We have just returned from a wonderful week spent exploring the Isle of Mull. Before we arrived I did a bit of research (I’m not just a cheese nerd…!) and I hadn’t realised that it is as big as it is. In fact, Mull is the 4th largest island in Great Britain, yet its population is relatively small (although it increases significantly in the summer with the influx of tourists). But the island is beautiful and well worth a visit. We saw eagles, dolphins, whales, a porpoise and numerous other creatures, just fabulous!

Naturally we couldn’t visit somewhere without going to the local cheese merchant, and I had already contacted the good folk at Isle of Mull Cheese to see if we could pop by. They have a fabulous cafe and so we headed there for lunch one day. Ali had a delicious looking tart whilst I opted (obviously) for the cheeseboard! Wonderful cheddar and a beautiful Hebridean Blue that I hadn’t tried before. The Isle of Mull Cheddar is one of our stock cheeses and I am currently working out how to stock the blue… we don’t have it in the counter yet but give me time!

In other Pangbourne news… Our Christmas orders are now open. You can either shop online or pop into the shop and pick up a form. If you want to collect your order, they are all stored in our sister shop, The Loose Larder. This is just a couple of doors away from the cheese shop and we have a large walk in fridge which is perfect for Christmas. If you order in advance it saves queuing for up to an hour! You can also choose to have your cheese delivered, either by us or by our nationwide courier partner.

We have a new cheese in the counter, Ashcombe. Made in the Cotswolds it was first created during lock down and is a British take on the French cheese, Morbier. We were very excited to hear that it won the British Cheese Awards just a couple of days ago and we can definitely see why. It isn’t available yet through our website but hopefully it will be soon.

Well that’s about all from me. I’ve just finished prepping cheese for a cheese & wine evening tonight, we’ve got some fabulous pairings which I’m very excited to share. But time now for a cuppa before our attendees arrive!