Barber’s 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar and a dry Chenin blanc

Jan 20, 14 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

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

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

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
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C. Lightly grease a 9 inch pie pan or muffin tin.
  2. 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.
  3. Fry bacon until crispy, once cooked chop into small pieces
  4. 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.
  5. Bake in preheated oven until eggs have set, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

 

 

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