"There's Many a Long Night I've Dreamed of Cheese..."

Go on clever clogs. Do you know what the title is a quotation from and who made it?...

(Answer at the end of the blog entry)

But it is an appropriate title. I adore cheese. There aren't many cheeses I don't like, but I certainly have my favourites. I could become the dairy equivalent of a wine expert - just without the bull-shit and fakeness that seems to go hand in hand with the lovers of the grape.

(Wine experts really get up my nose! "Oh I can smell tulips and a hint of buttercup. Autumnal rain and cosy log fires. There's an after taste of hospital bedsheets and badger. Reminds me of the '73 with a soupçon of the '75" Grrrrrr)

Anyway, back to the cheese. I was in my local supermarket last night (the proper one this time with the horrendously slow queues) and I knew I needed to stock up on cheese. I think I've mentioned before that one thing this store has, is an excellent cheese counter and for the first time I decided to order from it. The prices were steep for some of the imported and flavoured varieties, but the basics were a reasonable cost. I plumped for a medium sized portion of normal edam and then scanned around for a flavoured cheese for a bit of a change.

There in the front corner of the counter was a mild cheese with peppercorns. Ah, it took me straight back to the Isle of Man. Manx cheeses are right up there on my list as some of the best in the world and their flavoured ones are second to none. I knew any other peppercorn cheese would just be a disappointment to me so I glanced elsewhere in the cabinet for something else. Then another familiar flavour caught my eye. 'Mild with sweet chilli'. Another throw back to my yeras on the island. I even used to get the swet chilli one delivered to my door once a week with my milk. It was this variety though that made me do a comical double take. You know one of those moments where you look away but then instantly look back? The wrapper for the sweet chilli cheese carried the Three Legs of Man logo. Another look at the peppercorn and lo and behold there was the same ident. No matter where I go Manx cheeses will always be there for me. I felt quite proud (even though I had nothing to do with making the cheese or organising it's import to Malta).

Sadly the price was extortionate. Yes it'd be worth every cent, but when you know how much it costs at the source it's enough to make you weep. I settled for a Mexican hard cheese instead, but I might be tempted back if I feel the craving gets too much for me...

...now i wonder if they do Manx Queenies and kippers too...

p.s. There was a post script on an earlier entry where I bemoaned the prices in the supermarket. I've kept my last till receipt so thought I'd give you a few examples. I'm using Tesco as a comparison (and I've multiplied the UK price by 1.1 to covert it to Euros as that's the rough exchange rate at the moment)

1kg Kelloggs Cornflakes: - Tesco: 3.49 Scotts: 4.66
2ltrs Coke Zero: - Tesco: 1.37 Scotts: 1.45
Single Pepperami stick: - Tesco: 0.51 Scotts: 0.93
1ltr Energy drink (own brand): - Tesco 0.82 Scotts 1.75
ChicagoTown takeaway pizza: - Tesco 2.75 Scotts 5.10

Get the idea? I have found a few basics are cheaper here though. Milk for instance is 72c a litre (about 1 and 3/4 pints) and italian meats like chorizo and salami are a few cents lower. But I can't exactly live on a diet of pepperoni and milk can I?....

...or can I? hee hee

ANSWER: Ben Gunn in R.L. Stevenson's 'Treasure Island'