Fans of our justifiably famous cheese souffle will know that there is a little extra something that makes it so special. And we are happy to share with you what that something is.
We’d like to introduce you to Eric Charriaux of Premier Cheese. We have a longstanding relationship with Eric, who has worked with us for years, bringing us the very best of seasonal cheeses, both French and local, from the finest cheesemakers out there. Like Eric & us, they are passionate about provenance, seasonality, taste, and they thrive on building relationships that are closer to friendships than supplier / buyer contracts.
As part of our current series on these fabulous suppliers we are lucky enough to work with, we persuaded Eric and Clive (Brasserie Blanc Executive Chef Director) to take us along on a field trip to Ford Farm in Dorset where they make the exceptional Coastal Cheddar – the key ingredient in our famous BB cheese soufflé.
The people behind the cheese at Ford Farm, Mike Pullin, Martin Crabb & Robin Willsher were fabulous hosts, clearly and justifiably proud of their set up, and thier cheese. They believe that great cheese is made by great people and they put their money where their mouths are. Some of the staff we met and talked with had been working there for nearly twenty years.
We were fascinated by how much of the cheesemaking process is still done by hand, by only a few highly skilled cheesemakers; Martin swears he can taste who has made which batch of cheese. The aging and grading process has a sort of alchemical magic to it, and much of their best cheddar is aged in their own specially designed and built cave. Yes, they have their own batcave!
Both Eric & Ford Farm are as passionate about the quality of the product they produce, so you can understand why we have worked with them for so long.
You can have a look at some short video snippets from our visit to Ford Farm below.
See what Eric thinks of Ford Farm Coastal Cheddar & meet the special cows who provide the milk for Ford Farm’s Coastal Cheddar.
Music by The Color Studio