Booking with us
Secure and instant online booking
Compare prices and choose from over 270 properties
Impartial reviews from real guests
Price match promise
No booking or credit card fees
Can we help? Ring us on 0845 833 6028 or drop us an email
Helen Fowler
Say hello to our resident Edinburgh expert! Helen is here to keep you posted on the latest goings on in Edinburgh. This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it to talk about the blog.
| Share a love of cheese at Mellis |
|
If you like cheese, you must visit Edinburgh. The city's When pregnant, I could not bear to wander past our local IJ Mellis cheese shop. The smell of cheese knocked me out. Nowadays, I rather enjoy the olfactory blast of Stilton that fills Bakers Place in Stockbridge.
Some days, you can see Stilton cheeses the size of barrels perched outside the shop. They might be best saved for special occasions Each of them costs £100. One of the most popular Mellis cheeses, (you will find it on the menu in many Edinburgh restaurants), it is Isle of Mull cheddar. The milk comes from Friesian cows who feed on spent barley from the whisky making process. It's made by hand on a farm near Tobermory.
The distinctive-looking Selles Sur Cher is another favourite. It's a goat's milk cheese formed into a small flat disc and dusted with charcoal. The taste of raw coal is actually rather pleasant, despite what you might expect. And I speak here from personal experience. Sadly, the cheese is unpasteurised. Ruling it out for anyone pregnant. Scotland has enjoyed a resurgence in cheese making. Traditionally a short production season limited the variety of cheeses that could be made as they had to survive long storage, says the firm. Nowadays, modern techniques have enabled a range of new cheeses including bries and creamy blues. You will find many of these cheese in Mellis stores.
If you happened to be in Edinburgh over New Year, you might have noticed long queues outside the shops. Residents like to stock up at Mellis before a party. There are stores in Morningside, Stockbridge and Victoria Street. Anecdotal evidence suggests some people visit Edinburgh only for the Mellis cheese shops.
Not surprising, when you consider that visiting a Mellis shop is quite an experience. It's an assault (pleasurable) on your senses, with the extreme cold, strong smell of cheese and sight of so many gourmet delights. Air conditioning keeps the stores at refrigerator temperature. That way the shops are cold enough for the cheeses to sit out on the counters, open to inspection. If you ask, staff will cut off slivers of cheese for you to taste. But beware. Most of the cheeses are so delicious you will find it hard to resist purchasing them, once tasted. |