Q IS FOR QUESO [KAY-SOH]

Queso, Spanish for cheese, is the product that inspired Monika Linton to establish Brindisa nearly 30 years ago.

With a love of the diverse terroirs, traditions and flavours of Spain, Monika and her husband Rupert have introduced the UK to some amazing artisan cheesemakers from all across the country. After 30 years, Brindisa’s ability to nurture Spain’s best cheeses has been significantly enhanced by the construction of our very own Cheese Caves, at the company’s warehouse in Balham.

Brindisa’s new cheese rooms provide a perfectly stable environment for curing and maturing a wide range of cheeses. At the moment these include the ash coated and bloomy rind of Luna Negra, a delightfully clean tasting raw milk goats cheese; the iconic Menorcan raw cows’ milk Mahón DOP with its distinctive pimentón rubbed orange rind and its remarkable flavour profile. Alongside these are our classic cheeses; Cabra del Tiétar, Garrotxa, Campos Góticos Quseo Castellano semi-curado, La Peral, Peñoceo and Payoyo semi-curado.

Designed with the help of José Luis Martín, Spain’s most respected cheese guru – famed for building traditional cheese caves all over Spain – the rooms are lined with authentic Spanish terracotta bricks, imported by Brindisa for this specific purpose, to help control humidity. The bricks are set with breathable lime mortar that also has insect repelling properties.

By having specially designed cheese storage facilities, we can now import unwrapped cheeses from our suppliers, which enables the team to work with the cheeses’ natural rinds. Only when the cheeses have achieved their optimum condition and flavour profile, are they made available to Brindisa’s customers.