HERE at the Argus, we love a chance to find a new food venue in South Wales, and we love cheese. So when we heard about a food stall specialising in cheese opening in Cwmbran on Friday, we jumped at the chance to go try it out.
Gooey Chewy Cheese, owned by Dale Hewings from Cwmbran, is a food stall that brings out the best in one of the world's favourite foods - cheese, in particular a very melty Swiss cheese called raclette.
The business opened at midday on Friday and Mr Hewings said they had been "inundated" with pre-orders for their special 'Gooey Lasagne' - rosemary and garlic salted chips topped with deconstructed lasagne, with chilli jam, onion chutney, salad, and of course raclette, which is melted directly on to the top.
Mr Hewings said: "We've had such a good reaction so far. People have been booking so much to the point where we actually thought we might run out of cheese!"
He often describes the cheese as "the sexy bit" when making these meals and says it's his favourite part of the job watching the cheese melt properly, as the way it does is "unique" to raclette.
He said: "I've never seen any other cheese melt like this. We first heard of this cheese when we were visiting a food festival years ago, and it just stuck with me as something I wanted to work with when I found an idea.
"Then I realised how a deconstructed lasagne could work with melted cheese on top, and this became Gooey Chewy Cheese!"
After hearing all this, we couldn't wait to try this amazing Gooey Lasagne, and, dear readers, this was a cheese lovers paradise. Gooey melted cheese, hearty minced beef and slightly tangy rosemary and garlic salted chips - delicious.
The way the cheese melted in our mouths was gorgeous, and we savoured every single bite - even the chilli jam and onion chutney gave what was otherwise a pretty hearty dish a much needed touch of sweetness.
Mr Hewings has plenty of ideas for further items to add to his menu, including vegetarian options, as well as plans for future expansion.
He added: "We're hoping to eventually be able to expand into the units here and become a raclette restaurant, then hopefully be able to take our business around the country."
Gooey Chewy Cheese certainly has the Argus seal of approval, and we advise that everyone gets down there quick to try out this cheese lovers heaven right in the centre of Gwent!
They are open at the moment only from midday to 6pm on Saturdays, unless they run out of cheese, but have plans to extend their opening hours if required next week, and you can find Gooey Chewy Cheese at Unit 2 (Next to CIC Forgehammer Club) NP44 3DQ Cwmbran.
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