Fondue is a perfect dish to be served at any family and friends gathering. It’s easy to make and fun to eat. My cheesy goodness is super smoky, rich in flavour and I am sure it will appeal to any cheese lover out there.

Recently our house was taken over by the Japanese life changing magic of tiding… we totally KonMari’ed the place and as a result we found many funky items we had no idea we even owned… one of them was a lovely Le Creuset fondue set, which we were given as a gift at some point and was just stored in a cupboard and as it gradually worked its way towards the back of the cupboard, it became a case of out of sight and eventually out of mind. Looking at our new found fondue set and a soapstone serving slab from SparHome which we all agreed would make a perfect serving setup for our meal, we decided to give the art of fondue a go… I have to admit we had a great evening and everyone really enjoyed the meal.

The recipe is super easy but it is also super tasty so until we develop something more elaborate I’ve decided to share it with you 🙂

Ingredients:

• 250g Applewood cheese
• 250g White Stilton
• 250ml low alcohol organic cider
• 1tbsp corn flour
• 1tsp lemon juice

For Dipping:

• Cubes of wholemeal bread
• Sausage
• Any veggies of your choosing

Method:

Finely grate the Applewood cheese

De-rind (if needed) and crumble the white Stilton

Pour 225ml of the cider into a heavy bottom saucepan (reserve the remainder of the cider) and on a low heat warm the cider till it is hot but not boiling.

Add a handful of your cheese and stir, is it begins to melt add another handful until all the cheese is in the sauce and then add the lemon juice.

Cook over medium heat until all the cheese is fully melted and it starts to gently bubble. Take your time with the stage of the cooking process because if you rush it you do run the risk of the cheese congealing and forming a solid ball and then your dinner is…..ruined.

Mix the corn flour with the remaining 25ml of cider and add into your cheese mixture.

Cook on a low heat, stirring constantly until mixture comes back to a gentle boil and begins to thicken. When you have a nice thick (like custard) shiny but smooth mixture it is ready for devouring.

Pour into your fondue pot and place over a flame to keep it warm and bubbling on the table. Now all you have to do is grab your fork, stab something you fancy on the table and dip it in the mixture and enjoy!

If serving with veggies make sure that they are cook al dente. Veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, beans need only 5 minutes of steaming and you are ready to go 🙂

As an addition if you’re that way inclined have a bottle of something on standby, the rules of the game are simple, if anyone drops their item into the pot they must have a drink! Surprisingly nice forfeit and really adds to the entertainment and laughter of the evening. After all this is a slow meal where you eat and talk and laugh and remember that life is good. Our evening was memorable and I hope yours will be too.

Give it a go, go on… you know you want to.