I met with my friend Dennis of The Cheese Cellar in Seattle recently. He was kind enough to sample a variety of sharp cheeses with me that compliment Shea Gourmet products and make wonderful appetizers for the holidays.

The simple truth is that you can’t go wrong with sharp cheeses and Shea Gourmet products. You’ll often find this style of cheese from the hinterlands of the UK. England, Ireland and even Scotland have some of the finest dairies and produce some of the loveliest cheeses: Berkswell —an English sheep cheese similar to its Italian counterpart -pecorino; Coolea a Gouda-style cheese from County Cork in Ireland offers this palate cleansing kind of cheese. Some have whimsical-sounding names—like the Isle of Mull —a spicy Scottish Cheddar. Nealsyard Dairy of London is a small, artisan ‘affineur’ that markets the nutty Doddington. Affineur means ‘to finish.’ Nealsyard purchases cheese products from small farms and has become famous for providing their own unique finishes to the cheeses. Lincolnshire Poacher is a tasty English Cheddar. The ‘poacher’ is a style of cheese unto itself and generally means that the cheese has been pressed twice during the aging process.

Paired with Shea Gourmet Asparagus or Shea Gourmet Beans any of the sharp Cheeses above will delight your family and friends over the holidays!


Enjoy!