Real Ale Reviews

Potted Cheese with Orval and Yorkshire Blue

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Like me, you are probably more familiar with the phrases Potted Beef or Potted Shrimp than Potted Cheese. ‘Potting’ ingredients is a traditional way of stretching ingredients with butter while adding flavours and it can be  done with a good cheese in the same way as it can with meat or fish. These days it is a great way of doing  something different with your cheeseboard and also linking the beer you’re drinking to the food you’re eating.

Ingredients

350g Yorkshire Blue cheese (Stilton or any other strong, crumbly cheese can be used)
75g unsalted butter (at room temperature and cut into cubes)
½ teaspoon ground mace
3 tablespoons Beer Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: Beer Recipes, beer with food, Food, Orval, Potted Cheese, Yorkshire Blue

Beer and cheese suggestions?

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On Sunday a bunch of friends in Leeds are having Christmas dinner. We’ll all be going our separate ways for the festive period so it’s a chance to catch up, eat and drink together, play some board games and enjoying finally admitting that we’re adults with houses now and not students still.

I’m in charge of beer and cheese, after picking some fancy samples at Lincoln Christmas Market earlier this month.

So I’m basically just looking for suggestions, as tomorrow I’m off to Beer Ritz to purchase the beers and on the way back stopping at Leeds Markets for the cheese.

Cheeses I have so far:

White Stilton Strawberries and cream – I’m thinking a strawberry Belgian beer

Yorkshire Black - a local Yorkshire beer?

Maplewood Smoked (just like Applewood smoked really) – a smoky porter or Rauchbier

Lancashire Apple, Raisin and Cinnamon – I’m stumped on this one!

I also have a bottle of aged Orval, but I’m greedily undecided as to whether I’m willing to share this with anyone!

Tags: beer, beer with food, black, cheese, christmas, Food, lancashire, maplewood, smoked, stilton, yorkshire

The Greenwich Union, SE10 8RT

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The Greenwich Union is the brewery pub of the Meantime Brewery…

www.meantimebrewing.com

Located less than 5 minutes walk away from Cutty Sark Station on the DLR this pub is really easy to get to but is located up a quaint side street. The exterior makes it appear as one of those dark traditional pubs. Opening the door you see a strange collision of modern and traditional as the large, light interior contrasts with the atmosphere projected from the street.

We arrived at 3.00pm on a Saturday afternoon and the place was full, we got one of only two or three free tables in the garden and all of the tables inside were occupied. The reason for the full tables soon became apparent as the food being served looked and smelt fantastic. The burgers were massive and were priced at under a tenner.

The round I bought was two pints of London Pale Ale (reviewed on here), a diet coke and two bags of nuts which came to £8.80 altogether. This is cheap enough in the middle of London I thought.

The range of beers on tap were as follows…

Adnams Bitter

Meantime LPA

Meantime Kolner

Meantime Helles

Meantime Wheat

Meantime  High Saison

Meantime London Stout

Aspall Suffolk Cider

As well as this they had a wide range of bottled ales and lagers that any respectable ale house would be proud to boast. For anyone who was unable to decide there were free samples offered and the staff were pleasant and approachable and I’m sure that they will have been happy to offer a helping word. In addition to this I note that the menus offered tasting notes on all of the drinks, dedicating 5 pages to beers and only 2 to food!!!

I certainly recommend this watering hole to anyone in London. Meantime make some cracking beers and they have hit the perfect mix of old and new, traditional and modern, in order to create the perfect environment to drink them in.

Tags: Food, Greenwich, London, Meantime, The Greenwich Union, Watering Hole

Gordon’s Wine Bar – Embankment, London

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I just loved this bar as soon as I walked through the door. Located near Embankment, off Strand, I assume that this place is quite well known but I was new and, despite the blazing sunshine and extensive outdoor seating, I intended to take in the full effect of the dark underground atmosphere. I am intelligent enough to know that I was essentially sat in a sewer but, with candles burning on the tables and dark cooling air, the atmosphere was undeniable.

I was unfortunately accompanied by my hairy Cypriot ex-university mate, but I got the definite feeling that, even with my natural deficiencies with the female of the species, I could make some progress by bringing a date here.

We were drinking the house Tempranillo which, at £4.10 a glass, was expensive (by Leeds prices) for a glass of house red. That said, it was a better quality wine than you can usually expect from the average house red and was, on reflection, worth the money.

I did not eat because I was too full from a Icco’s Pizza (Goodge Street) but the food looked great and reflected the flavour of the place. Check out the menu on the ‘Food’ section of the website… www.gordonswinebar.com

Tags: Add new tag, Food, Gordon's Wine Bar, London, Red Wine, Tempranillo