What lies behind the doors of a shop in the centre of the city, with a life-sized black and white cow outside the front door? Earlier this month, I met Geert-Jan Graafsma, owner of De Leckernij in Enschede, to talk about all things cheese, to talk about his love of fine food and to find out: Why is all cheese round?
The Story
A love of food has always been at the heart of Geert-Jan’s working life. After moving to Paris in his twenties and working in a big American restaurant, Geert-Jan decided to return to Enschede in East Netherlands and start his own restaurant, Het Kostershoes, which he ran for 17 years. Recalling how they would provide table service for dishes such as steak tartare and chateaubriand, I can see the sense of theatre in his eyes and how he obviously still delights in bringing joys to diners and food lovers alike.
Running a restaurant means working many, many unsociable hours, so in 2016 Geert-Jan sold up and looked for the next challenge. De Leckernij, an established family local business came on the market soon after, and the rest is history.
Geert-Jan and his wife Lissette, relish the chance to share their love of food with the people of Enschede (and those further afield who purchase online) selling the finest cheese, tapas and olives, nuts, oils and vinegars and cured meat. They import sausages and ham directly from Spain, and Geert-Jan even drives to France each September for the Garlic Festivals in Lille, returning with a ‘few hundred’ smoked garlic in the back of their car! Smoking the garlic adds flavour and improves the shelf life, so well worth the journey.
I leave the shop today as a young entrepreneur arrives and asks for his new product, a ginger drink, to be added to the range. Balancing current trends with firm favourites and classics is a careful balance.
Your local delicatessen
Shopping local to support local businesses really is one of the best ways to ensure that specialist shops such as De Leckernij are able to keep trading and bring us these sought after and delicious regional delights. The staff De Leckernij are always on hand to give personal service and are extremely knowledgeable. All the cheese in the shop is incredibly fresh and with the shop kept at a constant 17 °C and stored in fridges overnight, the cheese stays at its best.
Geert-Jan’s top 5 cheeses
No. 1 | Cahill’s Porter
Cahill’s, a mild cheddar cheese from Cork, Co. Limerick, is one of the oldest artisan cheeses in Ireland. Made with milk from grass-fed dairy cattle and matured for around 10 months, the cheese is infused with a dark and well-hopped Irish beer called a porter or a stout, similar in appearance to Guinness.
This creates a caramel undertone and a beautiful marbling effect, making it an attractive addition to any cheeseboard. Despite its rather humble beginnings in 1902, Cahill’s is now firmly established at home and abroad, and was even presented to President Barak Obama in 2016 as part to the St Patrick’s Day celebrations.
Cahill’s is apparently an excellent choice for a cheesy burrito; a warming cheese and onion toastie/ broodjie cooked on the barbeque at the end of a summer’s evening; or even to add an extra zing to a beef burger served in a brioche bun.
No. 2 | Caas Klaver
Caas Klaver is a special local cheese from Deurningen near Hengelo, and matured for 6 months.
Rubbing the cheese with a bacterial culture from the Austrian mountains gives the cheese a special flavour: salty & nutty.
No. 3 | Boerenkaas
Boerenkaas is a mature, slightly spicy Dutch cheese made from raw (unpasteurised) milk. All Stolwijk farmhouse cheeses are made on cheese farms in the vicinity of the South Holland village of Stolwijk.
No. 4 | Epoisses
Epoisses named after the village of Epoisses (located in the Burgundy region of France) is made from pasteurised cow’s milk cheese, and characterised by a beautiful orange rind, traditionally washed two to three times with Marc de Bourgogne (a local grape spirit). This is a full-flavoured cheese with a creamy centre, excellent served simply on some bread or melba toast.
No.4 | Valdeon
Valdeon is a Spanish cheese produced in villages in the northern Spanish Picos de Europa mountain range, using both cow and goat’s pasteurised milk. Considered by some to be the best blue cheese in Spain, this buttery, intense cheese (matured deep in the mountain caves) is best eaten with just a small amount of some crusty bread accompanied by a full-bodied wine. Perhaps a bottle of local Hof van Twente Wijn Sueterie Rood Select, which you can also buy from De Leckernij, might go nicely!
One more for luck!
No. 6 | Brie de Meaux
Brie de Meaux is a favourite of Geert-Jan’s from his time living near Paris in his youth. With its earthy, nutty and fruity favour, this cheese dating back nearly 2000 years needs 30 litres of unpasteurised cow’s milk to make approximately 3kg of cheese! For the best flavour, eat when is nearly out of date if you dare! I have been assured that this is when it tastes its best!
My favourite English cheese in De Leckernij
English blue cheese – a Stilton and in my opinion, the best Stilton. With a rich and creamy texture, Long Clawson is the King of Stilton cheese. Made on a small farm, deep in the Leicestershire countryside, this cheese is truly special.
Like most cheeses, best served at room temperature, and will freeze well if you have any leftover pieces, especially at Christmas!
Looking for something else?
An extensive range of excellent dried fruit and dried nuts, roasted daily
A surprising range of balsamic vinegars available in 100ml or 250ml bottles, decanted to order in the shop. A nice idea for a special and unexpected little present!
A good selection of wines, to compliment all the cheese, featuring wine from near and far!
A range of hard cheeses, including a couple of useful Italian cheeses…
Looking for recipe ideas?
Buffalo mozzarella from Buffalo Farm Twente, Denekamp on the Dutch German border. This is the most authentic mozzarella I have tasted in the Netherlands. Produced with milk from a beautiful herd of buffalo found deep in the beautiful Twente countryside, it has a wonderful light texture and a most delicate taste. At €2.75 per ball, not a bad price either! Perfect for a sunny day. More on this mozzarella cheese in a later post…
Clare’s selection for the day!
So what did I take home today? Some rather tasty Cecina de Leon Spanish dried beef with a light/mild flavour; dried apricots to snack on; some balsamic vinegar with dates and figs – truly delicious if a little sweet; and Eva’s Macarons which are some of the best I have tasted: wonderful clean, natural flavours. Quite a treat! They did not last long in our house – my youngest daughter ate two!
And just a little something else… I am now having fun searching and experimenting with recipes using this remarkably versatile Italian cheese – ricotto salata (or ricotto marzotica) – a salted ricotta. A new find for me! Ideas to come…
So to return to our original question: Why is all cheese round?
This seemingly simple question has quite a simple answer. It is all about the flavour. Cheese is placed and formed in circular moulds which exert equal amount of pressure over the entire cheese. Cheese develops its flavour from the centre of this mould, and the flavour spreads out towards the edges. All the edges are equal distance from the centre, thus optimising the depth of flavour.
Increasingly, supermarkets sell rectangular sliced cheese in a bid to reduce waste; as a consequence, the flavour suffers. I am assured that the finest cheese is always circular. It all about the flavour!
Read more from Clare:
Van der Poel Ice Cream: Simply the best
La Stans: A chocolate feast for all the senses
Is this a sponsored post?
No, I am an independent reviewer and all views are my own. I find it is easier that way as it allows me to write about businesses and products I genuinely admire, and who I actually visit or use on a regular basis.
Please do let me know if there are food companies or products you think I should I should be introduced to – there are so many amazing food producers and suppliers in this region of the Netherlands, I am always finding somewhere new! I will do my best!
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