Got my goat

I’m venturing off the beaten cow track slightly this week as I’ve been indulging in goat dairy produce, which is quite frankly magnificent. Possibly my favourite textured cheese, and one that I regularly purchase due to its buttery simplicity, is St. Helen’s Farm goats’ cheese from Sainsbury’s. It’s just so imperturbably smooth. I would even go so far as to say it's the James Bond of cheese.

Incidentally, St. Helen’s Farm makes formidable goats butter too. In fact, I am so enamoured by it, I now refuse to eat regular butter (this isn’t strictly true, but if I had a choice, it would be goats butter every time!). So back to the cheese: I often fling this goaty number into my dinners, which all too often end up being an omelette or a sweet potato and sometimes both.

This is super easy, which is why I make it so often. Just four eggs, a red pepper, half an onion, some oil and a generous topping of goats cheese, et voilà!

 This is even easier, just microwave the sweet potato, chop a red pepper and an avocado. Douse in olive oil and balsamic vinegar, grated goats cheese. Lovely.

In the mood to experiment, I decided to veer further into goat territory by trying Kidderton Ash Goats’ Cheese, also by Sainsbury’s. On unpeeling the wrapper, it was slightly disconcerting to see a fine black smudgy outline around the edges, like a kohl-eyelinered 60s siren, or Bond girl, if we're keeping to that theme. 

I tried Kidderton Ash with some Piri Piri Sweet Chilli Flat Bread (so sweet and moreish, that I ate the rest of the packet without any cheese) and a dollop of Waitrose’s sweet and spicy peach chutney. The flavour of the cheese isn’t unlike brie, although it’s more distinctive; its overall texture is creamy, while the charcoaled coating lends a subtle, smoked taste.

Goats, I salute you! If one thing is for certain, it’s that I’ll be trying more of your cheese and continuing to scoff your delicious butter.