Champagne Cheddar

Sometimes, it's as special as a supplier offering us something great that we didn’t have to pre-order eight weeks before its arrival. This week one of these cheese miracles happened.

One of my cheese reps let me know that he had ten cases of a really great English farmhouse cheddar available. He even sent me information sheets, which is slightly rare, as guessing is usually part of the cheese ordering equation. I went for it, as it’s always nice to get some new things in for our regular customers. 

What a great surprise! The cheddar is a lovely looking small truckle in green wax, with a deep buttery coloured interior. When we opened it, it smelled sweet and slightly yeasty. The taste was really different from most cheddar we stock, English or Canadian. The flavour was a little fruity with a great tangy finish, not sharp at all, but just a little zesty. The texture was softer than we expected, and almost creamy.

The cheese is made for Somerdale who export it throughout the UK and North America. Apparently the cheese is made traditionally and then aged for ten months, after which it is milled to break up the curd. Champagne is added at this point, and the cheese is pressed again and then waxed.

I’m not normally a fan of adding superfluous ingredients to cheese but whoever had this idea should definitely be a given a glass of bubbly to celebrate.