Better with Cheddar

This past Sunday, Marty Stiglich and the Sunday Broadway Pastoral crew did battle with a beautiful wheel of Montgomery's Cheddar that had been hand selected for our store by Neal's Yard, the distinguished English cheese shop and affineur. As seen in the pictures, the opening was well attended, and Marty made quick work of the 57 lb wheel so it could be shared with the crowd. This beautiful, hard to find wheel, aged for nearly two years, is currently available at Pastoral.

Why is this cheese so special? Well, Montgomery's Cheddar is the quintessential bandaged wrapped cheddar, perhaps the best tasting in the world. Made on the Manor Farm in Somerset England with the raw milk of their Fresian Holstein herd, it is an amazingly complex cheese with a lingering presence on your palate that is the mark of a wonderful cheese. It is drier and flakier than its American counterpart, but the nuances of this cheese are impressive. Aged at roughly a 25% higher temperature than American cheddars, these golden yellow wheels can be nutty, mushroomy, and perfectly barnyardy. The aging in cheese cloth allows for a transference between hand made cheese and aging room that bestows this cheese with all its unique characteristics. Stay tuned to the Pastoral Blog and pastoralartisan.com for future instore events!


- Nat

Cheese Cracking and Roquefort Update

Come join us this coming Sunday at our Lakeview store from 1pm until 2pm for a cheesy demo. The great people at Neal's Yard Dairy have hand-selected a wheel of Montgomery's Cheddar for us. On Sunday we will be cutting into the 50+ lb. raw cow's milk Cheddar. Stop by to try some of this big, intense, fruity, nutty, grassy and oh so delicious cheese for yourself!

The Roquefort issue has been all the buzz in the cheese world. There was an article in the LA Times yesterday that discusses the issue, and the extension that is in place. Check it out here. Not to fear though, both our Lakeview and Loop locations still have plenty of Roquefort on hand.

-Agela