Six cheese myths, busted – and why nosing the brie is always a no-no

Michael Finnerty, 60, pictured at Mons Cheesemongers, having been entranced by the ‘magic of cheese’ - Rii Schroer

Cheese “is a noble thing”, says the cheesemonger Michael Finnerty. “It feeds people, delights people.” And it also whips people into a frenzy where etiquette is concerned. The perfectly balanced board, the rights and wrongs of rind, the notion of nosing the cheese… all can be hotly debated by turophiles. But Finnerty has a refreshing take on the subject, perhaps because his own route to cheesemongering is so novel.

In his early 50s, Finnerty was a renowned journalist. After working in the UK he had landed a top breakfast radio show in his native Canada, but one day in 2019, after years of 3am alarms, freezing commutes and hours in front of screens, he decided he’d had enough.

Switching from a well-remunerated job to an unpaid sabbatical in London, Finnerty needed an income and undertook a three-month apprenticeship at Mons, a cheesemonger in Borough Market. He has worked there ever since.

“There are loads of things that make cheese the antidote,” says Finnerty, including the fact that “it liberates you from screens”. Having become entranced by the “magic of cheese” himself, it’s this passion that Finnerty now passes on to his customers – not least in busting the myths that might prevent them from realising just how magical cheese can be.

Myth one: The contents of a cheeseboard should always be eaten from mildest to strongest

Convention has it that lighter cheeses should be eaten before progressing to a punchy blue – otherwise your palate will be overwhelmed. However, Finnerty says fresh cheese “has really lovely palate-cleansing aspects, so you could go back to that after a stronger one”. Returning to a light cheese can be “fun, to see how [the contrast] can influence its taste”.

Myth two: Speaking of cheeseboards, a classic selection (starring a goat, a bloomy rind, a hard and a blue) is always superior

Finnerty likes to experiment with cheeseboard combinations, such as a pair of comtés from different producers - Rii Schroer

Absolutely not, says Finnerty. While it can be a delight, there are all sorts of arrangements to experiment with. Finnerty likes to try two comtés from different producers at the same time. In spring, when goat’s cheese is at its best, why not serve a whole board of different goat’s cheeses? “They can be so different, it’s such a lovely, springy thing to do,” says Finnerty. “There’s any number of cheeseboards. Let your mind go free – although obviously it’s nice to do a Christmas version with a blue, a bloomy rind, a washed rind, an alpine cheese and a cheddar.”

Myth three: Rinds on hard cheese should be removed; soft rinds should be scoffed

There are some cheeses whose rind you should never eat (those coated in a plastic-like substance, such as a gouda, for example). Others might simply taste unpleasant, for example a cheese wrapped in certain leaves. But Finnerty’s view is, simply “eat it if you want to”.

Some people baulk at the furry white rinds that coat many soft cheeses, preferring to cut around them and eat the paste. “I think it’s a bit weird to peel the rind off, but if you don’t like it, fine, don’t eat it,” says Finnerty.

For many cheeses, though, the rind is part of the experience. Finnerty mentions tomme de Savoie, a mild cow’s milk cheese with a thick grey rind. “Eating it with the rind was how tomme de Savoie revealed itself to me. With the rind, it has that sort of cave-like, wet stone [flavour]. Otherwise it’s really lactic.”

On some cheeses, such as gruyère (Finnerty himself has a favourite Swiss gruyère which is powerfully meaty, almost tasting of lamb fat and offal), the rind can be overly dusty and even have cheese mites (harmless but unappetising), but generally, he says, eat the rinds unless you don’t like them.

Gruyère Suisse has a rind but, Finnerty suggests, not all of these need to be removed - Rii Schroer for the Telegraph

Myth four: Supermarket cheese will always be inferior to artisan fromage

Most cheesemongers encourage buying freshly cut cheese. “With supermarket cheeses, some can be in plastic for I don’t how long, and they always taste the same,” Finnerty observes. “I don’t not eat them, but I’m always like, how does that happen?”

Finnerty suggests using an in-store cheesemonger counter if there is one, but he also believes certain cheeses at supermarkets are better than others. Harder cheeses are usually “absolutely fine”. Manchegos “are pretty delicious, I have absolutely no problem buying them in supermarkets”. And his guilty pleasure, Boursin, is “not a sophisticated cheese, but I could eat that all day”.

Myth five: Expensive cheese means better cheese

“Not necessarily,” says Finnerty. “But it might mean rarer, [and it’s] almost always going to mean [the cheese is made with] a certain difficult process or rare type of milk.” In short, there’s usually a good reason a cheese is pricey. However, one of his favourite cheeses, tomme de Savoie, is much cheaper than a long-aged gruyère, for example.

And on the subject of ageing – for some customers the longer the better, but “there’s a certain point where it’s just too old. You’ll have people who will pay a lot of money for 38-month comté, but is it better than the 18 month? I’m not sure it is.”

Myth six: Cheese with red wine can’t be beaten

Red wine is still a classic pairing for cheese – but isn’t always the best choice - Rostislav_Sedlacek/iStockphoto

While port and red wine are popular pairings, Finnerty argues that “it really depends on the cheese”. It can work for bold blues such as stilton, but he says that camembert and red wine “just does not work”, and for this he prefers a cider. There’s no hard and fast rule, but cider pairs well with cheddar, champagne goes wonderfully with brie, and chardonnay or riesling with gruyère is a delight.

And two truths to stick by:

Pre-grated cheese is always a no-no

The likes of cheddar, mozzarella and parmesan are often sold ready grated, but Finnerty advises against them. “I think they add things to pre-grated cheese, to make it not stick together.” Not only that, they are much more expensive per kilo.

One should never nose the cheese

Finnerty agrees that when faced with a wedge of brie, one shouldn’t help oneself to the nose – the pointy tip – not least because (despite being viewed as the ripest part of the cheese) it might taste sub-par: if a wedge has been cut and then left for any amount of time its edges, including the nose, can oxidise, impacting the flavour.

But it’s more about providing a slice that shows off the full character of the cheese: cutting along the length of the wedge, to include a portion from the nose as well as from the outer edge, gives the eater a complete experience and the opportunity to note how the flavour might change through the slice. Crucially, says Finnerty, it avoids someone being left at the end with “a bunch of rind, which is not so nice”.

When it comes to brie, Finnerty does agree that one should not cut off the nose - Anna Blazhuk/Getty Images

The Cheese Cure: How Comté and Camembert Fed My Soul, by Michael Finnerty, is published by HarperCollins (£16.99). To order your copy for £16.99, call 0330 173 5030 or visit Telegraph Books

Recommended

Cheese tastes mature to favour stronger cheddar

Play The Telegraph’s brilliant range of Puzzles - and feel brighter every day. Train your brain and boost your mood with PlusWord, the Mini Crossword, the fearsome Killer Sudoku and even the classic Cryptic Crossword.