In praise of Wensleydale – salad with Wensleydale cheese and raspberry vinegar dressing

I’m in excellent company – Wallace, Gromit and I all love Wensleydale cheese. Crumbly, dense and savoury, Wensleydale originates from Wensleydale, Yorkshire, where it began life as a ewes milk cheese made by French Cistercian monks. It’s now made across the UK from cow’s milk, although only that made in Wensleydale is permitted to call itself Yorkshire Wensleydale.

If you like cheddar I suspect you’ll like Wensleydale. It has a very similar texture and crumbles as pleasingly. It’s a little sweeter, with a hint of the sweet nuttiness of Gouda or Jarlsberg, and lighter in colour.

It goes delightfully with fruit to the extent that some brands even come studded with cranberries. In this recipe I have paired it with some raspberry wine vinegar for that fruity tartness, and some roast pepper to bring out a little sweetness. Give it a try – it’s just that little bit different from the salads many of us are filling ourselves with in this post-Christmas time of year!

Ingredients:

1 red pepper, cut into chunks

2 C salad greens

1 C lightly cooked asparagus spears (if in season)

1 T raspberry wine vinegar

3 T olive oil

Cracked pepper

75g Wensleydale cheese

Method:

Preheat the oven on to 200 degrees Celsius. Place the red pepper in an oven roasting tray, lightly drizzle with oil and cook until softened and slightly browned. Cool.

Place salad leaves and cooled pepper in salad bowl. Arrange asparagus spears around the top.

Using a cheese slice (or vegetable peeler if you don’t have a cheese slice handy!) shave the Wensleydale across the top of the salad.

Place the raspberry wine vinegar, olive oil and cracked pepper into a screw top jar and shake well until combined.

To serve, pour over the vinaigrette and toss the salad. Eat immediately.