It’s traditional to give chocolate at Easter ... but we've hatched a plan to offer a spectacular gift for people who are looking for something a bit different this year.
We're delighted to be able to bring the Cheester Egg to our shelves – an egg made of cheese! It follows hot on the heels of our cheese advent calendar, which was incredibly popular last Christmas.
Made by Lancashire cheesemakers Butler’s, the Cheester Egg is a 120g half dome of Blacksticks Blue cheese that comes in a box with a pack of mini oatcakes and a sachet of caramelised onions chutney – a cheeseboard in a box.
The egg has been making headlines in the papers and getting lots of people excited on social media, with posts like these:
James Clapham from Butler’s said: “It’s something a bit light-hearted, a bit of fun. We hope it will encourage more people to try blue cheese as this one is truly delicious.
“You can press the cheese from the Cheester Egg out onto a cheesboard and have it as a centrepiece. Or you can spread it on a cracker with a bit of chutney and serve it as mini hors d’oeuvres. Or you can melt it in pan and dip crusty bread into it like fondue. You could even have it melted on hot cross buns for a real Easter treat!"
Blacksticks Blue is a blue cheese made to a secret recipe that Butler’s invented in 2004. It’s named after a row of chestnut trees that line Blacksticks Lane in Inglewhite near Preston where the Butler family have been farming cows and making cheese for four generations. The dairy is attached to the house of present owner Gill Hall who is the granddaughter of founders Richard and Annie Butler. Her sons Matthew and Daniel are also part of the business.
Like all the cheeses at Butler's, Blacksticks Blue is made using traditional methods in open vats using milk from local pedigree cows. This method of cheese-making relies on the skill of the cheesemaker to speed up or slow down the organic cheese-making process in order to control the flavour.
Blacksticks Blue is milder and creamier than a traditional British blue cheese like Stilton.
“We wanted to create a more continental flavour,” said James. “It’s quite a creamy blue cheese with a subtle flavour. Blacksticks Blue is a great introduction to blue cheese if you’ve not tried it before."
The Cheester Egg will available in selected Asda stores nationwide from 16th March.
Happy Cheester everyone!
