Winter 2010 - Shipshape Magazine Bristol

arts & feature events
celebrate
Bristol wins
Purple Flag
Bristol city centre has become
one of the first UK cities to be
awarded the prestigious Purple
Flag. The award, which is
given to ‘well managed and
vibrant places to visit and
enjoy’, was announced on 3
November 2010 and follows
a joint bid by Bristol City
Council, Avon and Somerset
Constabulary and Destination
Bristol. “Just as the Blue Flag is
an indicator of a good beach,
the Purple Flag indicates a
centre that is vibrant and a
pleasant place to be,” says
John Hirst, Operations Director
for Destination Bristol. “We
are delighted to have won the
award and it will bring positive
publicity for our city centre
and allow us to build on our
success.” Special praise was
given to the development of the
waterfront by the Watershed,
which the judges felt was
exemplary in returning this
critical area to diverse use.
More: purpleflag.org.uk
❉
shop
made in
bristol
xmas fair
Get a gift for your granny, a
stocking-filler for your sister or a
treat for yours truly at the Made
in Bristol Christmas Fair, Colston
Hall, 11 & 18 December
Shipshape
More: colstonhall.org
Eat
Cheese please
In the run-up to Glassboat’s Eat Cheese festival, which takes
place on 30 January from 10am to 4pm, Alex Te-Strote, of St
Nick’s wonderful Trethowan’s Dairy, tells us why we should all
be eating more cheese this winter
Looking after the wholesale business for
Trethowan’s Dairy means constant contact with
some of the top chefs in Bristol, and one of the
elements that excites them all is seasonal food.
Few people, however, would include cheese in that
category. The fact is, when dealing with artisan
cheeses, even those that are available all year will
change with the seasons depending on what the
animals are eating. With daylight at a premium,
our bodies crave comfort foods and, as a stored
product, cheese has always been an important
winter protein source. Here are some of my
favourites to turn to as the days close in:
Our own Gorwydd Caerphilly will increasingly be
made with silage-fed milk, giving concentrated
flavours and creaminess. The melting buttery-ness
and mushroomy earthiness from the rind make it
perfect for cheese on toast. Seek
out a good sourdough loaf for
the perfect snack.
Ogleshield is another great one
for melting. Made by Jamie
Montgomery of Cheddar
fame, we use this West Country
Jersey milk cheese on our
raclette machines. It also makes
wonderfully rich pommes
dauphinoise or pasta bake. Add
a salad of winter greens and
supper is done.
Ordinarily I would classify
goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses as late-spring/earlysummer
cheeses, when they first reappear after
lambing or kidding. But Dorstone, an ash-rolled goat’s
cheese made by Charlie Westhead in Herefordshire,
has a meatiness at this time of year that satisfies. Look
out for the apricot and cider chutney that will be
paired with it at Christmas.
Everybody thinks of stilton as Christmas draws
near, but Stichelton, an unpasteurised blue cheese
made by Joe Schneider on the Welbeck Estate in
Nottinghamshire, is supreme in my opinion. The
balance of sweet milk and salty blueing will win
over any doubters.
Finally, Vacherin Mont d’Or was designed for winter
eating. Made with milk from Alpine cattle that
graze in high mountain pastures, these first become
available around mid-October until they run out in
February/March. Trethowan’s
carries one of the few handmade
versions still available. Intended
for high calorific intake to survive
mountain winters, it’s a great
sharing cheese. It can be baked
in the box and scooped like a
fondue. So do your bit for the
planet, turn down the heating
and eat more cheese this winter.
More: trethowansdairy.co.uk.
Eat Cheese takes place on 30 January,
glassboat.co.uk
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