'Stilton? With Mango....and Ginger?!

'Stilton? With Mango...and Ginger?!' she said with a look somewhere between intrigue and revulsion. The pause between Mango and Ginger was perfectly timed, almost as though she could just about accept the Mango aspect but surely not the Ginger! I was immediately reminded of Peter Kay. An American, female version of Peter Kay. Anybody who has seen that famous sketch in which the comic describes how family members become increasingly exasperated at the combination of certain food products will know exactly what I am referring to.

Peter Kay. Cheese? and Cake?

     The lady had approached the cheese counter and asked for 'something different that was flavor infused.' After a short enthralling conversation in which we discussed the differences between the English and American spelling of flavor/flavour I told her to turn her attention to the Stilton, with Mango and Ginger. She then proceeded to do her best Peter Kay impression (even though I'm certain she had no idea who he was) before repeating it under her breath as if I had told her the cheese would somehow enable her to fly but was also made with poison. To her credit she was very entertaining and she picked up a piece of cheese for closer inspection. 'What does it taste like?' she exclaimed whilst poking the bits of Mango in the cheese as if to check that they were real. Apart from telling her that it was English cheese and therefore obviously good, I also said that it was a bit like cheese cake (Peter Kay) and that it has a unique creaminess and fruitiness that can only be attributed to the crazy combination of unusual flavors! She didn't look convinced so I allowed her to try some. I cut a slice off and handed it to her. She looked uneasy, beads of sweat were dripping down her forehead with worry as she guided the sample towards her. After initially pulling the face a baby pulls when you give him/her a piece of lemon for the first time, she relaxed and said she was pleasantly surprised with how it tasted. She said she could see herself eating it as a dessert cheese after a meal. I agreed!

A cheeky piece of Stilton

     Produced by Long Clawson Dairy in the UK, Stilton with Mango and Ginger is one of a number of British cheeses that have a long history of sweet or savoury infusion. Others varieties are more well known such as Cotswold with Chives, Lancashire with Garlic and Cheddar with Mustard. Mango, Ginger Stilton is one of the best sweeter options around. Despite conceding that she enjoyed it, the lady in question never did buy the piece that she sampled. Instead she opted for the 'safety' of....Wensleydale with Cranberries......

Cheese-o-meter rating: 8/10