Jumi (pronounced YOU-ME) is located in Borough Market, a bustling, historic market in central London that focuses on quality food and sustainable production.
They are a producer/selector of artisan cheeses from Switzerland and are changing the way people think about Swiss Cheese. All of the unique products at Jumi Cheese are produced by four family-run dairies in the Emmental region of Switzerland. The cows that supply the milk for Jumi's dairies feed on fresh grass and hay, and the farmers start and end the process by hand.
Their 'stall' is located in the Three Crown Square section of Borough Market and features a range of cheeses like Belper Knolle, a specialty of theirs, spahn, goat cheese, truffle cheese and more.
They first came on my radar when I saw a video on social media featuring their 'brain cheese.' The cheese resembles small mammalian brains at various stages of decay with it's fuzzy layer of blue mold surrounding the fist size balls. This one of the mouldiest cheeses you can buy in the UK and for some strange strange reason.... I just had to try it. And so, I've had this bookmarked for years for the moment I'd be back in London.
At first glance, the Blue Brain cheese looked a bit intimidating. Are we sure about this? Will my stomach survive this? The questions tried to dissuade us to no avail. At about £9.90, the cheese was more affordable than I anticipated. We bought one for the road and magically, it mostly survived hours in our bag, lol. If you plan on sightseeing more after the market, I'd suggest bringing a smaller cooler or find a small bag of ice or frozen veggies in a nearby store to keep it cool.
Once we got home, we dug in. The cheese was very pungent! And despite it's appearance, this had to be one of the smoothest, most flavorful blue cheese I've ever had. Wow, I was pretty amazed and happy that we went for it. The flavor is strong, but not overwhelming and I honestly really liked it. We paired it with some crackers and jam (apricot or peach, can't remember which exactly) and it was the perfect way to end our evening.
For the food adventurous, I'd definitely recommend trying the blue brain cheese ;) read more