Date: 4th November 2017
Location: Geffrye Museum
SAY CHEESE!
That’s exactly what we did, exactly one month ago. I really do need to get better at uploading posts more frequently. I’ll probably write it in my New Year Resolutions and forget about it.
So without further ado, let me take you on a journey through one of my favourite days in London; an experience of gastronomic proportions (literally).
I recently started my new job in London, which technically isn’t in London right now as I spend the working week in Bath. So because my friends felt they’d never see me again, we bought tickets to the Cheese Project so that could see me eating cheese for an entire day.
After getting lost on the tube, we waited in the rain (standard) with our pre-bought tickets which essentially meant we could enter a small field and eat free samples of everything.
But we figured sticking to free samples would be boring. SO, we decided to spend all of our money on cheese and cheese food stalls.
On the direct left of the entrance, was the one and only CHEESE TRUCK!
This was literally the best cheese sandwich I had ever tasted. With melt-in-your-mouth jalapeno queso, soft ciabatta and juicy, tender chorizo (sorry vegetarians!), it was the best thing I ate that day, probably because by the end of the day I was so stuffed I essentially became a blob of cheese.
I’m about to share a very embarrassing, unflattering photo that will hopefully underscore my point; that this was literally the best cheese sandwich ever:
Attractive. I am that.
Photo credits: Sonali Gidwani | @itsagidlife
Oli-Baba’s: The Original Halloumi Fries!
I had definitely seen videos on Facebook of Oli-Baba’s, but I didn’t expect them to be at a festival surrounded by posh English cheese. This was certainly the highlight of our day! Oli-Baba’s claims to have brought original halloumi fries to London, and to the world.
Photo credits: Sonali Gidwani | @itsagidlife
The cheese is fried perfectly, it’s not too rubbery and not too soft; and somewhat resembles Indian cottage cheese (paneer). The batter around the cheese is well-seasoned and is drizzled with za’atar yoghurt and pomegranate molasses, as well as pomegranate, coriander and chili flakes. It was genuinely one of the most flavourful things I have eaten at a market. Oli-Baba’s is frequently based at Camden Market, so I’m really excited to go by their stall again.
Photo credits: Sonali Gidwani | @itsagidlife
The Mac Factory London
Return of the Mac! It had been a while since I’d eaten mac ‘n’ cheese, so I was super excited for this one. We were extremely full from sampling cheese, as well as from the grilled cheese sandwiches and halloumi fries, but we couldn’t skip a food stall!
By this point, as we were extremely full, we decided to buy one thing at each stall and share it. But even then, we struggled to eat. We couldn’t turn down what BuzzFeed termed “the best mac and cheese ever”, so we went with their classic, topped with fried cheese bits. Needless to say, it was heaven.
Photo credits: Aayushi Sharma
All mac and cheese should be oozing with sauce and topped with crunchy cheese and breadcrumbs. Despite being absolutely stuffed, we did end up fighting over the food:
Video credits: Sonali Gidwani | @itsagidlife
Raclette Brothers
Video credits: Gunjan Bhargava
Just when we thought we couldn’t eat enough, I spotted the Raclette Brothers stall on the other side of the field. With a speed that was unknown to people who had stuffed themselves with cheese, I sprinted over to the line that was forming around their stall.
I have a lot of childhood memories associated with raclette cheese. My mother used to buy it from a specialty grocery shop every once in a while, and she’d melt in in the grill for a few minutes, on top of baby potatoes and pieces of soft baguette. She’d then top it with small white onions, gherkins and cayenne pepper. The food at the stall reminded me of warmth, comfort and home. I was extremely nostalgic and overly excited as the Raclette Brother’s scraped the cheese onto our tray.
Needless to say, I got my friends on the raclette hype as well.
The Blue Caribou Canteen
This may come as a shock to many, but I have never been a big fan of poutine. However, this one was pretty good! The curdled cheese wasn’t rubbery, the mushroom gravy wasn’t overpowering and the fries weren’t soggy – so I guess that’s a good start?
I did end up enjoying this poutine much more than I did the first time I tried it, so I guess it’s one of those things that I’ll have to acquire a taste for.
All in all, I had a fabulous time and I’m over the moon that I got to spend the day eating my favourite food item in one of my favourite cities with my favourite people!
Sonali Gidwani 