Monday, October 25

For several years we belonged to the Finnbrit association and then one day we didn’t. I can no longer remember what caused us to join in the first place, and I think some form of torpor caused us to fail to renew our memberships one year.

I still receive newsletters from time to time though and last week I received one telling me about an event tonight. It said,

Welcome to Finnbrit on Monday, 25th of October, to hear from Peter and Nelli Steer, owners of the new Rolling Cheese cheese shop in Töölö, and their journey from London to realising their cheese dreams in Helsinki. Peter and Nelli will talk about their business and, of course, cheese. You will also have a chance to enjoy a few cheese tasters during the evening.

In the time since I last attended an event I have forgotten precisely where the Finnbrit office sites in Frederikinkatu but I find it and slip inside a few minutes before the talk begins.

Peter Steer doesn’t appear (he had to show a French cheesemaker around Helsinki) but Nelli entertains everybody and holds a long Q&A session about the theory and practice of cheesemaking.

The three cheeses she has brought with her all taste delicious. I will eventually land upon the Sparkenhoe Red Leicester as my favourite, although the other two (the Montgomery’s Cheddar and the Kirkham’s Lancashire) run it close, with the Lancashire a bit too mild for my taste.

Rolling Cheese opened in Töölö in July and I plan to visit it in November.