In case you hadn’t noticed yet, I’m pretty greedy. I like to eat. A lot. Consequently my favourite style of dining is grazing. The act of dipping from plate to plate, nibbling this and that and with no end in sight – could there be a more satisfying way to dine?
So when I was told that there was a new style of grazing dining being bandied about, you can imagine my excitement. With piggy little eyes lit up, I gleefully accepted the invitation by speciality cheese brand Castello to come and try ‘smorging’- the new Scandinavian trend of grazing, based on the smorgasbord.
So when I was told that there was a new style of grazing dining being bandied about, you can imagine my excitement. With piggy little eyes lit up, I gleefully accepted the invitation by speciality cheese brand Castello to come and try ‘smorging’- the new Scandinavian trend of grazing, based on the smorgasbord.
The ethos behind smorging, we were told by acclaimed Scandi TV chef and food writer, Trine Hahnemann, is all about family, friends and relaxation. Fridges and store cupboards are raided, cheeses and cold cuts pulled out and all laid in a generous spread for people to dive into over the course of an evening. Whilst the chat sounded lovely of course, let’s face it – I was there to gorge on delicious cheese.
I wasn’t disappointed. Trine had put together a variety of ‘smorg’ pairings with the cheeses which were invited to sample, paired with drinks both alcoholic and soft by Matt Day, drinks expert. We were led to a table laden with these pairings and over conversation we moved from platter to platter whilst chatting to Trine about Scandinavian dining culture and history.
First up; a delicious Castello Creamy Blue and asparagus tart with spelt pastry, paired with a really interesting spelt beer called ‘Gladiator’. The spelt is grown in Cambridgeshire on the site of an old Roman settlement, hence the name!
Next, the strong and salty Castello Tickler cheddar paired with crisp parma ham shards and chunky, fragrant pesto. This was one of my favourites of the evening – I love parma ham (especially when baked and crispy) and I adore a good strong cheddar. This was paired with a Tenuta di Aljano Settefilare Lambrusco Reggiano, the acidity of which was good to cut through richness of the cheese.
Next, the strong and salty Castello Tickler cheddar paired with crisp parma ham shards and chunky, fragrant pesto. This was one of my favourites of the evening – I love parma ham (especially when baked and crispy) and I adore a good strong cheddar. This was paired with a Tenuta di Aljano Settefilare Lambrusco Reggiano, the acidity of which was good to cut through richness of the cheese.
Next, Castello’s Creamy Blue with radishes and chives, served with crisp breads and paired with a Bloody Mary with Beetroot. Another pairing of the Tickler Cheddar too; this time with pea puree and salami. One platter along was their ‘Pineapple Halo’, a torc of soft white cheese sprinkled with dried pineapple, paired with strawberries in balsamic vinegar. This worked incredibly well – sweet marrying sour, with a slight bite from freshly ground black pepper and bound together with creamy, creamy cheese. This was paired with water infused with vanilla, pineapple, strawberries and herbs; a genius idea!
Another highlight came with the Extra Creamy Danish Blue Cheese, matched with lamb cuts and basil. This was clever – I always have leftover lamb on the Monday after a Sunday roast and this gives me a super way of using it up. Besides, anything slathered in blue cheese is always going to be a winner with me.
The evening was finished with servings of Scandinavian egg coffee. I’d heard about this trend and been tentatively meaning to try it for a while (I mean…who doesn’t want egg in their coffee, right?) but hadn’t managed to track down anywhere doing it. It is actually a relatively sound method: the egg shells reduce the acidity of coffee, making it a mellow sip, rich from the egg yolks, and the egg proteins solidify around the grounds to filter them out. This was served with profiteroles stuffed with the Castello Pineapple Halo.
The evening was finished with servings of Scandinavian egg coffee. I’d heard about this trend and been tentatively meaning to try it for a while (I mean…who doesn’t want egg in their coffee, right?) but hadn’t managed to track down anywhere doing it. It is actually a relatively sound method: the egg shells reduce the acidity of coffee, making it a mellow sip, rich from the egg yolks, and the egg proteins solidify around the grounds to filter them out. This was served with profiteroles stuffed with the Castello Pineapple Halo.
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This new way of eating is more than a little pleasing to me. To be frank it’s how I’ve been eating my whole life; Castello have now just granted me a name. Now when you find me surrounded with plates of cheese, miscellaneous jars from my fridge and essentially anything I can lay my hands on to pop into my gob, you’ll know that this isn’t just me stuffing myself – no, this is smorging and it is actually quite cultured! Thank you, Castello!
