Castello Cheese Pop-Up Emporium in London #castelloart
If you love cheese like us, you will love to hear that premium cheese brand Castello has officially opened its first UK pop-up store in London, following an international tour of Denmark, Holland and New York.
As you know, we are already fans of Castello cheese, and after attending a Castello Cheeseboard Masterclass at L’atelier des Chefs a few weeks ago, where we learnt to make a delicious Castello Tickler Cheddar and smoked paprika soufflé and create the ultimate cheeseboard, we found new ways of enjoying Castello cheese.
The Castello pop-up store arrived in Commercial Street in London this month, and I was delighted to be invited to the launch party hosted by gastronaut Stefan Gates and drinks expert Matt Day. It was such a wonderful evening, where I had the opportunity to sample the delicious cheese and drink pairings and creatively crafted canapes.
At the Castello pop-up store, you can discover and taste more than 30 different varieties of Castello cheese, including varieties not available in the UK.
There are also special events, including Live Q&A sessions with foodie adventurer and ‘gastronaut’ Stefan Gates, tasting lunches for £5, the opportunity to pick a drink from top wine expert Matt Day’s ‘drinks cabinet’ which will be expertly matched with one of the 30 cheeses on offer.
If you are looking for a relaxing evening after a busy day at work, you can visit the perfect pairings bar at the pop-up store, open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, offering innovative combinations of cheese, drinks and nibbles.
There are so many wonderful combinations to try. I was particularly surprised how well blue cheese goes with chocolate – yes, you read it right, blue cheese and chocolate. Castello Creamy Blue was paired with Tiptree Morello Cherry jam on rye bread, with shavings of bitter dark chocolate. It was enjoyed with fruit beer. Such an innovating and exciting pairing!
I was also delighted to try Castello Marquis, not yet available in the UK, on Kent & Fraser lemon butter shortbread with TipTree lemon curd, paired with wheat beer. The delicious flavour of the cheese was perfectly matched to the lemon flavour of the shortbread and curd.
My favourite combination was Castello Pineapple Halo on all butter shortbread with Tiptree Timperley Early Rhubard with vanilla chutney, topped with strawberries. It was perfectly complemented by Italian Moscato. I knew I would like the combination as I am a big fan of pineapple halo, so I left it to be tried last. It was a perfect ending to such a great evening!
Castello Cheese pop-up store is located at 132 Commercial Street, Shoreditch, E1 6NQ, from 12pm to 9pm, until Friday 24th October. Please note that the store is closed on Mondays.
I was under no obligation to write this post, I just wanted to share my experience. However the opinions expressed in this post are honest and my own.