There I was, wheeling my trolley around the aisles of Woolworths, minding my own business.
When when out of the corner of my eye I spotted a gold foil wrapped cheese sitting behind the glass cabinet.
I swung abruptly and skidded to a halt, and stared at the round of cheese, and yes, there it was, in all its glory, Cashel Blue Cheese from Ireland.
Well blow me down, that’s a first for South Africa.
This cheese is a total delight. I tracked down the manager and I found Richard, who was only too delighted to tell me that recently, the Woolworths group
have changed their cheese supplier for specialty cheeses.
He assured me that the Cashel Blue was only the start of it. Watch out Checkers.
Well that put a skip in my step.
So what’s so good about Cashel Blue cheese?
Cashel Blue is semi soft blue cows milk cheese, made from un-homogenised milk from a herd of Friesian cattle in County Tipperary in Ireland.
Jane and Louis Grubb are the husband and wife behind this cheese success story.
It’s a farmhouse cheese which was able to crack the UK market.
The cheese is sold young when it’s firm and crumbly but it’s best eaten at three months of age when it has a softer creamier taste and has a more mature flavour.
This cheese is one of my gourmet delights.
And how to eat it?
Let me count the ways.
Obviously on plain crackers or with fruit. Wait ’till you taste this in a celery soup, or on a salad with walnuts. Of course you can always melt some of it with a dollop of creme frache and
you have a sauce which is pure heaven for your taste buds.
Oh yes indeedy, I’m a happy woman this weekend.
R279 per kilogramme, which equates to R35 for a piece about the size of a deck of cards.






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Great news!
Hi Michael,
I can’t wait until Woolworths get their full specialty cheese range in. I feel a tasting coming on, matched with some Woolworths wines.
They don’t have any at the V&A – did you get yours from Cavendish?
Michael,
Yes, I got mine in the Cavendish. Surprised they don’t stock it in the V&A…..
A lovely man from Woolworths Head Office called me today to explain that Cashel Blue is only available in Cavendish and Constantia. He said it would be the end of July before the specialists cheeses started to roll out across all stores.
Hi there,
do you know of anyone who sells unhomogenised milk (that’s still pasteurised – not super pasteurised)? I would drive a long way to get hold of it. I don’t want my children drinking homogenised milk at all. Really don’t want to touch it. I am looking for a dairy that will supply to me.
Kind regards
Magarietha Zondagh
Sorry in fact, Woollies should take the lead here and get some farmers to produce unhomogenised milk (the old fashioned way) to us. There is no choice and I don’t understand why. Everytime I write to a major dairy group I get a letter back from their inhouse scientists spelling out the virtues (NOT) of homogenised milk. My son is a molecular biochemist. I really do want pasteurized unhomogenised milk and i will find it. I am allergic to moulds unfortunately so can’t eat this wondrous blue cheese, but I want that milk where it came from. as in PRONTO!
Can anyone out there perhaps help in this? Thanx everyly so much.