• Cheese,  events,  France,  French,  Travel,  Washed Rind,  wine

    Creating a Munster

    So it seems that cheeses can also have an identity crisis. I have previously written about that great American icon Muenster cheese. Little did I know it has a European cousin. Munster-géromé, is a strong tasting, soft cheese made mainly from milk from the Vosges, between Alsace, Lorraine and Franche-Comté in France. A big thanks to my friends at St Regis Doha whose monthly Grapes and Cheese night not only gives me an excuse to catch up with friends, but also fuels my blog. Munster géromé is at its best in the summer and the autumn, when it is made from milk from the haute chaumes (“high stubble”) of pastures…

  • American Cheese,  Blue Cheese,  brie,  British,  Cheddar,  Cheese,  Cyprus,  European Cheese,  Feta,  Food,  France,  Goat Cheese,  Gouda,  Greece,  Italy,  Ricotta,  Sheep Milk,  Swiss,  Travel,  Unusual Cheeses,  Washed Rind,  White Cheese

    Honor Roll – Huff Post Lists Best Cheeses

    Every day I say a small prayer to a higher power for not being born lactose intolerant. I mean, it would have been difficult to do this blog in the first place. More importantly, what would I talk about at parties? I get asked a lot what I think the best cheese in the world is. The beauty is, there are thousands. The Huffington Post has a similar view to me, in that there is no such thing as a bad cheese. but they have also compiled a list of the 20 best cheeses (in their humble opinion). I agree with all the listed ones, maybe not the order. Check…

  • Aged Cheese,  Artisan Cheese,  Cheese,  European Cheese,  Food,  France,  French,  Goat Cheese,  Restaurant Reviews,  Travel,  Unusual Cheeses,  Washed Rind,  White Cheese

    100 Cheeses Down – You Cheddar Believe It

    It seemed like a good idea at the time, but let me tell you this whole caper is trying 365 cheeses in 365 days is no easy feat. Which is why I am celebrating milestones where I can. What started as a simple catalogue of cheese i have eaten and the occasional good meal thrown in, has now evolved into something more – travelogue, food porn site, political commentary, restaurant review and general whingefest blog. That’s the beauty of a blog I guess. So the journey marks it’s first significant moment – my 100th cheese. This tranche of cheese moments is brought to you by my friends at Grand Hyatt…

  • Blue Cheese,  European Cheese,  France,  French,  Travel,  Washed Rind,  wine

    Cream of the Crop

    In Qatar, the two months of May and June are often the busiest and most frustrating you can encounter. See, the country shuts down for a bit of June, all of July and August. When I say shut down, I mean grind to a halt. People flee the 50 degree temperatures and head to their homelands or Europe. As a result, clients want projects wrapped up in record time. Events, launches and other openings of envelopes are crammed into a single week. Yes this is a white girl problem, but I have had a bit of a week both and work and socially. Deadlines loomed. Announcements had to be made.…

  • Cheese,  European Cheese,  France,  Travel,  Washed Rind

    The Loving Spoonful

    It had been a tough start to the week in the vineyard of truth. I was having technology problems, clients were being demanding and well, it was Tuesday. And it was March. When I heard about the new Grapes and Cheese night at Gordon Ramsay’s Opal at St Regis Doha, I am not one to pass up the opportunity to sample up to different types of wine and matching cheeses. After all, it was Tuesday. And it was March. The wines took center stage with a selection prepared by Sommelier Ashwin Tillousing who took us through wines from France, South Africa, Spain, Chile and New Zealand. Bearing in mind it…

  • Cheese,  Italy,  Travel,  Washed Rind

    Taleggio Tales But True – A Hunk of Italian Love

    It had been a particularly brutal day of toil in the vineyard of truth, and all that would salve my wounded soul was the thought of the Italian hunk sitting at home. By hunk, I do not mean in the literal studly sense, rather a hunk of Italian Taleggio cheese, purloined from the good people at Jones the Grocer in Doha.  And so my tour of European basket case countries continues. I am a latecomer to the cult of Taleggio, having aligned myself early on in my cheese loving career with the Francophiles…Francophones….or whatever the kids are calling it now. But, like a persistent Italian man, it won my appreciation.…