As with all natural products, cheese is a living thing which varies according to the means of its production. From one week to another the differences can be noticeable, surprising even.
Seasonality :
Nowadays it is possible to find quality goats’ cheese in winter and even lactating ewes’ cheese out of its traditional season. Your only ally in making a sound choice is quality professional advice.
Of course the overall percentage of cheeses offered by impassioned specialist producers is small, but there are still a good number of these impassioned ’die-hards’ who live for their work, their metier. Never forget that you yourself are the final link in a small and fragile chain which produces the very best quality on a daily basis.
Bread :
Bread goes with cheese like peas in a pod. This bread needs to be tasty yet unpretentious, so make sure you avoid nut bread and similar. Better to plump for rolls or loaves cooked in the heat of a wood-burning oven and leavened bread.
Relishes and other condiments :
We may perhaps be considered a little fundamentalist in our views on the best way to taste cheese. Some combinations can be fun and engaging once or twice, but a cheese of outstanding quality deserves to be so respected and to be tasted and enjoyed on its own merits.
On the other hand, a mass produced cheese can certainly be given a new lease of life with a little relish....
The wines :
It’s a subject about which we are all impassioned, wine. Many cheese/wine combinations are of course possible and many are well worth a second try. On this subject you might like to read the excellent article by Olivier Poussier.