Fi Buchanan, of the Heart Bchanan deli, on Isle of Mull cheese

Source: The Larder
Date: 1 May 2009 (updated 7 Mar 2011)
Written by: Fi Buchanan

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Heart Buchanan

Chef's Choice

The very first day we opened, brimming with pride, expectation, and a couple of glasses of Prosecco, we had virtually nothing in the shop. We had metal shelves sparsely filled with olive oils and spices, a handful of wines we knew were fantastic, and a cold counter with home-made pesto, spider crab spring rolls, olives and a great big block of Isle of Mull cheddar.

Everything at Heart Buchanan has changed, but nothing has changed. We’ve done a thousand things, some of them folly, some of them brilliant, but we still fall in love with ingredients and Isle of Mull Cheddar is one of them. The wonderful Reade family, based just outside of Tobermory, make a cheese that changes with the seasons – the lush, moist, pastures change from spring to summer to winter when the cows eat sweet hay, and these qualities translate though the milk into the cheese. What doesn’t change is the quality of the cheese. It’s a gentle, pastoral reminder of a season past. It’s a perfect light lunch with apple and walnut chutney, a great way to open or close a dinner, or the simplest, most comforting supper in an omelette or on toast.

Isle of Mull is an ambassador for Scotland throughout the world (I saw it recently on a cheese menu in New York) and most importantly to the Scottish people. Affordable, artisanal and delicious, it’s enjoyed by everyone who gets it at Heart Buchanan, from Billy the Big Issue seller to A-list film stars.

● Fi Buchanan runs Heart Buchanan Fine Food and Wine, 380 Byres Road, Glasgow, 0141 334 7626, www.heartbuchanan.co.uk

● Isle of Mull Cheese, Sgriob-Ruadh farm, Tobermory, Isle of Mull, 01688 302235, www.isleofmullcheese.co.uk

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