Bermondsey Frier

The weekend here at Yumblog Towers begins peasant-like with a simple and humble Friday evening meal of bread and cheese. Mind you, the bread is an alarmingly expensive sour dough from St John which we lightly toast and rub with garlic and the cheese is a hand-picked selection from Neal’s Yard and represents the best of UK artisan producers. There’ll also be a salad, pickles, olives, slowly sauteed tomatoes and a host of thought-provoking beers and ales from the four corners of the European Common Market. Try not to worry about us dear reader. We do ok.

One of Friday’s recommended and duly purchased cheeses was this Bermondsey Frier – created under a railway arch in Bermondsey by cheesemonger and Raclette vendor William Oglethorpe of Kappacasein. This novel and new cheese was described as being a bit like an unsalted haloumi which although essentially flavourless in its naked state, could be transformed into tasty melting loveliness when dry-fried in salt. It had to be worth a punt …

Cut your Bermondsey Frier into (20mm ish) slices.

Sprinkle fine sea salt in a frying pan and place over a high heat.

When the salt starts to colour lay on the strips of cheese.

As soon as the bottom of the cheese starts to melt and brown (a matter of a few seconds), flip over and cook the other side.

Quickly remove and serve immediately.

We had ours for brunch with the aforementioned garlic rubbed toasted sour dough and slowly sauteed tomatoes.

Verdict: Neal’s Yard weren’t kidding, the dry fry does indeed transform this into something special. A golden salty crust over a molten creamy centre. I would say more like a deep fried mozzarella than a grilled haloumi. Delicious.

Drink: Milky yet strong K4e.

Entertainment: Trying to read a small percentage of the Saturday Guardian before it attracts Yumblog Junior’s attention and she tears it to shreds.

Yumblog Junior now insists on feeding herself.