"Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese" said G K Chesterton. Harriet Hulme on the other hand is waxing lyrical on the subject.
She's the shop manager of Country Cheeses, an independent cheesemongers in Totnes, Devon owned by Gary and Elise Jungheim.
In the 1980s Gary and Elise realised nearly all the cheeses made locally were being sent up to London, with few available to the local community. So they decided to do something about it and started out with a stall on Tavistock Market. They now have three shops in the South West and a thriving mail order service.
I ask if all the cheeses in the shop are British. Harriet replies, "Yes, not only that but 95 per cent of them are from the West Country. There are only a few from out of the region, Stilton for example, as you can't have a British Cheese shop without the classics." There's over 100 cheeses to choose from; that's a hell of a lot of regional cheese.
Harriet talks more about the history of cheese making in the region. "All artisan cheese making pretty much stopped after the war as milk was pooled." After all there was a nation to rebuild and a future to strive towards. And in this part of the world at least, the art of the local regional cheese nearly died out.
I ask Harriet to talk me through some of her stock. She selects a few for me to sample. First up is 'Sloe Taby'. This cheese is unique and exclusively made for Country Cheeses, due to Gary and Elise's close relationship with the individual cheese makers. It's a goat's milk cheese where the rind is washed in Plymouth Sloe Gin - washed rind is a rarity among goat's cheeses. It tastes amazing; with a nutty tang and a slight back of the nose 'woo' that no doubt comes from the gin. It's also a delicate pink colour because of the sloes and is shaped like a heart - who says goats cheese isn't romantic?
Next up is Sweet Charlotte, which was made to resemble an Emental or Jarlsberg, with a smooth waxy taste and the odd large hole in it. Again it's only made for Country Cheeses. We then sample a Single and Double Gloucester, the difference in colour, depth and taste was really apparent.
While we're talking a couple come in and ask for some Brie, the other sales girl effortlessly steers them onto an English style Brie, explaining how it's made and why it's different. It's this sort of product knowledge and friendly customer service that makes places like Country Cheeses special.
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