Harts Kitchen
Menu à la Harts
True Blue
Make soup comforting not stressful with the right kit and some Blue Vinny that ’ s the taste of Dorset itself …
T he death of a cheese . It ’ s enough to break a food lover ’ s heart . This was once the fate of Dorset Blue Vinny . After centuries of sustaining Dorset folk and being celebrated in verse , it disappeared almost completely from the county just after the Second World War . Thankfully , in 1980 , one farmer with a vision , Michael Davies , resurrected it from a recipe dating back some 300 years . Still handmade at Woodbridge Farm in the heart of Dorset by Michael and his daughter Emily , it ’ s now thriving and bears a Protected Geographical Indication .
Vinny is from an old English word for mould , veins of which run through this crumbly cheese made with skimmed milk . Although it ’ s as blue as a five pound note , it ’ s not as strong tasting as some blue cheeses , making it a great ingredient when you don ’ t want to overpower your dish . The makers recommend adding it to toasties ( which they sell at shows from their converted horse box ), adding it to salad , a ploughman ’ s , or using it as the basis for tarts and frittatas . Of course , it goes brilliantly in soup , as in this recipe from the Dorset Blue makers themselves . All you need is the right kit and a chunk of this historic cheese
Leek , Potato and Dorset Blue Vinny Soup
Ingredients
1tbs vegetable oil 1 onion , sliced 225g / 8oz potatoes , cubed 2 medium leeks , sliced 1.2 lt / 2 pints vegetable stock 150ml / 5floz creme fraiche 50g / 25oz Dorset Blue Vinny Cheese Salt & freshly ground pepper
Method
1 . Heat the oil in a pan and add the onions , potatoes and leeks . Cook for 3-4 minutes until they start to soften . 2 . Add the vegetable stock and bring to the boil . Season well and simmer until the vegetables are tender . 3 . Crumble the Dorset Blue Vinny into the vegetables . 4 . Whizz with a hand blender or in a blender until smooth . Reheat in a clean pan , add the creme fraiche , heat through and serve .
16
www . hartsofstur . com