Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

Aside from reasonably priced furniture, when one thinks of Ikea, one tends to envisage Swedish meatballs and cranberry sauce, mmm, want some now! (at least I do). Little did I know that they also produce some rather lovely cheese.

Cheese from Ikea: Ost Herrgard

Meet Ost Herrgard—a smooth, buttery and nutty number with more than a little resemblance to Leerdammer. Mild yet delicious, you could easily scoff slices of this on its own. My family and I decided to eat the French way and pair this Swedish delight with some fresh seeded bread. And I might add that this was after a hefty meal.




Still, I would say we were simply paying fromage, I mean homage, to French turophile Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, who once declared: “Dessert without cheese is like a beauty with only one eye.” I don’t know of any similar nuggets of cheese wisdom from a Swede (person not vegetable), but I do like the Swedish proverb: “Wisdom is in the head and not in the beard.” Who knew?

Adventures in Bruges

I’d been meaning to hop over to Bruges (not literally) for some time. Finally, spurred into action by a colleague handing out some delectable Belgian chocolates, I decided that I too, should visit the place famous for cobbled streets, chocolate and Irish hit men.

We sampled many a beer, dutifully climbed the tiny, windy staircase of the Belfry of Bruges, took a charming canal tour and eagerly explored the chocolate museum—Choco-Story. I particularly enjoyed the latter’s assortment of Playmobil displays scattered throughout the exhibition.

Belgian beer

Belfry of Bruges

Three cows in a Playmobil field at Choco-Story

And, of course, there was cheese. I tried an Italian salad with asparagus, sundried tomatoes and Parmesan at chic lunch boutique De Belegde Boterham. Sadly, all ingredients except for the lettuce were scarce, and it could have really done with more crunch. On the plus side, the bread was heavenly—fresh, soft brown slices with sunflower seeds, which mopped up the dressing nicely.

Italian salad

So, what was the cheese highlight of the weekend?

After wandering Bruges’ chilly January streets in search of dinner on our final night, we happily found Est Wijnbar. Aside from their extensive wine selection, they serve tapas and, more importantly, raclette!

Raclette is both the name of the dish and a type of Swiss cheese. Literally meaning to scrape (racler), you heat the cheese and watch it slowly softening, ready to be scooped swiftly onto carbs and greedily devoured.

Raclette

Confession: I had never eaten raclette before, and predicted that this would be one of the most positive (cheese) experiences of my life. Several glasses of Californian white wine later, my prediction was accurate; I was full and very very happy. This wasn’t just due to the wine.

Raclette and accompaniments

Although strong, the raclette flavour is not overpowering, and once spread onto bread slices and sprinkled with a little pepper, it’s incredibly addictive. Along with generous helpings of cured meat, pickles and bread, we guzzled almost all we were given.

The end of the affair

Raclette is a perfect way to warm body and soul on a cold winter night. My advice to you is, whenever possible, order this magnificent Swiss dish; you won’t raclette it.