I went to my local fancy cheese shop the other day, and I found I had a hankering for Cheshire cheese. But they didn’t have anything. They didn’t have anything all that similar. The closest they had was a cloth-aged cheddar, but it was not a Cheshire. Sad… the old owner used to stock that stuff, but his son, who now runs the place, really likes stinky Italian cheeses, and some of the other styles have fallen by the wayside. There were only two or three cheddars, even. Sigh.
So I did something crazy. I went on-line and ordered a chunk of Cheshire cheese. And to amortize the crazy shipping cost, I picked up a piece of Caerphilly, too. It just arrived, unhappily shortly after lunch. But I couldn’t resist tasting my purchase, and ate a nibble of the Cheshire.
(I got the cheap stuff, made in Cheshire of pasteurized cheese. Not the fancy farmhouse unpasteurized stuff.)
Damn it’s good. I haven’t had Cheshire in decades, but it’s everything I remember. Sour, crumbly, with undertones of grass and a nice cow flavor. This is a little yellower than the stuff I used to get, but annatto is harmless.
It took one whole post for that to happen. My only regret is it wasn’t me.
… I thought to myself, “a little fermented curd will do the trick,” so, I curtailed my Walpoling activities, sallied forth, and infiltrated your place of purveyance to negotiate the vending of some cheesy comestibles!
On a more serious note, I think there’s a good reason cheddar is the most popular cheese in the world.
My current favorite is Tesco’s Extra-Mature Cheddar.
Cheshire, Caerphilly & Lancashire are nice too.
(I don’t hold with all these new-fangled blue/stinky/moldy things !)
They’re all lovely, but I’m a sucker for a blue, so Stilton is up there as one of the great blue cheeses in the world for me. I’m not well versed enough to tell you which creamery is my favorite, as they certainly vary. But good lord, sit me down with some Stilton, crackers, and some dried fruit and nuts, and I’m a happy boy.
(Oddly enough, I’ve never been enamored with cheddars. I’ve never had one that wowed me, whether an aged one from England or Wisconsin or a young one from either, they just don’t give me that endorphin rush some other cheeses do.)
I like a nice aged English cheddar, but truth be told, i like the aged cheddars from Vermont and New York even more. Cabot makes some excellent cheddars, IMHO. I’ve never had a Wisconsin cheddar that lit my fire.
Stilton is very nice, but I’m good having a small chunk for Christmas, and calling it a year.
I’ll think of you when I crack open my 21 year old WI cheddar.
Otherwise, I’ve enjoyed stiltons, red leicesters, and even got to try a stinking bishop once. It was pretty good. Double gloucester was nice too. And I truly did enjoy a genuine aged Cheddar cheddar once too. An experience I’d like to repeat.
I’ve had Cabots. They are good. They are very good. Just – I guess that style just doesn’t do it for me. But that’s okay – we all have different things that make us feel all tingly inside. My palette and brain are geared towards blues and stinky bries/camemberts and the like. God, those are like antidepressants to me. And Stilton is one of the finest. I could eat it every day (and when it’s in rotation, I do!)
I mourn for your inability to get the good aged stuff.
Ideally I like my cheddars old enough to vote. But for everyday purposes I do buy 4 year old cheddars in 5 pound blocks. Nice on sandwiches, in recipes, on enchiladas. Unless it’s a curd that’s a day old, I don’t care for young cheddars much.
I will attest there are some very fine aged Wisconsin cheddars. Not sure I’ve ever had anything quite as old as 21, but somewhere in the 10-12 year range. Nice little protein crystals and all that. Very enjoyable.
That sounds lovely. Feel free to share brands or sources. DM is fine.
I do like me a nice British cheese, though. Including the double glousters and cheddars. I got the Caerphilly because it’s a cheese I’ve never had before. But i was really longing for a nice Cheshire. Mmmm.
Tunworth is as good as any French camembert with a kind of nutty taste. Waterloo is another good soft English cheese but the color is a little off-putting:
I’ve heard tell that stilton can induce bizarre dreams, if it’s a genuine english one made with the traditional process. Something about the particular mold is alleged to do this. Anyone with any personal insight into this?
My palette and brain are geared towards blues and stinky bries/camemberts and the like. God, those are like antidepressants to me. And Stilton is one of the finest. I could eat it every day (and when it’s in rotation, I do!)
I mourn for your inability to get the good aged stuff.