STINKING BISHOP WEB P (COW/UP/NV)

Stinking Bishop is a pasteurised full fat soft cheese with a natural rind washed in alcohol from perry pears. The rind is coloured brown through to pink or yellow and may carry patches of mould of varying interesting hues. What to dink with Stinking Bishop? Its argued that they are better with a spirit or beer than with wine, particularly red wine which makes sense as the rind of the cheese is often washed with white wine, beer or eau de vie. Stinking Bishop is made by Charles Martell in Dymock in Gloucestershire and is so named because its rind is washed with perry made from Stinking Bishop pears. That makes perry (cider made from perry pears) the obvious match but, depending on how far gone and stinky the cheese is, it may not be powerful enough to stand up to it. A better bet would be a pear-flavoured liqueur. Martell makes his own which is called Owler or you could try a Poire William from France. So far as wines are concerned your best best would be a fragrant Gew?rztraminer which should be able to handle the strong flavour of the cheese. In Alsace, where the majority come from, it?s regularly paired with Munster, a similar style of washed-rind cheese. Reds are tricky with this style of cheese. In Burgundy they tend to match red burgundy with the local Epoisses but I think it's a bit of a killer. Certainly more full-bodied tannic reds will clash horribly. Sweet wines can be a good option. I?ve paired Sauternes with stinky cheeses before and it?s worked really well. Or, even better - and British - a sweet cider. The Ledbury-based producer Once Upon a Tree makes a Blenheim Dessert Cider which would be delicious. As would cider brandy. And then there?s beer. We don?t tend to have the strong Trappist styles of beer they have in Belgium and Northern France Ingredients: Pasteurised Cows Milk, Salt, Microbial Rennet, Freeze Dried Starter Cultures, Preservative Natamycin, E235, Pear Cider and Red Smear Culture. Allergen Information Cows Milk, Pasteurised, Washed Rind Contains: English, Milk