Burrata and stracciatella are like Elvis and The Beatles; both are great but at some point you gotta choose just one. I’ve been saying this on my sales visits to kitchens up and down the country for ages now. Burrata – the Marilyn Monroe of mozzarella – gets all the credit as the cheese porn of Instagram. Gooey cheese stuffed inside more cheese, what’s not to love? But without stracciatella, burrata would not have been conceived. It’s a quandary choosing between Elvis or The Beatles, but here’s the thing: what you love about burrata is what’s on the inside – it’s all about the stracciatella. Massimo’s stracciatella is hand-pulled ribbons of mozzarella suspended in cream. While historically stracciatella was born as a clever way to use leftovers from making mozzarella, Massimo’s stracciatella is no by-product. Try as some may, stracciatella production cannot be mechanised. There’s a knack to making it just right and heavenly. Promiscuous and versatile, stracciatella will pair and flirt with almost anything. A mild-flavoured cheese, it works so well with seasonal produce, mopped up with crusty bread and served with a generous glass of bubbles. Stracciatella is seductive: with a wave of its wand, any of us mere mortals are now culinary wizards, producing beautiful and delectable plates of food easily and quickly. It’s summer on a plate. While the burrata bubble has not burst, sister cheese stracciatella is also making delicious music on menus. Elvis or The Beatles is a dilemma. Whatever you choose, you need to eat this cheese on its own terms. It just changes you. CALUM HODGSON – THE CURD NERD