CHEESE

Living as I do for about 6 months each year in France, I am privileged to have a massive choice of good cheeses available, even at the Deli counter in my local supermarket. There are said to be up to 400 distinct types of French cheeses, grouped into eight categories. But within each category there can be many varieties so the true figure is closer to 1,000 different types of French cheese! And I've not even begun to mention the thousands of Italian, British, Greek or other cheeses that we are so lucky to have available.

For eating, we all have our favourites, of course! In France, mine include the rich, creamy Pont-l'Évêque from Normandy, the 'aromatic' but beautifully mild Langres from the Champagne-Ardenne region, the well-known Brie de Meaux from the Ile-de-France area, the Emmental with all the holes in it, the world-renowned Camembert, the equally famous Rocamadour (Cabécou) from the cliff-hanging town in the photo that bears its name and, of course, the king of blue cheese, Roquefort - also from the Midi-Pyrénées.

When I'm back on the Isle of Man, I have less choice but, amongst the British Cheeses, there are such gems as honey-flavoured Wensleydale, crumbly Lancashire, nutty Red Leicester, the prized Double Gloucester, the slightly salty Cheshire dating from the 12th century, the delicate blue veined Stilton and some with wonderfully descriptive names like Stinking Bishop, Pilgrims Choice and Lincolnshire Poacher. And where, I wonder, would the cooking world be if someone hadn't created good old Cheddar?

When it comes to cooking (even on burgers), forget those bland 'plastic' processed cheeses, choose instead quality hard cheeses like Cheddar, Emmental and Parmesan or softer cheeses like Brie and Feta. Please don't eat stuff that was made in a chemical factory - with a little help from humans, the cows, goats and sheep have been producing the stuff successfully for centuries!