According to history, St. Patrick was born about 385 AD in Roman Britannia, and was taken to Gaul as a youth, where he entered a monastery. In 432 AD he returned to Ireland as a missionary and converted hundreds to Christianity and baptised them on a spot marked at the cathedral named for him in Dublin. According to legend, he drove all of the snakes off the island. The three-leafed clover, or shamrock, is closely associated with him because he used it as an illustration of the Trinity. There are now nearly 60 churches in Ireland named for him.

A Big Slice is always looking for different ways of celebrating holidays. We love sampling new foods, trying out new ideas. One of our favorite pasttimes is hosting wine tasting. We sit and talk and laugh, really get to know our guests. Everyone loves them. So we decided to apply the same principle to a St. Patrick's Day Party. But in this case we thought about a cheese tasting. Ireland is famous for a lot more than beer and their cheeses are a wonder to behold with a wide variety of flavors and textures. We are lucky enough to have several stores in our area that carry an array of cheeses from all over. Have them point out which are from Ireland and start selecting. If they don't have a large selection from Ireland just pick out some different styles. Any that suit your fancy.

Many legends followed the Irish immigrants to the new world. The most well-known is, of course, that little guy who is known as a leprechaun. They are often depicted as old men who are up to all sorts of mischief. By trade, they are cobblers who are quite wealthy with many crocks of treasure store about the countryside. Should you happen to see a leprechaun, keep your eyes fixed upon him. As long as you watch him he cannot escape. But withdraw your eye for just a second...and he is gone!

There are different ways of setting up a party such as this but one of the most fun it to have cheese tasting stations set up all around the house. This keeps people moving and mingling and shows off your place. When guests arrive give them a piece of paper with a list of all of the stations and have them write their impressions of each cheese. Add another element by providing a big tub filled with a selection of Irish beers. Are there any cheeses that taste better with a certain beer? Let your guests choose their favorite combo. And the paper is theirs to keep to use when making their next cheese purchase. It's a fun way to experiment and try new tastes with no pressure.