Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Blue Cheese And Mangoes


Before getting too deep into this new blog, I wanted to take a quick moment to mention my first blog which I started with Jen. You can find it at Blue Cheese and Mangoes.

I had great fun writing it and it charts our lives through the food we ate as we lived in London and then moved out to France. I found it a great motivation for trying new things, such as Chilli Jam and, ahem, Bacon Ice Cream. But I have some other favourite posts too, such as my adapted Profiterole recipe which I always go back to if I need to make a batch.

There are some posts which make me cringe though, notably the ones involving cheese (if you're desperate to find them it shouldn't be too difficult). I suppose that it's a testament to the amount that I've learnt since arriving in France that these posts, written by a then very keen amateur, seem indeed quite amateurish - expressing an afinity for Caprice des Dieux in my current work place probably counts as a border-line sackable offence (more details on why you shouldn't be buying cheese from a supermarket at this post).

That said, these early cheese musings proved pretty popular and it just didn't feel right to take them down. So here I am, striking out in a new, slightly more informed and professional direction with The Cheese and I. I hope that you enjoy it.

Who knows, maybe in a few years, I'll look back on the posts here and cringe. I suppose that's what learning is all about.

Monday, July 2, 2012

An Introduction...

This is the start of a blog that I hope will follow me over the next few years as I explore both a new industry and a new country. And what better way to start than with a picture of a goat!

In August 2011, I left my job as a government accountant to undertake a two year career break with the hope of breaking into the french artisinal cheese scene. Now that I've managed to gain employment with a serious player in the industry, I feel that it's time I started to write down a bit about my experiences.
I'm doing this to try and de-mystify and translate the french attitudes and understanding of cheese and to give my thoughts on how better to buy serve and enjoy cheese.

I hope that I manage to tell my story in a way that interests you and that you choose to follow my progress.