’s something you can eat by itself because it’s still got enough moisture to be an eating cheese, but it’s also incredible on top of any dish. The flavour is much more interesting than an 18-month or 24-month version.

A tip I picked up off an Italian guy is to put the rind in pasta water, then bake it in the oven. It’s a gamechanger. It softens it up, and grilled, with a bit of bread, that is delicious.

2. Tasty Lancashire, Mrs Kirkham’s

Lancashire’s not too far away from us, just over the border really, and we’ve worked with Graham Kirkham for a long time. Their Lancashire cheese is one of my favourites. We always go with a Tasty Lancashire because it’s just such an iconic territorial -  a really nice representation of the Midlands. 

This one is crumbly with a lot of acidity but a nice balance, creaminess and meaty flavour. I would go with a Lancashire over a Cheddar, personally, if I was choosing for a board. It’s always a classic served with a nice Eccles cake, or after 1st December having it with a mince pie is acceptable. Dark fruit and rum, anything like that, is pretty good with a Lancashire.

3. Ossau-Iraty

This is an Alpine style sheep’s milk cheese from the French side of the Basque country, made in the Pyrenees. I’ve got a massive affinity for the Basque region, whether France or Spain because I spent time living there, and this is the first cheese I had when I came to work for my parents when I was about 14. It always stuck in my head.

Ossau-Iraty is arguably one of the better table cheeses. You can take big chunks of it to a party. Everyone’s going to love it, and it goes with most drinks. When it’s younger it tends to be quite milky and mild with a slightly elastic texture. When it gets a bit older, it is sharper and sweeter, a bit like Cashel’s Shepherd’s Store.

4. Picon Bejes, Javier Campo

Now we skirt across the Bay of Biscay to the Northern coast of Spain and Asturias. This whole part of Spain is excellent for cheesemaking. They get weather that’s unlike the South of Spain – it can rain quite heavily, so there’s plenty of grass, which makes it really agricultural. The trees and terrain and culture are kind of similar to Scotland – that’s probably why I like it so much. It’s pretty much all cow farming there, and they produce amazing milk quite high up in the mountains, which can be similar to the Red Cow’s milk produced for Parmesan – it’s a bit fattier and sweeter. Picon is blue cheese made by Javier Campo in a town called Treviso. It’s similar in style to a Cabrales, but has a sweet, Parmesan edge to it. It’s been my go-to and favourite for the past few months.

5. Hebridean Blue, Isle of Mull Cheese

A raw milk blue cheese, similar in style to Stilton, but quite different. It’s made on the Isle of Mull by the Reade family, who are better known for their Cheddar – something we’re asked for every single day. They started producing Hebridean Blue nearly 10 years ago. Because it’s raw milk there’s an incredible amount of blue veining that’s really striking, especially on a cheeseboard, and although it looks scary, it’s actually well balanced with a nice level of salt and good level of creaminess. We’ve worked with the family for almost 30 years now and it’s nice to be able to support more than their Cheddar. This cheese is something they are proud of as well. Pair it with Scottish honey – anything nice and sweet.

6. Durrus, Durrus Cheese

Durrus is a washed rind cheese made in County Cork. It’s my go-to table cheese for parties. When it’s a bit younger it’s really nice and mild, with a pinkish rind, but I also like it when it’s four to five weeks over the top and goes quite chocolatey. Recently a member of my team ate it with a chocolate digestive, and that was actually a good pairing! They do a Durrus wrapped in Reblochon paper towards Christmas, and that’s one of our bestsellers. You can really taste Cork in this cheese – it’s so grassy when it’s young, and I like that.

7. Boyne Valley Blue, Boyne Valley Farmhouse Cheese

I’ve chosen Boyne Valley Blue because it’s not incredibly well known in the UK. It’s made in the North of Ireland in County Meath. We started stocking their Boyne Valley Ban goats’ cheese, which is a Tomme, Alpine style, similar to a Pyrenees Chevre texturally and visually. It’s very popular. The blue is really quite meaty and very easy to eat, but the reason I love it so much is the that the size of the dairy is tiny. The cheesemaker, Michael, works exclusively with another goat milk producer not that far away, and his cheeses always surprise people, especially those who don’t normally like goats’ cheese. It’s nice to have Alpine styles of this quality coming out of Ireland.

8. Wigmore, Village Maid Dairy

This is my soft cheese of choice. I’m very close with Jake, and mum and dad with his parents Anne and Andy. Wigmore is a sheep’s milk Brie style cheese with quite a delicate flavour. I like that it’s not too mushroomy, with just the right amount of sweetness. I think it would probably go well with any white wine or light red.

9. Valencay, Jacquin & Fils

A classic Loire Valley ash coated goats’ cheese. It’s made by the same creamery as Saint Maure, but I feel you get a little more moisture from this cheese. It tends to be incredibly rich and creamy, and it’s a great centrepiece for any table. Jacquin & Fils was one of the first creameries I visited in France, and it made a huge impression on me. In Scotland cheesemakers have to do everything, from milking to making, maturing and selling. Here, when I looked at the creamery and saw the sheer size of it, it blew my mind. Especially that they were able to maintain the quality of the cheese, which was impressive, and that it was such a massive part of the community.

10. Pitchfork Cheddar, Trethowan Brothers

We’ve got an extensive amount of Cheddar in Scotland which is very good, but I still have a love for Somerset Cheddar. I’ve chosen Pitchfork because it’s an incredibly balanced Cheddar. It’s not got the sharp acidity that maybe would dull the tastebuds, and I’m really fond of the brothers and head cheesemaker Be.  I’ve visited them a few times now, and they put so much attention into the make - not damaging the milk, and being really meticulous with their starter. It’s a really great cheese and an important territorial for the industry.