Cheese Alert: Neal’s Yard Shropshire Blue

I tried a new cheese this week.  It made me weak in the knees.

I have a job where I work on the fringe of the cheese world as a Merchandiser.  I have an elementary knowledge of cheese but find it fascinating and love learning about and discovering new cheese.  This one is my latest find.

This is a special cheese.  I would call it an indulgence.

Did you happen to notice the price tag on this tiny package of goodness?

Yes…a mere $24.99 per pound.  That’s right.  Un huh! And it is worth every penny!!  Of course a whole pound is a lot of cheese.   I don’t need that much.  This little piece will be just the right amount and I can splurge on a $7.50 piece of dairy heaven every now and then right?

This is one of the famous Neal’s Yard Cheese shops.  Love that blue awning.  Neal’s Yard is a cheese company in England that buys cheese from about 70 cheese makers in both England and Ireland and they sell their cheese in two of their famous stores in London.  And lucky for us here in the states they export to shops and restaurants all over the world.  They carry some of the finest cheese the U.K. has to offer. 

I will shop here someday.  Oh, yes, I WILL shop here one fine day. (And I will ask for a sample of the “Stinking Bishop” in the photo above.)

I’m having mine with a sliced pear.  I found my little package of Shropshire Blue at Whole Foods in their Specialty Cheese case. (I had to go all the way to Chapel Hill in NC to find this treat as we don’t have a Whole Foods or a Trader Joe’s or a Southern Seasons here in Greensboro.)  Whole Foods was offering samples.  Offering samples is smart.  That cheese was flying out the door.  A piece flew out with me.

   

Neal’s Yard Shropshire Blue is a cow’s milk cheese.  It is best to serve it at room temperature.  Delicious and it melts in your mouth.  If you like Blue cheese, this one is a highly recommended.  The flavor is incredible.