Since moving to the UK, I think the best invention that I have found so far is Stilton blue cheese with butter on crusty homemade bread or crackers… this will be the death of me, but I dont,care its worth every rich, buttery, blue cheesy bite. I totally understand why my husband buys a whole baby Stilton every year for Christmas…and sometimes when its not Christmas. This leads me to the year 2020. Only the two of us here for Christmas and whole lot of Stilton ! Therefore, this post is dedicated to the cheese of all cheeses, The Stilton blue.

Valley View Farm B&b has been awfully quiet during this lock down, which allows me as much time in the kitchen as I could ever want. I am even making homemade dog food, so I am not the only one putting on extra insulation this winter. (dog food & treat recipe will be posted later).

Here are some lovely blue cheese recipes I hope you enjoy, rich enough to serve the most important VIP at your table, but wonderfully comforting for a cozy dinner for two. bon appetite `.

Broccoli & Stilton soup

Olive oil In a deep sauce pan or dutch oven, add a good glug of olive oil. On medium heat add

1 onion chopped onion, celery, leek and potato, allow to sweat until the onion is tender.

1 celery stick chopped Add butter , allow to melt, stir and cover for 5 minutes, if it starts to stick or brown,

1 leek sliced add a splash of water.

1 medium potato diced Pour in the liter of stock and broccoli and cook 10 - 15 minutes , until veg is tender.

1 knob butter Pour into blender or blitz with hand blender until smooth, return to pot and on low

1 liter +/- low salt chicken or veg stock heat add blue cheese and stir until melted and creamy. Top with homemade croutons

1 head of broccoli rough chopped and blue cheese crumbles. Enjoy ( Wine - a nice Sauvignon Blanc or chardonnay)

140g stilton or other blue cheese crumbled

Blue cheese pasta … ( yes please )

400g tagliatelle pasta or fun shaped pasta that you like

• 25g butter

• 1 onion , thinly sliced

• 1 garlic clove , crushed

• 1 tbsp fresh chopped sage , or 1 tsp dried

• 100g stilton , cubed

• handful toasted walnuts , chopped

• Boil the pasta according to pack instructions. In a saucepan, melt the butter, then gently fry the onion until golden. Add the garlic and sage, fry for another 2 mins, then remove the pan from the heat. Drain the pasta and reserve some cooking water. Stir through the buttery onions, stilton and 2 tbsp cooking water, then sprinkle with the toasted walnuts to serve.

Fall Salad with Roasted Pears and Blue Cheese

Ingredients

• 3 ripe but firm pears

• juice of 3 lemons

• 3 oz coarsely crumbled sharp blue cheese

• 1/4 cup dried cranberries

• 1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

• 1/2 cup apple juice

• 3 Tbsp Port

• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

• 6 cups of Arugula (or your favorite salad greens)

• Black pepper

• Salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F

2. Peel the pears and cut in half length-wise. Use a melon baller to remove the cores and seeds. Cut a small slice away from the rounded side of each pair to keep it steady when filling and baking. Toss the pears with lemon juices and arrange them core side up in a baking dish.

3. Toss the blue cheese, cranberries, and walnuts together and divide among the pears. Combine apple juice, port, and brown sugar, whisking together until sugar dissolves. Drizzle over and around the pears. Bake the pears, basting every 5-10 minutes with the apple-port mixture, until tender (about 40 minutes in my oven). Remove and let cool to warm or room temp.

4. Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, and 1/4 cup of the basting liquid. Toss with the arugula and divide among 6 plates. Top each salad with a pear half, season with salt and pepper

Yields: 6 servings

Adapted from Barefoot Contessa, Back to Basics