Cheddar

One of the most imitated of cheeses, and understandably so: we import Cheddars from all kinds of places like New Zealand and Ireland, but the original English Cheddar is still the best – and in particular Farmhouse Cheddar, which is well matured (anything up to nine months) and stronger than the mild, younger Cheddars that are widely available.

A good Cheddar cheese should look amber yellow and fresh, without a greasy shine and it should feel firm but not hard. Its clean and mellow flavour makes it very suitable for cooking, toasting, topping, for cheese sauces or simply for serving with pickled onions and beer for a ploughman’s lunch.