Tonight’s Corrie will see the return of Martin Platt, a character that I have fond memories of from childhood. There weren’t many Martins that I could look up to in public life, so my namesake in Coronation Street had to do.
I always liked Martin. He was a good dad to David and to his adoptive children Nicky and Sarah Louise. It’s been interesting to see what he was like as a young man in the Classic Coronation Street episodes on ITV3. He had a hoop earring and a mullet, like most lads about town in the mid-to-late 80s.
Unfortunately, Martin is not returning under happy circumstances. It is, of course, part of the story arc that began last week with the terrible assault on his son, David.
I always imagined that if Martin Platt did come back to Coronation Street, it would be following a career change from nursing to cheesemaking, given Sean Wilson’s own professional development since leaving Corrie in 2005.
I pictured Martin setting up a stall at an artisan food market on the cobbles, selling a variety of produce from the Saddleworth Cheese Company. A storyline of this sort would reflect modern trends in food and drink consumption and provide a fantastic marketing opportunity for Sean Wilson. Alas, it wasn’t to be.
Nevertheless, I thought I’d mark Sean Wilson’s return to Corrie and escape the doom and gloom of current happenings on screen by sampling some of the actor’s award-winning cheeses. Plus, it gave me an excuse to use the pun in the title of this blog. Apologies if it’s a bit cheesy.
I’ve been wanting to try Sean Wilson’s cheeses ever since I found out they existed. However, they have only recently hit the south of England. Sean now has a nationwide contract with Asda and his cheeses are available in stores with a deli, badged under the name ‘Artisan Farm’.
That said, it took me a while to track them down. I walked two miles to the Asda in Wallington one Sunday afternoon but left empty-handed. I continued my pilgrimage to the Waterlooville Superstore when visiting the in-laws, having persuaded them to drive me there. This was also to no avail.
Eventually, my parents found two of the sacred cheeses in the Asda in Burgh Heath and bought them for me. Thanks mum, thanks dad.
‘Muldoons Picnic’ is a Lancashire crumbly cheese. The tasting notes tell of "a fresh acidity and broad curdy creaminess to the palate, giving a pleasing aftertaste and character that you just don't find with the factory equivalent".
This cheese is named after the Lancashire term for a room full of screaming kids. For example: "What do you think this is, Muldoon’s Picnic?!" It sounds like the Platt household in the early 90s!
‘How’s ya father’ is a creamy Lancashire with a “velvety character” and “a pleasing appearance and aroma”.
I tried both of these on some crackers with a nice drop of port and they really are very good.
I also had them both melted on toast with a bit of tomato. How’s ya father was my favourite and is particularly good on toast.
There are two other cheeses made by Sean’s Saddleworth Cheese Company. ‘Mouth Almighty’ is a stronger cheese which is said to have an initial tang that “opens up into a full flavour and unfolds into the mouth with a creaminess not too dissimilar to the How’s ya father”.
‘Smelly Ha'peth’ is a medium soft blue cheese with "a mild, sweet, nuttiness of a more continental theme". ‘Smelly Ha'peth’ is a Lancashire term for a child covered in muck after a full day’s play.
I’ve not tried these other two but if anyone knows where to find them in London or the South East, please let me know!
It’s good to see Sean Wilson find success in the world of cheese after Coronation Street and long may it continue. However, I was also pleased to hear that he was coming back to Corrie, albeit only for a short time.
With what has happened to David, the reunion between father and son may not make for easy viewing, but it is entirely right that Martin Platt should be back on screen within a storyline of this magnitude. Perhaps the character will cancel his move to New Zealand and stick around for a bit longer. David’s going to need his dad around.
By Martin Leay, on Twitter @mpleay
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