valentine's

  1. Classic Valentine’s Day Cheeses : the story

    January is always a quiet time in the cheese business, as waistlines expand and belts tighten.  For those of us  who haven’t started a fad diet, or are still working our way through the remains of the, Stilton we can start to turn our heads to the next ‘cheesey’ event: Valentine’s Day.
    Cheese may not be your first thought when it comes to Valentine’s Day but lovers have been giving cheese as a gift for over 500 years.

    It all started during England’s occupation of France during the Hundred Years’ War (1337 – 1453).  In the region of Neufchatel, French dairy maids, enamoured by their English occupiers, started to make the local cheese into a heart shape.  And so the ubiquitous and original heart-shaped cheese was born - all  soft, white, bloomy rind and creamy interior.
    Since then cheese-makers across the globe have taken to making heart-shaped cheeses for Valentine’s Day.  
    At The Fine