‘It is the greatest edible substance on earth’: why blue cheese is the best cheese

For food writer Katie Mather, a cautious, Christmassy nibble of Saint Agur led to a whole new world of everyday indulgence

Just like I feel ashamed for choosing mild-medium chilli sauce on a burrito, I always feel that my cheesy choices are being judged for being on the basic side. I love a cheddar. I adore a smooth and creamy goat’s cheese. But a chunk of lancashire? Fuhgeddaboudit. And as for blue cheese ...

Growing up, I was the only one who steered clear of the ceramic pot sitting ominously at the back of the fridge, full, to my mind, of foul and funky stilton. I was a blue cheese refusalist. Why should I eat something that looked like a biological hazard? Why would I want to train my tastebuds to accept the sharp acridity of this cheese? With so many other options in the world, it felt futile – no, foolish – to waste my time trying to play nicely with a food that seemed a little bit wrong. Ancient self-protection instincts kicked in. Don’t eat blue food.