Mushroom Pâté

This weekend, I paid a visit to Borough Market in London. I learned of it through my housemate and was very intrigued by the apparent size and friendly food tastings. Indeed, it was fairly big (although my housemate's description and the online map gave the impression that it would be bigger), and the mouth-watering smell of savoury food struck you the moment you entered. There were countless stalls alternating between oils and spices, jams/chutneys, cheeses, pastries, prepared on-the-spot savouries, candy, chocolates, fresh and cured meats, seafood, fruits and vegetables, bread, antipasti, beverages, and flowers. And the throng of people (since it was a Saturday) made it even more lively although difficult to maneuver.

One stall had the most interesting and extremely tasty product: mushroom pâté. That was all that it sold and all that it needed to sell. Intrigued by the oddity and the busy transactions, my friend and I took a tasting. The pate was a wonderful meld of cheese, and herb/spice flavourings that brought a creamy smoothness and mild flavour to the mouth. None of the ingredients dominated the other but played in harmony. The name "pate" conjured up a liver and meaty taste, but there was barely any resemblance. Instead, it was the flavour of grassy fields toned down by the curd cheese and breadcrumbs. Needless to say, we bought a tub home and savoured it with fresh home-baked whole wheat bread! Delish!!