An Islay Cheese Cookery Book. Compiled and illustrated by Carol Ogilvie.
Islay used to have its own Creamery (or cheese factory) where the milk from the eleven dairy farms (apart from that bottled and sold on the island) was converted into a particularly fine cheddar-type cheese. The Creamery closed in 1996, but a consortium of Islay farmers, supported by a large number of islanders, and with the aid of grants from Europe and from the Local Enterprise Company, bought it, re-equipped it to the most modern standards, and re-opened it in August 1997. The first cheese was ready to eat in December that year and this cookery book was produced in time to celebrate that event. Sadly, the business failed within two years and the Creamery closed for good. Although written with Islay Cheese in mind, all of the recipes can be created with Cheddar. Just over 100 different recipes are grouped under Soups, Cocktail Snacks, Starters, Fish Dishes, Main Courses and Breads and Biscuits. Lick your lips at the thought of Cheese Soup, Priddie Oggies, Cheesy Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Leeks au Gratin, and Cheese Cookies - and see some of these recipes below. Line illustrations show some of the old and new cheese making equipment, as well as a cow or two!
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A few sample recipes:ISLAY CHEESE SOUP
1 small onion, 1 1/2 ozs margarine, 1 1/2 ozs flour, 1 pint milk, 4 ozs Islay
cheese, seasoning a little grated nutmeg.
Dice the onion finely and cook without colouring in the margarine. Stir inthe
flour. Add the milk gradually and bring to the boil stirring continuously. Add
the grated nutmeg and seasoning. Withdraw from the heat. When the bubbles are
all gone stir in the cheese. Serve at once.
PRIDDIE OGGIES
Cheese pastry
1/2 lb plain flour, 1 oz each butter and lard, 1 egg yolk, 3 1/2 ozs cheddar-type
cheese, 2 1/2 tbs water, pinch salt.
Meat
1 pork tenderloin, 1 oz smoked bacon or ham, stuffing 3 ozs cheese [grated],
chopped parsley, pinch salt, 8 drops tabasco, 1 egg.
Make pastry by mixing together all ingredients except flour. Cool in fridge
then rub in flour roughly. Take about 4 oz of crumbly pastry and roll it into
a 1/2 inch slab. Repeat placing each slab on top of the other: moisten the top
of the pile before putting on another slab. Cut the pastry into 4 pieces and
repeat the rolling wetting and stacking process. Cut into 4 for the third time
and roll and stack. Now the rough puff pastry is ready. Press down firmly and
leave to chill. Cut the pastry into 8 pieces. squeeze each one into a sausage
shape and roll out to measure 4 to 6 inches. Leave in a cool place to rest.
Meanwhile trim tenderloin. Slice lengthways into 2 halves and beat gently until
they are 1/4 inch thick. Cut the bacon or ham into 8 strips. Cut each piece
of tenderloin into 4 pieces. Wrap the bacon or ham around them. Lay each parcel
in the centre of a piece of pastry. Make the cheese stuffing by mixing cheese
salt parsley and tabasco. Divide the mixture between the 8 Oggies. Moisten the
pastry edges with a drop of milk. Bring the pastry up over the pork, pressing
the edges together in a scalloped crest, like a pastie. Press down to flatten
the base. Brush with beaten egg and bake at 175 for 25 mins.
(Carol Hunter)
ISLAY CHEESE COOKIES
8 ozs grated Islay cheese, 6 ozs flour, 3 ozs margarine.
Mix all the ingredients together with your hand. Make teaspoonful size balls.
Place 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake at 200C for 15 to 20 minutes. Some
people wrap the dough round an olive as an appetizer.