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Taken from March 6, 2014 Newsletter
Hello All,
Given that it is awards season for everything, I thought that I would get the shop in on the action. I emailed my right hand man, Hugh, three questions and here is what we came up with. You will notice that Hugh managed to vote for 5 Brothers three times when it only qualified for two of the three lists. He is his own man… Our two lists of top three cheeses are based on the consistent high quality and popularity of several wheels over the period of a year. This is really worth celebrating and seems more accurate. Competitions are a great way to promote cheese makers but represent ONE great wheel/block of cheese. Our 2013 cheese plate award is our take on a competition. These were very memorable wheels but some lacked consistency or were not in the shop enough for us to fairly judge consistency. It was possible for a cheese to make both a top three list and the cheese plate.
Awards are so subjective and ours are no different. This is about the cheeses Nancy’s Cheese carries Let us know what you think. I am sure there will be cheeses you think should have been on the list. We would love to hear your opinions. I hope this is the start of an annual event at the shop that involves everyone’s participation. Who knows, perhaps we will even have an after party. I would also like to put it out to more independent cheese shops across the country. This year our Canadian picks are very local. It would be interesting to know a west coast cheese shop’s Canadian picks.
What do you think?
1. What were your 3 top Canadian cheeses for last year? Based on consistency, quality, and popularity over a 12 month period
2. What were your 3 top foreign cheeses for last year? Based on consistency , quality, and popularity over a 12 month period
3. What 5 cheeses would you pick for your ‘hit it out of the park” 2013 cheese plate? This was more about great wheels or one offs in the shop not consistency.
Cheers,
Nancy
Nancy’s Picks
Top Three Canadian Cheeses
1. 5 Brothers
2. Lindsay Bandaged Goat Cheddar
3. C’est Bon Chevre (so consistent and well received for so long)
Top Three Foreign Cheeses
1. Brebirousse D’Argental
2. Ossau Iraty (yes it beat out my beloved Zamorano)
3. St. Agur
2013 Cheese Plate
1. Brie de Meaux (the same great wheel Hugh mentions)
2. Le Verdict D’Alexina (thought about it for top three but didn’t have quite enough wheels to fairly judge consistency)
3. Peau Rouge (probably my favourite wheel of the year but followed by 1 good and 1 not so good… and none since)
4. Le Secret de Compostelle (considered for top list but some rind issues which lead to some waste)
5. Le Chevrot – (the very gooey one shared with good friends in the summer)
Honourable Mention: Colston-Bassett Stilton (what texture)
Hugh’s Picks
Top Three Canadian Cheeses
1. 5 Brothers (rich)
2. Lindsay Bandage Goat Cheddar
3. 5 Brothers (tangy)
Top Three Foreign Cheeses
1. Brebirousse D’Argental
2. Cave-Aged Gruyere
3. Le Chevrot
2013 Cheese Plate
1. Brie de Meaux (the perfect wheel we had)
2. 5 Brothers (rich)
3. Le Chevrot (a semi-soft one)
4. Mt Jacob (the amazingly gooey one)
5. Le Secret de Compostelle (at its most Gruyeriest although you’ll say it is too close to 5 Brothers) see what I have to deal with
Honourable mention: Brebirousse D’Argental
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