Why does cheese as a dessert cost more?

Why does cheese as a dessert cost more?

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Discussion

PH5121

Original Poster:

1,963 posts

212 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
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I am not a foodie so haven't ventured into this area of the forum, but know that there are some knowledgable folks about.

I don't have a sweet tooth, so if given the option of cheese as a dessert I will opt for it. My wife and I went to a local bistro type eatery at the weekend and had a meal, the sort of place where two courses are £20 and three courses are £25. I had the cheese/ fruit / chutney / combo for dessert at an additional cost of £3 or £4.

I am just curious to know why there is an extra cost for this, I have noticed in other eateries that the cheese based dessert option is often the most costly option.

marshalla

15,902 posts

200 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
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Probably because decent cheeses have to be bought in, rather than made on the premises from cheap basic ingredients, and are expensive in their own right.

DUMBO100

1,878 posts

183 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
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Additional supplements on menus are everywhere now. I guess it's the Groupon effect. The restaurants advertise their meals much cheaper than your final bill will end up

Uncle John

4,269 posts

190 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
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Cheese isn't all that cheap really, even to caterers, and don't forget the fancy chutneys you get these days.....

I really miss a decent Ploughmans with hunks of cheese. It's a dying breed and whenever I find one I'm always disappointed.

marshalla

15,902 posts

200 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
quotequote all
P.S. - cheese is not a dessert. It's the course before the desserts when you finish off the good wine before switching to something sweet wink

PH5121

Original Poster:

1,963 posts

212 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
quotequote all
I told you I wasn't a foodie!! I would normally use the phrase 'afters', as it comes after the main course!

LordGrover

33,531 posts

211 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
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I like cheese for pudding too. yes

Preferably nothing fancy I've never heard of, just high quality cheddar, stilton and camembert/brie will do.

21TonyK

11,494 posts

208 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
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As others have said cheese (even trade/bulk prices) is expensive. Compounded by the fact that most people who choose a cheese board want something decent. Not just a lump of 6.50 a kilo catering cheddar.

Add in the fact that the wastage on cheese is quite high and the cost just keeps going up.

We used to do a cheese board with 2 cheeses from a list of 9 for £6.95, if you had all nine it was about £18 for a cheese board which was enough for two people. If I remember rightly not one of the cheeses cost us less that about £12 a kilo and most were £15-20, more than trade on fillet steak!

ClubSmed

77 posts

150 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
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Personally I can see why the cheese board is more expensive, quality cheese is an expensive item. What I don't understand is why they are never served with enough biscuits to eat the cheese with as these are not expensive items and it is not like you can re-use the resulting leftover cheese.

sherman

13,067 posts

214 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
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Thats due to aesthetics. If you put a heap of enough biscuits on the plate it would visually look out of proportion with the rest of the dish

dazco

4,280 posts

188 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
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You could easily put a cheese board out for the same price as a dessert but if you have a half decent restaurant then you are obliged to use half decent cheeses, and they are never cheap.

DeuxCentCinq

14,180 posts

181 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
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schmunk

4,399 posts

124 months

Thursday 23rd April 2015
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DeuxCentCinq said:
hehe

I hadn't seen that before - I think it's worth posting the link to the story:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howabou...

kev1974

4,029 posts

128 months

Monday 27th April 2015
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ClubSmed said:
Personally I can see why the cheese board is more expensive, quality cheese is an expensive item. What I don't understand is why they are never served with enough biscuits to eat the cheese with as these are not expensive items and it is not like you can re-use the resulting leftover cheese.
Ask for more biscuits, in the same way that you can ask for more pancakes to go with the duck in a Chinese, I've never known a place refuse or charge extra.

HOGEPH

5,249 posts

185 months

Monday 27th April 2015
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I'd just have digestive biscuits with my cheese selection if I had the choice.

ClubSmed

77 posts

150 months

Monday 27th April 2015
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kev1974 said:
ClubSmed said:
Personally I can see why the cheese board is more expensive, quality cheese is an expensive item. What I don't understand is why they are never served with enough biscuits to eat the cheese with as these are not expensive items and it is not like you can re-use the resulting leftover cheese.
Ask for more biscuits, in the same way that you can ask for more pancakes to go with the duck in a Chinese, I've never known a place refuse or charge extra.
I am aware that I can ask for more, indeed I do. The issue is that it interupts my eating (and enjoying) of that dish as I have to break halfway through to get the attention of waiting staff then wait untill they return with more biscuits. This is all an interuption that goes someway to spoil the experiance as it is all unnecessary.

LordGrover

33,531 posts

211 months

Monday 27th April 2015
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You don't have to wait until you've eaten the last crumb - you could even ask when they serve them.

RizzoTheRat

25,085 posts

191 months

Monday 27th April 2015
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Had dinner a the Montague Arms in Beaulieu where they had what I guess must be the cheese equivalent of a Sommelier (Fromagier?). He came over with a complete cheese trolley for us to choose from and knew his cheeses well enough to be able to descibe them all and recommend stuff based on other cheeses we liked biggrin

marshalla

15,902 posts

200 months

Monday 27th April 2015
quotequote all
RizzoTheRat said:
Had dinner a the Montague Arms in Beaulieu where they had what I guess must be the cheese equivalent of a Sommelier (Fromagier?). He came over with a complete cheese trolley for us to choose from and knew his cheeses well enough to be able to descibe them all and recommend stuff based on other cheeses we liked biggrin
'zis is normal in any good French restaurant monsieur. Ze "Chariot de fromages", she is a thing of beauty!




Edited by marshalla on Monday 27th April 10:37

RizzoTheRat

25,085 posts

191 months

Monday 27th April 2015
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I'm drooling juts looking at the picture. That Camembert at the front...cloud9