If you’re a lover of cheese then you’ve got to meet Claudia McIntosh who is the woman behind the cheese experience company and cheese monger, MCINTOSH & BOWMAN. A walking/running encyclopaedia on all things fromage, Claudia is an educator in the art of cheese making, tasting and is an infectious delight to be around.
In her Good Day Girl White Shirt and denim Cigarette Pants, we ate cheese and chatted to this passionate, engaged and generous girl.
Read Claudia’s cheese plate suggestions below and think about taking on one of her amazing cheese experiences at Fort Denison – imagine sitting in the middle of Sydney Harbour, with a plate of exotic cheeses matched to the perfect tipple while being exposed to cheese intelligencia?! Yes please!!!
What’s a suggestion for a perfect Christmas cheese plate?
Fleur du maquis: This Corsican Sheep cheese is a fantastic, complex and floral taste sensation. Rich lanolin and rosemary just some of the flavour explosions you will enjoy”
Petit Munster: One of France’s most cherished washed rind varietals- meaty, animal, masculine – not for the faint of heart or pallet challenged, its the cheese equivalent of a dirty martini.
Fromage de Meaux: a soft brie style, it has a rich and condensed flavour, as the wheel matures, the flavour intensifies – yum.
La Luna: Holy Goat indeed – this mature aged goats cheese is an addictive delight. Creamy texture and yeasty rind, it put’s people under the table with delight.
Pyengana Chedder: what’s not to love about a traditional English style of cloth bound cheddar made by a 4th generation cheese maker George Healy down in Tassie?! Great long lasting flavour and matches well with anything I’m drinking whisky, wine or craft beer!
Dehesa de los Manchego: this was Sophie’s suggestion as she has some fantasy about Hemingway, monks, a small car, rolling hills, manchego and red wine….or something like that…
Cashel Irish Blue: this blue is to Ireland what Stilton is to England, it’s a national treasure and it is delicious.
Throw on some mascatels and a log of the most divine PASTILLA NASH prune and walnut joy.
Most interesting cheese pairing you have come across?
I ask that everyone goes out this weekend and buys ginger biscuits or ‘snaps’ as they are sometimes called and pair it with a blue cheese such as this amazing Cashel Blue or perhaps Stilton. I recommend supporting local producers and highly recommend Pecora Dairy’s ‘Jamberoo Blue from NSW Southern Highlands. This is exceptional too!
What do you like to drink with cheese?
There is a cracker of a new sparkling wine that’s just been release called Rococo from DEBORTOLI family vineyard! This is magnificent for the effervescence cutting through the cream of most cheeses and lifting your palate! Its light and champagne like and my no one bubbles for this summer.
Do you have a little known cheese fact?
YES! Question – Does cheese give you nightmares?
Anecdotally, people have commonly experienced nightmares after eating cheese, however it is purely an individual experience and has never been clinically proven. It could be assumed that because the body works hard at breaking down and digesting nutrient rich foods, such as cheese, that body temperature could increase, promoting an uncomfortable and restless sleep, which could in turn trigger an unhappy state and bad dreams.
Interestingly, a study in 2005 conducted by the British Cheese Board found that cheese did alter people’s dreams but in fact positively affected sleep. Two hundred people were tested over a fortnight using six different British cheeses. The findings were that whilst the dreams produced were specific to the type of cheese and were in some cases described as colourful and vivid, or cryptic, none of the cheeses tested were found to induce nightmares.
How did you start in cheese?
It was my love of, and studies in wine that perfectly positioned me for, I suppose, the somewhat natural introduction of cheese; as one typically enjoys cheese while drinking wine. I found that my appreciation of viticulture and wine were easily transferable to many aspects of the science and art of producing, maturing and appreciating cheese. So in a nutshell….wine!
Some thoughts on Style!
How long does it take you to get dressed in the morning?
Baby I wake up like this- I slip into my Good Day Girl shirt and I’m ready to go!
On Good Day Girl: How do you feel when you wear the clothes?
You know the feeling when you’ve had your hair blow-dried at the hairdresser and for the next three days you don’t have to do a thing to your hair to pull off an impressive look?……..yeah… my Good Day Girl shirt is that. it’s my little black dress that is a fresh white shirt that I slip on with pants, leopard print tights or my new jeans that are stressed to look old and I rock out like I’m unaware of the chic I’m ooozzzzzizng!!!
To meet the woman herself, get in touch with Claudia here:
Claudia McIntosh, McIntosh and Bowman
Website: HTTP://MCINTOSHANDBOWMAN.COM/
Big thank you to Claudia and SIMON JOHNSON where we found the cheeses of joy!
Plus our awesome photographer Dean Tirkot.
xoxoxoxoxo
Comments
0 comments