Non Milk Cheeses

I was in the pub the other night when the discussion got to cheeses and the different types you could make. 

As with many conversations that involve alcohol we quickly got into the naming of cheeses and after several minutes were running short of names

Someone brought up the subject of non milk vegetarian cheeses but no one could remember any of the names or if they had ever tried them.

I then put forward the name of bullace cheese and was met by a sea of blank faces, “No such thing” was the claim by all around the table and they were not having it even after i tod them what it was.

Not strictly cheeses in the Cheddar or Camembert sense but instead a form of jam much in the same way as marmalade is. This is a historic for of making a fruit preserve that has been lost to many people but still remains in the small villages in historic counties such as Suffolk or Somerset.

I remember by Grandmother making these 40 years ago and as a special treat we would have these spread on freshly baked bread and butter made that day in the local farm – such things are banned nowadays due to the strictures of EU directives and a part of our history has been lost again.

The cheese was easy to make and consisted of just fruit and sugar, preferably unrefined sugar. The fruit was gently sweated in a pan until it was soft and then passed through a fine sieve, or muslin cloth to leave just the pureed fruit. The sugar was then added and reheated gently for about an hour until the mixture stiffened.

As equal measures of fruit pulp and sugar are used this is an excellent way to use up excess amounts of fruit that become available if there is a glut. Bullace, Damson, and Cranberry are 3 of the more popular fruits to use.

Because there are no preservatives other than sugar used in the process the cheeses do not keep longer than 4 months, although they do improve after a couple of months. This could be the reason why fruit cheeses have become unpopular as commercially made jams and preserves last for months.

Cheeses such as these can be used as a spread or bread or crumpets as with commercial jams but can also be used as an accompaniment to cold meats or milk cheeses. They are particularly good with poultry especially chicken and pheasant.

It has been a long time since I saw such preserves available in mainline shops but there are more places now offering them in their catering establishments especially those historical sites such as castles and National trust homes in the UK.

The home of the fruit cheese is and probably always will be with Women’s Institute or WI as it is often called which has its base in the UK. Every year hundreds of women make these preserves both for completion and for use in their homes so next time you visit a fair or market keep your eyes open for this little bit of history and culinary enjoyment.