Tradition in a Jar

Immediately upon arrival in Williamsburg,William & Mary freshman are inundated with stories of traditions and "firsts." W&M has a lot of them. We're cool like that.

Many of W&M's stories have to do with its colonial roots, but one of my favorites is a little more recent: eating bread ends and house.

House, short for house dressing, is a condiment created by The Cheese Shop, a kickass wine, cheese and sandwich shop in Colonial Williamsburg, just a few steps from campus. Students buy bags of bread ends - literally, the ends cut off bread used for sandwiches - and dip it in the dressing. It's amazing.

And it's super secret. A few years ago, I tried to make some of my own, and it was OK, but not exactly right. Fortunately for W&M alumni everywhere, The Cheese Shop just started bottling the stuff. I bought some when we stopped in Williamsburg on our way to Duck last week - and we tried it the other day.

I made sandwiches with rotisserie chicken and havarti on French bread - my exact order when I was in college.

And it was...awesome! I am thrilled - THRILLED - that I can get my hands on house anytime now. It's so delicious - and so full of great memories. Total Proust for thousands of alumni.

If you're interested in trying it, call The Cheese Shop at 757-220-0298 to order. You won't regret it!