Another visit to the farmer’s market! Unlike last week’s sweltering inferno, this week was tolerable, even mildly pleasant, so we ventured out to the market. There were some storms here that knocked out our power for a bit, so that meant disposing of our dairy products, sadly, my Brunkow spreads. Not that they last long in this house, but I *hate* to waste cheese!
After restocking, I noticed that Brunkow had brought some Argyleshire to sell! You may recall I was a bit disappointed in their Pendarvis a few weeks ago.
Presumably, Argyleshire takes its name from the Argyllshire region of Scotland. I cannot say if this cheese is fashioned after any Scottish cheese or not, however it is an aged, clothbound cheese (as are most English cheddars, if memory serves). It does have some cheddar-esque characteristics. It’s a slightly sharper cheese, with a golden buttery color. There is a very, very slight hint of the same astringency of the Pendarvis–I wonder if this is a characteristic of where the Brunkow cheeses are aged? However, in the case of the Argyleshire, it mellows out significantly as the cheese warms up to room temperature. The gentleman fro Brunkow whom I was speaking with said that because it’s an aged clothbound cheese, the characteristics will change with the seasons as well.
Overall, I think the Argyleshire is a fine eating cheese, but I think it would be really excellent to cook with. I’m going to try making some homemade macaroni with it this week, and I have a feeling it will not disappoint.