The ULTIMATE cheese fondue

Everyone loves cheese and biscuits and everyone loves gooey cheese (maybe not vegans…) so combining the two is total NOM! There are so many different recipes but all have one thing in common, LOTS OF CHEESE! So this recipe is really just a suggestion and you can swap things in an out depending on your own personal preferences, and what you have in the fridge.

Ingredients

For the Fondue (serves 8-10)

2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
1-2 Cloves of garlic
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves picked and finely chopped
400g Cheddar cheese
200g Belton Double Gloucester cheese
200g Belton Wensleydale
150g blue cheese
2-3 tablespoons crème fraiche
150ml cider (optional)

Other ingredients

Cured meats
Celery sticks
Carrot sticks
Bell pepper
Chopped apple
French Baguette
Chutneys and pickles

Things you will need

Fondue pot
bain-marie (heat proof bowl over a pot of water on a low simmer.)
Metal sewers
Little pots for the dipping foods

Method

Fry the garlic and onions in a pan with a little oil and butter until softened. Once clear in colour, put in the thyme leaves, salt, pepper and 50ml of the cider.

2. Chop the blue cheese into cubes and grate the gruyere and cheddar, either by hand or with a food processor and the grater attachment. Place all the cheese into the bain-marie with the remaining cider, then melt on a low heat. Stir occasionally but keep an eye on it so the mixture doesn’t curdle. If this happens take the it off the heat and mix thoroughly, once combined again turn the heat down further and continue to cook.

3. Next, prepare the fondue pot. In my case I have lit a couple of tea lights and placed them underneath the pot, which should warm it before the fondue is poured in.

4. Whilst the cheese is melting, chop up the pepper, celery, carrot, apple and baguette into either sticks or cubes. Lay the meats on a serving platter and decant the chutneys into ramekins.