by GUS » Tue Oct 08, 2013 5:23 pm
Just opened up some smoked from this deal (ok maybe a bit young) ..mix of beech & oak 50 / 50 mix (at a guess).
Vastly different to cheap n' cheerful cheddar sadly, ...but I can see why others have raved about mature smoked cheddar (but as I hadn't seen any descriptions on it's taste & texture, very curious as to whether it was thumbs up or down).
A good colour & take up of smoke, hardest bit was cutting non crumbly blocks! ....can you clever sorts please give the technical manner to achieve a clean cut as mine looked so manky ....but tastes out of this world.
compared to the young cheap regular cheddar which was a bit rubbery against the teeth, the thin blocks of varying density have smoked extremely well, all enveloping flavour past the swallowing stage, great aftertaste & creaminess, yum! ..(just putting together some minced lamb & mutton burgers to be topped with this little doozy, having brought it up to room temp (& thin sliced with a cheese shaver).
Wish i'd bought several kilo's not just one, ..convert, far better than the orange hue'd Orkney smoked cheddar of my youth.
Visited by another "cheese eater" who went home clutching a few pieces having made good noises about it ...or maybe it was cheese, & free cheese at that!?
very impressed with pilgrims choice this way (for a big brand supermarket cheese).
OFFTOPIC: wife just walked in with a wedge of ripe brie from Mr Waitrose "Laquetot" ripe brie ...my last was a creamy mild brie I ended up eating (after smoke) like a kid with his first chocolate bar, ..any advice beyond "extensively" ?