Russell Brown, proprietor of the Michelin-starred Sienna restaurant in Dorchester, talks about his love of cheeses and shares his recipe for their perfect accompaniment – crumbly digestives
Very few things close a hearty meal better than a well-chosen pairing of cheese and biscuits.
The real work with cheese is in the sourcing, selecting and then the looking after, and it’s far better to serve a few cheeses or even just one in great condition than a whole array that are not at their best. Some carefully chosen accompaniments serve to round things off nicely.
A great chutney, some bread or biscuits, a fruit cheese or maybe fresh figs? The choices are as varied as the cheeses themselves. Digestive biscuits have long been a favourite of mine particularly for blue cheeses but I think they are equally as good with mature cheddars.
Digestive Biscuits
- 150g wholemeal flour
- 50g plain flour
- 50g fine oats (porridge oats given a quick whizz in the blender work well)
- 5g baking powder
- 5g Maldon salt, finely ground
- 45g soft brown sugar
- 100g unsalted butter, diced
- 60 ml milk (approx)
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl and then rub in the butter until the mix resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Make a well in the centre and pour in the milk.
Bring the flour mix in to form a dough.
Knead lightly adding a drop more milk if the dough won’t hold together.
Roll out into a sheet around 3mm thick and cut as desired.
Prick the biscuits with a fork before removing from the sheet and then transfer to a baking tray.
The trimmings can be re-rolled but this is best only done once.
Bake at 165°C for 12-15 minutes until slightly risen and golden brown.
Cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container.
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