London hotel launches cheese and whisky menu

Alex James, the British song-writer turned cheese aficionado, has teamed up with the Athenaeum hotel in Piccadilly to create a whisky and cheese food-pairing menu in celebration of the hotel’s whisky bar.

Alex James says: “The range of flavours spanned by first class cheese and whisky is so vast that matching them can be quite a tricky business. The Athenaeum team and I feel confident we have found the ultimate combinations of superlative whisky and fine cheese. Sometimes it's the most unlikely combinations that produce the most spectacular results.”

Examples include 12YO Chivas Regal with Westcombe Cheddar; and Suffolk Gold with Gentleman Jack (pictured).

With the help of the hotel's head chef and its resident whisky sommelier, Alex James (centre) has also created a Scotch-infused cream cheese called Athenaeum