Colston Bassett Blue Stilton

 

Last week I made not just one, but two great food discoveries. A belter of a Blue Stilton and the perfect neutral carrier to gobble it up on.

The cheese, Colston Bassett Blue Stilton, was offered to me and a friend for tasting while buying some others at George Mewes, the new cheese shop on Byres Road, Glasgow. George, a chef for over 25 years, is hooked on perfectly matured, world-class Artisan cheese and stocks a great range from the British Isles, France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. And the best bit of all: negligible overlap with Iain Mellis's selection, meaning 1) cheese choice in Glasgow's west end just got a lot wider, and 2) there's no need to pick and choose between one or other shop. The clever decision to stock a different range means you can maintain allegiance to Mellis's and support the newcomer.

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Bubbles, a red, a new and an old sweetie

Stand out wines from a long and languorous foodie weekend

Playing host to a male 'friend' up from down south, someone who loves to eat and drink as much as me, last weekend's itinerary ran a lot like an A-to-Z of Glasgow's premier foodie spots.

In just five days (granted, we stretched the definition of long weekend), I managed to introduce him to a good number of my favourite haunts: Cafezique, Crabshakk, the west end farmers' market, Bar Gandolfi, Iain Mellis Cheesemongers, Kember & Jones, Monachyle MHOR Hotel and restaurant at Balquhidder, Perthshire (via their Callander outposts, the MHORBread bakery on our way there and MHORFish chippie on our way back for the best chips I've EVER had), the Stravaigin cafe bar and Ubiquitous Chip's Corner Bar.

Phew, I feel tired and out of breath just reading that list back to myself! Amazingly, it felt super relaxed at the time. Extremely so. But, to keep us all sufficiently aerated, I'll skip the home cooking and art exhibitions.

Monachyle MHOR's Tom Lewis, interior and view

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Queso de Cabra Al Salmuera

A new day, a new discovery

Used egg box under my arm, I dropped by Iain Mellis this afternoon to top up my supply. Scotland's best cheesemonger, I buy eggs there not just because I can re-use cartons, filling them from the large straw-lined wicker basket, but because doing so reminds me of collecting fresh. A closeted city dweller, that's as close as I get these days!

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