Balearic hunk

I was introduced to Sacanova – no, Google, I don’t mean Casanova – by my parents, who’d kindly brought some back from their recent holiday to Majorca. This sizeable piece of cheese actually originates from one of the smaller Balearic islands, Menorca. 

Sacanova is nice and squishy, speckled with little holes and encased in a bright orange rind. Creamy and mild, the slight tanginess instantly reminds me of a sheep’s cheese such as Manchego or Ossau-Iraty. For the record, it’s classed as an aged Mahon, which is a white cheese made from cow’s milk. 

Although I enjoyed it neat, you could try it with a sprinkling of black pepper, tarragon and olive oil - apparently the traditional manner of eating Mahon cheeses. While inoffensive – more boy band than lothario – I for one wouldn’t turn down another serving of Sacanova.

It's a wrap

Pancakes are one of the few dishes that work equally well in their savoury and sweet incarnations. While I am all too fond of indulging my sweet tooth, there’s no denying that when cheese is involved, pancakes reach new levels of deliciousness. I went straight for the holy trinity: three cheese kale pancakes. 

I adapted this Waitrose recipe slightly: there weren’t any savoury pancakes available, so I used seeded tortilla wraps. Not quite the same texture, clearly, although I could easily roll them into cigar shapes in preparation for the oven. Also, there was no ricotta available, so I used a tomato stir-in sauce that included it ­— ingenious, I know.

Tortilla 'pancakes' with tomato sauce and ricotta filling

With sublime cheesy smells wafting from the oven, I waited in mouth-watering anticipation.

Ping pong mozzarella balls

I’m proud to tell you that, despite my substitutions, the tortillas emerged crisp, crunchy and blissfully cheesy. Very filling too.





You can also banish any thoughts of indulgence guilt, as the addition of superfood kale means that these pancakes are in fact very, very healthy. My advice is to get wrapping.

Cutie Pié

Lying seductively in the billowing folds of waxy paper is Pié D’angloys, a rich and creamy darling. The Marilyn Monroe of cheese perhaps. I’ve already gushed about a blonde bombshell though, so let’s just say that this one is also a cheese starlet.

Pié D’angloys is made from cow’s milk and comes from Burgundy of eastern France, home to many Burgundian buildings and copious vineyards. The edible orangey rind is washed in wine, while the soft gooey centre ripens from the outside in.

Perfect with a slab of crusty French bread, or avocado and strawberry jam on a crunchy bagel (my fave light meal), the taste and consistency is similar to Brie, although it’s slightly milder and rather salty.

I wanted to branch out from my usual bagel territory, (not too far, mind) so I tried this eggy croque monsieur recipe by James Tanner, swapping Brie for Pié D’angloys and using brown seeded slices instead of white crusty bread. The result? Gloopy deliciousness. It’s pretty messy but oh so worth it. Accompany with a balsamic-drizzled mixed salad and you’re golden.

Molten cheese - the croque monsieur

Dennis, the god of wine

I’ve already gushed about how cheese and wine make great friends; even better, then, is learning how to appreciate good wine while you’re glugging it down with specially-chosen cheese.

This is exactly what I did, thanks to another Time Out offer.

Dionysius Importers are named after the Greek god of wine, Dionysus. Or, as I like to call him — Dennis. Italian wine specialists, they select vineyards based on their quality, resulting in a highly respectable selection. 

My friend Matt accompanied me on this cheese and wine odyssey, which took place in an unassuming hotel basement in Paddington where long tables were laid out in the style of children's birthday parties. Handily, we all knew where to sit as Dionysius had printed our names on the table mats.

Inspecting the seating

Our authentic Italian hosts then proceeded to show us how to drink wine. Properly that is. We were instructed to hold the red wine against a white napkin; if the edge of the wine was as dark as the middle and the same colour throughout the glass, then it’s full-bodied.

We were also told to slosh the wine around the glass before sticking our noses in for a whiff. Next, to sip and hold it in our mouths underneath the tongue, while opening and closing aforementioned mouth to let in some air. Talk about multi-tasking! We all giggled as our host waggled his finger to demonstrate.

I was also surprised to learn that if you can still taste the wine eight seconds after swallowing, then it’s a good ‘un.

All of this happened, naturally, in conjunction with cheese nibbling. Five wines, five complementary cheeses. As the names of these cheeses were long and Italian, alas my untrained English ears didn't catch all of them. 

Wine friends: assorted Italian cheeses

For me, the highlight was Bra Tenero, cut into cubes; this reminded me of an upmarket Cheese String with its elastic texture, delizioso! 

Bra Tenero

Another highlight was a smokey number — the circular cheese in the picture just below the Bra Tenero. Soft and chewy, Matt said it tasted like the moon, which I like to think it did, albeit with a hint of Pepperoni.

Finally, we were given another serving of our favourite wine of the night. My personal favourite was Malvasia Secca, a sparkling, soft-flavoured white wine we tried at the beginning of the tasting; apparently an excellent choice for cold meat starters.

Perhaps you already know how to drink wine, in which case I'm very happy for you. Nonetheless, I’d like to raise a toast to Dionysius Importers, who do a fine job introducing guests to high-quality Italian cheese and first-rate wine. Chin chin!