Damson Cheese ; The King of Preserves!

I'm actually still in Italy so don't have Hugh Fearnley Whittingstalls book with me to get this recipe but as I was googling Damson Cheese I came across this brilliant blog , Mudpies & Minestrone, and have just spent the past hour reading all the beautiful recipes and posts. I love that; When I come across something different and fresh. Sarah over at Mudpies and Minestrone is also a caterer, all the lucky Londoners having access to her inventive cooking!

Anyway I did find a recipe for Damson Cheese on her blog and it's pretty much the same as the one we used, as far as I remember! Every year my boyfriend Colm makes Quince Cheeese as he has a steady supply of local quince! I love that stuff. It's also known as Membrillo and is usually eaten with the spanish cheese Manchego. Iago in The English Market in Cork sell Membrillo in little tubs along side their Manchego cheese. Quince paste has a lovely fig like grainy texture. Last year Colm made Damson Cheese and I have to say I was hooked on the stuff. It's richness is beautiful with goats cheese and saltier, stronger cheeses. It's the stronger cousin of membrillo and I had to request that he make a large batch again this year! He usually just pours it into a large tin and then slices it up into 'portion sizes' and wraps it in greaseproof paper. This keeps in the fridge for a good few months, I've never found out how long because we always eat it within 4 months anyway! Here is Sarah's recipe for Damson Cheese.

Luckily there are trees near us that were dripping with damsons this year. Last year there weren't as many. Not to be mistaken with the smaller blueberry style tart little sloe, the damson is larger and more like a wild plum.

Lilly x