For several years, I have taught a community school course featuring dishes made with Island foods. We use a lot of Island dairy products in those cooking classes.
There are two reasons I like to do this: to be sure that students learn about the range of dairy products from P.E.I. and to encourage people to use dairy products.
There is evidence that adults do not consume the recommended number of servings from the milk and milk products food group. For adults aged 19-50, that is two servings/day, and for those 51 and over, it is three servings/day. It’s easy if you drink milk, but there are many other ways to add dairy to your meals.
Sometimes people are surprised to learn how many kinds of cheese are made in our little province: cheddar (numerous types, ranging from mild reduced-fat to two- and three-year-old and cloth-bound), mozzarella, gouda (like cheddar, many types including mild, medium and aged, some with additions of seeds, herbs and spices), sheep feta, Monterey jack, havarti. There is also a cheddar-type cheese made from Island sheep milk, but processed in New Brunswick.
Serving an assortment on a cheese tray is quick and easy, and it’s a great way to pamper guests. Choose some mild and some sharp flavours and vary the colours and textures, to make it most appealing. It’s helpful to label the various types of cheese, so that people will know what they are trying.
