We are self-confessed food lovers and not a day goes by without chatting about what we had for dinner last night, or what we want for lunch. Yesterday, we got on to the subject of the mighty spud and found that everyone is an expert on the perfect jacket potato. Who knew that such a simple dish could lead to such debate! But what we did agree on is that this comes in as the number one most desired lunchtime treat.

Some insist that potatoes must be cooked gently for an hour in the oven, to ensure a delicious soft centre and crispy skin. Another great tip came from an unexpected jacket spud lover: simply cover the potato with olive oil and sea salt before popping in the oven to give it that extra crunch. We’ll be testing that later…

Others, however, insisted that the microwave oven technique is just as good … and if you don’t eat the skin it’s the perfect one for you. Place it in the microwave on full power for a ten-minute spin, followed by 2-3 minutes in the oven and you’ll have yourself a melt in the mouth, fluffy centre.

So once you’ve cooked and fluffed the floury insides, the next stop is the toppings, and in our opinion this is the exciting part!

Davidstow’s top tip for the perfect cheese and butter topped jacket is to scoop out the piping hot potato and mix on a plate with butter and cheese, before putting it back into the skin and placing it under the grill for a quick top up –- delicious. Then there’s all the additional toppings – coleslaw, bacon, chilli and cream cheese as well as chicken curry, beef Bolognese and vegetable ragu…the list goes on.

So what is your baked potato ritual? Tell us all your spuddy desires?!

Hi! Mark Pitts-Tucker here. I’m the cheese grader here at Davidstow. I was chuffed when asked to write my first blog. What an amazing opportunity for me to convey my passion and interest for cheese and the wonderful Davidstow product in particular.

As a West Country boy born and bred I count myself lucky to still have the opportunity to travel down to the rugged beauty of the north Cornish coast on a regular basis, and work with a product that is made with such skill.

I may not go as far as sharing the childhood photographs of me in my tartan trousers with blonde hair but I will unashamedly write about the beautiful lush land that lends itself to producing such a fabulously creamy cheese that is quite literally ‘Cornwall in a pack’.

Last year, we unveiled two brand new Davidstow Cheddars and this was a really exciting time, especially as I was fortunate enough to rub shoulders with the terrifically gifted chef Nathan Outlaw.

I also got the opportunity to dine at his wonderful restaurant, Restaurant Nathan Outlaw at the St. Enodoc Hotel in Rock (www.nathan-outlaw.com). There’s no doubt in my mind that I’ll be making fairly frequent references to what was simply the best meal I’ve had the pleasure of eating. My only regret was that I ate it by myself. The young Chris McCandless (Into The Wild) came to a profound realisation when he noted ‘happiness is only real when shared’. An objective for 2011 is to share a meal at Nathan’s fine dining restaurant and one that I will fulfill.

So that’s a little bit about me. Watch out for further blogs that will start in earnest this month. Being a hopeless romantic under my rather rough, life worn exterior, I will make my entry as close to Valentine’s Day as possible.

It will be my mission to cover off as many of your cheese questions as I can, like how cheese is made, what goes into grading and selection, what the key attributes are and what sets a great product apart from the rest. I’ll also let you into the secrets of what those lucky judges look for when assessing a cheese for an award!

So that’s it for me at the moment, best get back to tasting the cheese. I reckon I’ll be sampling in the region of 500 samples of Davidstow over the next week so perhaps I should consider my other objective of 2011…get to the gym quicker than I get to the fridge!

Dyw genowgh, (check your Cornish dictionary)
Mark-the-grader