2014 - A Year in Cheese!

Happy New Year everyone! A few years ago I looked back over the past year in cake but I think 2014 was more a year of exploring vegan cheeses for me. After years of not really liking soy based cheese I've started to try more and more products and it's been really exciting to see the developments in taste, texture and meltability! I've really got into making pizza from scratch and invested in a pizza stone and also a copy of Julie Hassan's Vegan Pizza book. I've had good success using the pizza dough recipes from the book and also the cashew based cheezy sauce for topping the pizzas.


Vegusto No Moo Melty is also a nice vegan pizza cheese that featured on quite a few pizzas.


As far as convenience goes though I think my new favourite vegan cheese for pizza is the Violife that is sold in a solid block. It's such a good price too!


I've also had a go at making my own simple nut based cheeses using recipes from some of my favourite bloggers. A recent discovery was this fab recipe for a quick baked almond cheese from Jasmine at Self Sufficient Cafe. Unfortunately it was eaten so fast that I haven't got a picture but I highly recommend it. I would also highly recommend these almond based cheeses that are set with agar by Debbie at Maple Spice. We've made both the chive and the sun dried tomato and basil ones and they are fantastic.


After hearing good things online, we really pushed the boat out when we discovered that V Revolution in Manchester had got hold of some Midas Fine Art Cheeses. This one is the golden cheddar. We also got the blue and the cranberry and pistachio dessert cheese.


I was really intriuged by the Midas cheeses. They're quite different from any vegan cheeses I've tried before, particularly the texture. The cheese just melts in your mouth. I did find them a little bit salty for my palate but they were also very moreish with the gourmet crackers we'd got to go with them and it was a real treat to have a cheese board with some new textures and flavours.


I already have a copy of Artisan Vegan Cheeses which I've never used and I'm thinking of buying a copy of The Non-Dairy Evolution Cookbook which covers all types of alternatives to dairy products, not just cheeses. After trying the Midas cheeses I feel quite inspired to continue with my own cheese making journey throughout 2015 so watch this space!

Comments

  1. Jasmine Trinity2 January 2015 at 22:28

    The Midas Fine Art Cheeses sound intriguing. I too have the Artisan Vegan Cheese book but never used it. Maybe you should start a vegan cheese liberation front! :o) x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tea and Sympatico6 January 2015 at 21:14

      Cheese Liberation Front- inspired idea! Maybe we could do a special one off :)

      Delete
  2. Susan3 January 2015 at 05:42

    I have Artisan Vegan Cheese but have also never used it.
    I love Vegusto melty cheese! It is so good.
    I also love the Vegan Pizza cheese sauces, I made the cheddar one the other day and I swear I could drink it!
    I have pinned those almond cheeses you mentioned,they look good. Also coconut oil free, which seems to be rare these days!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tea and Sympatico7 January 2015 at 12:05

      Haha, I can totally relate to the idea of drinking cheese sauce!

      Delete
  3. Joey6 January 2015 at 15:25

    I love nut cheeses a million times. I've made a few nice things out of Artisan Vegan Cheese and had some success with the PPK cashew queso. I'm equally interested in the midas cheese - what are they made of?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tea and Sympatico6 January 2015 at 21:23

      I remember you blogging about making some and they looked great. Main ingredients for Midas are veg oils and nut butters. Each cheese has all the ingredients listed on website. I was a bit dubious about getting one of the dessert cheeses but it was amazing. Can't wait to get hold of some more.

      Delete
  4. All Consuming7 January 2015 at 15:23

    Brilliant, I like the look of them all, the Midas cheese in particular. Next time we're in town I'll pop down there and see if they have any in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Tea and Sympatico9 January 2015 at 08:09

      Not sure if they'll stock them all the time as they are probably the most expensive vegan cheese to date- 6 or 7 quid each. Lovely though.

      Delete
  5. Pool Party in Gurgaon20 January 2015 at 08:28

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  6. vegan.in.brighton26 January 2015 at 09:03

    That baked almond cheese is sooo great and you know how I feel about VioLife - Yum Town!

    ReplyDelete

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