Barber’s 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar and a dry Chenin blanc
A few years ago I visited the Barber Farmhouse on a press trip as part of a bigger trip to the West Country. I remember being impressed by the combination of modern technology within the traditions of cheesemaking that had been handed down through the generations. You can read about my visit here.
I really enjoyed the 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar when I visited, so when they asked me if they could send me some cheese and make a dish, I was happy to do it. It also probably helps that I’ve recently changed to a wheat-free and sugar-free diet which means good cheese is a staple in my kitchen.
the main ingredient, Barber’s cheddar
They sent me a small recipe book which has some lovely recipes and a few of them are either wheat free or can be modified to be made without wheat. They also sent me all the ingredients I would need to make a Spinach and Cheese souffle. Seeing as I didn’t want to use flour in my recipes, I decided to make a crustless Spinach and Cheddar cheese quiche instead.
The quiche came out brilliantly, the 1833 Vintage cheddar was perfect in the dish, integrated into every mouthful. I’m not normally a big fan of mature cheddar cheese (the 1833 is aged 24 months) but Barber’s has a nutty, long flavour to it and I enjoyed every mouthful.
Ch. de Fesles dry chenin blanc
I paired it with a chenin blanc from the Loire Valley, the Ch. de Fesles 2011 La Chapelle Vielles Vignes. What a stunner of a wine – dry but fresh with intense fruity notes of dried grapefruit, tangerine peel, and lemon zest. Rather weighty on the palate but perfectly balanced and delicious, a very good companion for the quiche. I wasn’t sure if it was going to work with the cheddar but happily, it did!
I’ve still got half a block of cheese left so I think I might take a crack at the Croque Monsieur made with my home made gluten free foccacia
You can buy Barber’s 133 Vintage Reserve Cheddar online via their website.
crustless quiche
I found this recipe via Mr. Google. I’ve modified it by using ghee instead of vegetable oil, fresh spinach and added a few rashers of bacon 😉
Ingredients
- 200 grams fresh spinach
- 4 rashers of bacon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan or muffin tin.
- Heat ghee in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are soft. Stir in spinach and continue cooking until excess moisture has evaporated.
- Fry bacon until crispy, once cooked chop into small pieces
- In a large bowl, combine eggs, cheese, salt and pepper. Add spinach mixture and bacon and stir to blend. Scoop into prepared pie pan or muffin tin.
- Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.