This week we had the immense pleasure of visiting the flagship Paxton & Whitfield store in Jermyn Street, Piccadilly to learn about their cheeses, a bit of history and taste some amazing fondues.  Paxton & Whitfield kindly shared the fondue recipes with us, and this post will largely be sharing the love of these so you can stock up on your cheesy goodness and prep these for yourselves at home.

Interestingly, P&W have been in their Jermyn street location since the 1700s so I’m only assuming the whole building is now made out of cheese. Surely?! Anyway, these guys are award winning cheesemongers and as soon as you walk through the door, the glorious scent hits you. Counters are piled high with wheels of cheese and they have a hell of a selection on offer.

Onto the fondue! We have some general Etiquette and Terminology points for you to bear in mind when eating your fondue… with some added FMPH commentary!

• Allowing ones tongue to touch the dipping fork is thought of as rude (FMPH commentary – we have to lick the cheese off…so… #sorrynotsorry we do not waste fork cheese)
• Refrain from using any fork other than your own.
• No “double dipping” – After a dipped morsel has been tasted, it should never be returned to the pot. In Swiss tradition, if a nugget of bread is lost in the cheese by a man, he buys a bottle of wine for the host, and if such a thing happens to befall a woman, she kisses the man on her left. (FMPH commentary – we’re all for equality here so whichever penalty you prefer should apply to both sexes. Considering all the harassment scandals and unwanted sexual advances lately we would recommend sticking to the buying wine option!)
• The fondue bowl is called a Caquelon.
• The thin crust of cheese at the bottom of the Caquelon is called ‘la religieuse’ and is shared by those who succeed in the etiquette (FMPH commentary – get some of this, it is DELICIOUS!)

Both of these recipes are set to serve 4 people but I will judge you not if you wish to have this to yourself or between 2! I am a fellow cheese fiend and you have my FULL SUPPORT in making your gluttony based cheese choices. The two different ingredient lists are at the top then the same method and suggested dipping ingredients can be used for each which I’ve added underneath. Enjoy!

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Classic Cheese Fondue Recipe (serves 4)

Ingredients

600g Rindless Cheese – grated (Gruyere Reserve, Comte Jeune and Allgau Emmental)
1 Garlic Clove – cut in half
300ml Dry White Wine
1 tbsp Lemon Juice
1½ tbsp  Cornflour
Ground Pepper to taste

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Modern British Fondue Recipe (serves 4)

Ingredients

600g Rindless Cheese – grated (Lincolnshire Poacher, Mayfield, Ogleshield)
1 Garlic Clove – cut in half
300ml  Dry English Cider
1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
1½ tbsp Cornflour
Ground Pepper to taste

Method

• Rub the inside of a saucepan with the garlic clove and discard (or eat it if you are a fiend like me).
• Add the wine and lemon juice and bring to a simmer over a medium heat.
• Place the cheese into a bowl and toss in the cornflour.
• Add the cheese to the saucepan a handful at a time, stirring continuously until smooth. Continue adding the cheese until it is all melted.
• A few bubbles are fine but never let it boil.
• Pour the mixture into a fondue pot and keep warm with the burner.
• Serve immediately.

Serving suggestions

Crusty bread, raw vegetables, sausage, grilled chicken, cured meats, cornichons, pickles

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Please give these recipes a crack and let us know what you thought! Happy cheesemas!

Forked by Stefpuff

http://www.paxtonandwhitfield.co.uk

Twitter/Instagram: @paxtonscheese