Over the next couple of posts I am going to chat about one of my true loves (other than my boyfriend or my little growing baby) but cheese.

As a cheesemonger in my fifth month of pregnancy I am quite concerned about all the different advice on what to and what not to eat. Whats good for you and baby and whats not.

Take cheese for example, most doctors and the like tell you to avoid all un-pasteurised cheese. Firstly not only is this incorrect, you are depleting your body of necessary calcium and nutrients which you and your growing baby need.

I work on a busy retail counter and the majority of pregnant women that buy cheese tell me they have decided not to eat any cheese rather than take the risk. Usually they are buying for family and friends and feeling miserable as they can’t have any.

In my view all pasteurised cheese is not safe.

Pasteurisation is when the milk used to make the cheese is heated up to 72 degrees celsius for 20 to 30 seconds killing any bacteria good or bad that may be in the milk. Then lactic bacterria (made in a labroatory) is added to the milk to help generate the correct paste for the cheese.

Traditionally cheese was made as a way of storing nutrients in milk. Evidence shows that Unpasteurised milk has a higher nutritional value , providing more vitamins and minerals than pasteurised. It also has a better flavour, with none of the deterioration in quality.

Soft Cheese’s like Brie, Camembert even while pasteurised (which doctors say is safe) can still be contaminated with Listeria. This is because these are considered as young cheese’s. Therefore pasteurised or not I would not eat them. Wheras Parmigiano Reggiano, or any aged hard cheese,  I would be happy to eat as these cheese’s are too dry and high in salt for listeria to survive. Listeria is attracted to the soft young cheese’s.

There is nothing nicer than having a piece of cheese with some delicious oatcakes, dittys (my favourite) www.dittysbakery.com

Don’t get me wrong I do love some pasteurised Farmhouse cheeses that are available especially the Irish ones.

Recently I can’t get enough of Coolea Mature. Made in West Cork with cow’s milk, this chesse has a lovely mild, creamy flavour with a long lasting after taste. They also won Gold at the British Cheese awards in 2007. www.cooleacheese.com
Another favourite is Gubbeen which is also pasteurised and comes smoked too. Delicious washed rind cheese also made in Cork by the Ferguson family. www.gubbeen.com

Bluebell Falls Goats cheese is a recent find and it’s a delicious cheese made by Paul Keane in Co. Clare. He has a soft Goats Cheese but the one I am eating these days is his mature Goats Milk Cheese. Paul uses a method called thermisiation, a form of pasteurisation. The milk is heated to 65 degrees which kills off most bacteria but not killing off certain enzymes.

While pasteurisation is a debatable subject, I do believe some advice been given is not only misleading but can also lead mum- to- be making wrong food choices.  Therefore depleting mum and baby of necessary vitamins and nutrients.