Sally Wetherbee arranged a touch of snow to give authenticity to her Gruyère demonstration and talk to Whitchurch WI last week.
With snow forecast, members were cheered up with the prospect of tasting Fondue Vaudoise, a typical Swiss dish from the French speaking area of Switzerland.
Sally said that since 2001 Gruyère had enjoyed a protected designation of origin — a guarantee of origin and quality. Each wheel of cheese is hand-made and weighs about 35kgs. She brought some cheese which was five months old and some cave-aged ten-month cheese, so that the members could appreciate the different flavours — the older cheese is more salty. Both cheeses are available in Crebers.
Sally had also done some cooking with the different cheeses and guests were invited to sample quiches and muffins at the end of her talk. Whitchurch is an active WI and more than 50 members ventured out to meet Sally.
The business part of the meeting included details of walks, an art class beginning in April and a visit to the Exeter Meteorological office later this year. The Christmas dinner will be on February 16 at Tavistock Golf Club.
The membership list is now full but there is a waiting list. Contact June 01822 615486 if you wish to be included. The group meets on the first Monday of every month in the village hall at 7.30pm.