Mindful tasting, using all the senses

Cheesemonger and author Ned Palmer works with cheesegeek and the

BBC Good Food team to curate selections for the BBC Good Food Cheese Club. He is the founder of the Cheese Tasting Company and is a judge for the International Cheese Awards. Ned has written two books, the Sunday Times bestseller A Cheesemonger’s History of the British Isles, (Pro ile Books, £9.99) and

A Cheesemonger’s Compendium of British and Irish Cheese (Pro ile

Books, £14.99).

First, examine your cheese. The colour indicates the animal – pure white for goat, ivory for sheep and sunny yellow for cow’s milk. Is it creamy at the edge? Does the rind have a mix of colours? Next, squeeze it. Hard cheeses should be irm, leaving a slight trace of moisture on the ingertips; soft cheeses should have some give, but not fall apart. Next, smell all the aromatics that make a big contribution to lavour. Now, take a bite, noticing what you taste irst, and what develops. Pay attention to the inish – like a good wine, a good cheese should have length.

Start with the milder cheeses, moving on to the intense. (You can ind the ideal order on the insert inside the box.)