What better way to celebrate English wine week than coupling them with our outstanding British cheeses? We asked cheese expert Sam Wilkin to take us through his perfect pairings from our cellar and artisan cheese collections.
Lyme Bay Bacchus Block and Elderflower Cheddar from Quicke’s Traditional Cheese
This is a pairing that’s all about florality, fruitiness and summery aromas. Bacchus Block has a lovely freshness that is balanced with rich tropical fruits and aromatic, herbaceous undertones. Pairs particularly well with Elderflower Cheddar, which is delicately flecked with real elderflowers and a rich creamy mouthfeel from the cheese.
Castlewood NV Brut with Bix from Nettlebed Creamery
Two words. Total Decadence. Foaming mouthfeel meets green apples and a long creamy finish. The NV Brut pairs beautifully with Bix, a triple cream cheese that has a melting butter texture in the mouth, so smooth, so creamy, so disgracefully delicious!
Castlewood NV Rosé with St Jude from St Jude Cheese
A delicate, foaming bead with a suggestion of strawberries and cream pairs with this lactic, raw cow’s milk cheese. St Jude has a gentle milkiness and as it matures it develops richer, earthy notes that contrast well with the summer fruits in the wine. A pairing for a hot July day.
Lyme Bay Shoreline and Tor from Whitelake Cheese
Shoreline is a lemony fresh wine with a saline minerality that pairs beautifully with Tor, an ashed rind pyramid-shaped cheese from Somerset. Tor breaks down on the tongue to a smooth finish, as lemon rind and flintiness from the ash balancing well with that trace of sea spray in the wine.
Sharpham Pinot Gris Wild Ferment with Organic British Halloumi from High Weald Dairy
This is a wine with spice and a grippy mouth feel, slightly tannic from the skin contact and great with richer, fatty food. Pairs fantastically with this organic British Halloumi – try marinating it in oil and oregano then cook over a wood fire. You’ll get something richly smoky and aromatic with a gorgeous texture that meets those tannins and dissolves satisfyingly on the tongue.
Explore our English Wines and our Artisan Cheeses collection.
Sam Wilkin is an experienced cheesemonger supplying London's restaurant scene. Sam spreads his love for cheese as an expert trainer with The Academy of Cheese and also runs Cellarman, advocating cheesemakers by producing the Cellarman Podcast which focuses on Cheese and Cider and Food and Farming.
