Forged by fire, Quicke’s announces partnership with Ben Quinn

Celebrating a new wave in cheese, Quicke’s has announced its collaboration with Cornwall-based chef, Ben Quinn of Woodfired Canteen, who has used his flair over the open flames to create an exclusive collection of recipes. With all dishes featuring a generous wedge of Quicke’s cheese, now made using Cornish Sea Salt from August onwards, this partnership aims to encourage a new generation to embrace outdoor cooking and make the most of the natural abundance around them.

This coming together of fire, land and sea pays tribute to the biggest change in Quicke’s cheese for decades, as the Devon-based cheesemaker continues to craft award-winning clothbound cheddar from ingredients that are a true expression of the land from which they came. Taking this as his inspiration, Ben’s recipes get back to basics with woodfire cooking in the open air, advocating an intuitive approach to all elements of the process, including judging temperature by how many seconds it takes before a hand can no longer be held by the fire.

Spending a few days cooking over coals in both the ancient woodland at Home Farm in Devon and the craggy St Agnes beach in Cornwall, Ben has created recipes including a Campfire Cheese Toastie, a crowd-pleasing Raclette of Buttery Clothbound Cheddar and a Smoked Cauli Cheese made with Oak Smoked Goats' Milk Clothbound Cheese. Finally, Ben’s Cheese Chop stuffed with Extra Mature Clothbound Cheddar provides fledgling fireside cooks with a new classic to pull out, as friends gather around with their plates in hand.

Ben explains:

“The ethos around Woodfired Canteen is all about sharing stories through food, with a focus on people, passion and place. I couldn’t wait to get my teeth stuck into the story of Quicke’s and Cornish Sea Salt, as the collaboration is rooted in the land and sea beneath us and the makers’ passions for the food that they share with the world. The story is just as important as the plate of food, and telling stories around fires to good people leaves more than just a full belly, so we’d really love as many people as possible to try these recipes for themselves. It’s as simple as getting a pan out, lighting a fire, getting a few friends round and giving it a go.”

All of Ben Quinn’s woodfired recipes using Quicke’s cheese can be found at www.quickes.co.uk/blogs/recipes. 

To watch a film of Ben Quinn introducing the partnership, click here.