On Friday Fives On Cheese

1. What was the first type of cheese you ever ate?

I don't know, probably Cheddar. That is the default cheese in the UK. The first cheese I remember eating and not liking was Camembert. I'm still not a massive fan unless it is baked in the oven. The first cheese that wasn't Cheddar that I remember eating and liking was Jarlsburg

2. What was the type of cheese you ate most recently?

As a stand alone cheese - some sort of blue cheese from the Islands. I forget the name but it was very nice, sweet and nutty. Tell a lie, I grilled some halloumi to go with pizza the other day. Which makes the last cheese I ate mozzeralla from the pizza.

3. What is the most unusual cheese you ever ate?

There's plenty of unusual cheese to be had in the European Union, what with the single market in cheese and the curd mountain and growth in international tourism and a renaissance in Scottish cuisine means that there a many fantastic cheeses to be had. However, the most unusual cheese I've ever eaten has to be Tilamook Cheese from Oregon because it was foreign.

4. What is your favorite cheese?

Depends on what I'm doing with it.

I am very partial to Stilton after dinner. I like Jarlsburg with a ham or pastrami sandwich. Crowdie has a nice lemony zing to it. Grilled halloumi if I'm making a greek lamb dish. It's pointless saying Cheddar because the width of choice within Cheddar is so wide. I dislike dry crumbly cheeses like Wensleydale. I do like feta.

5. What is your favorite dish made with cheese?

Difficult to look past cheese on toast, bit of Worcestshire sauce, perhaps a smidgen of Gentleman's Relish under the cheese, or few piece of chopped onion and bacon.

Or a cheese omlette.

I have a great recipe for macaronni and cheese with bacon and onion. Probably that's my favourite.

On Friday Fives on "the holidays"

1. Have you seen any holiday commercials yet?

By holiday I think Christmas is meant. No I don't think I have. I tried to watch the banned Lidl commercial but kept getting distracted whilst looking for it on YouTube.

I think we still just call it Christmas in the UK. Or Winterval if we're trolling fascists and Daily Mail readers.

2. Will you or have you ever participated in Black Friday?

Not the commercial discounting Black Friday, I haven't the mental energy to get excited about things.  I think the closest I've been is being an economics student during Black Wednesday. That was a day.

3. Do you love or despise holiday leftovers?

I like holiday left overs but mostly because of my wife's Lithuanian heritage these are herring based.

I do enjoy a nice bit of gammon for breakfast,  left over from Boxing Day dinner.

4. Have you seen any (non-commercial, i.e. store) holiday lights yet?

No and if I had I'd take a horse whip to the offender and thrash them up and down Princes Street before making them apologies in public. Jings, it's November.

5. Have you been good to Santa’s way of thinking?

I'm not sure what Santa considers good. Mostly I think it involves doing what my parents say. However, I'm 43 and my parents are both a bit mental and I often feel like I'm the grown up in the relationship with them so I'm not sure that counts. I have been dilligent in my various worthy pursuits, counting the robots, parenting the Captain, coaching the rugby, unlocking democracy and so on. And I've only made two eight year olds cry this week.