Wine and cheese

One day, a cheese shop appeared in Menai Bridge. It took a long time for me to actually go there. But once I did, it was lodged in my consciousness! The first time I went for the Octoberfest gathering. The second time I was getting ready for my sister’s visit. That time, Susan joined me. And she noticed a sheet of paper announcing upcoming events. Things like wine and cheese tasting or cheese and whisky tasting. We were interested! And not much later, we registered for an evening with cheese and wine. 

On the day this evening would take place I had first been into the hills, so I needed a shower before I would be comfortable attending such a civilised event. And when I got out of the shower I decided to just seize the opportunity for looking uncharacteristically smart! I put on my polkadot dress and smart boots. And it was cold outside, so I put on a jacket as well. And before I stepped out of the door, I added my smart coat.

Given that the roads were treacherous, Martin had offered to drive us all in the Land Rover. I did mean he couldn't drink much, but he didn't mind. And when we got there, we were the second group to appear. It was the four of us, and then two couples (I think), and then the company was completed by two friends, one of which was actually a colleague of ours! It was good to see her. And then there was, of course, the organiser: Ed from the cheese shop.

The program

We sat down by plates that already had the cheese on. A sheet of paper by each plate explained what the cheeses and wines were. The first wine had already been poured! It was a British sparkling wine. It was meant to go with truffle brie. 

Ed gave a bit of an explanation with every cheese and wine combination. After the truffle, that taste went mild; the next cheese was a young goat’s cheese. And we worked our way up to stronger and stronger cheeses, ending with a good blue stilton. That had to be paired with port! 

It was nice to catch up among ourselves, but also nice to chat with the people we didn't know. And we heard a bit more about it background of the cheese shop. Ed had first had one in London, but had come to North Wales in search for a bit more space, especially for his children. I think he's established the shop now! Which I think is harder than it would be in London. The space he was looking for also means there are fewer people around that could buy your cheese. My guess is that if the shop survives the winter he'll be fine. Although I know very little about retail.

When it was done we went home. It has been quite a civilised evening, but I still was fairly full! Especially because of the Mont d’Or. Of all the other cheeses, we just had a modest slice on our plates, but there were four entire Mont d’Ors on the table, with bread to combine it with. We were encouraged to finish them! That was a lot more cheese than any of the rest. And at the end of the night, all these cheeses (none had been entirely finished) found someone to go home with. I was one of them.

I also had drunk more alcohol than I normally do! Not to excess at all, but I am quite a lightweight. I would find the next day I was quite happy to make it a relaxed pottering Sunday! Even though the weather was a lot better than it had been the day before…