Weeknotes 89 - Pretty cheesy

I’m on holiday this week. Holiday as in not going to work, rather than going somewhere. To get into the holiday mood I cleaned the bathroom. Now I can relax.
My barber told me about The Odds, a vegan deli slash lunch place in Peckham. Besides a delicious carrot lox bagel (which I instantly devoured) I picked up some proper vegan cheese (basic and smoked), a spicy fermented black bean condiment and tomato relish. I served it up with oat crackers, grapes, freshly made humous etc. The smoked cheese in particular was pretty spectacular.
A lot of people say they love cheese. There are serious cheese nerds out there who — I have no doubt — really mean it. But I always wonder whether the majority actually just loves the combo of textures and flavour variations which maybe don’t have to require dairy to produce. Fifteen years ago vegan “cheese” was a gross mess, but the cheese made by Food By Sumear is made using actual cheese-making techniques, and it’s pretty cheesy to my palate. I need to test it out on some friends who eat cheese to see how it compares.
Obviously not now. The sheer logistics of passing a “cheese” board around for tasting while maintaining a 2m distance in the pouring rain are making my head hurt.
The temperature dropped, immediately triggering an order of yarn. I cast on a hat project to get the season kicked off. Once that’s done I’ll be ready to knit a cowl-neck jumper.
I’m making another bread today. Let’s hope it’s another good one.