I had an argument with a French colleague at lunchtime over the merits and otherwise of British vs French cheeses. The long and short of it is that we are no having a cheese off in a couple of week’s time, in which we will both bring 3 examples of the cheesemaker’s art and then try to work out whose are best.

So: what 3 specialty british cheeses do i need. I’m thinking a stilton, a fine mature cheddar and then something truly specialist (I know Cheddar and Stilton are formulaic, but I’m talking the best examples of these two classics, not Cathedral City !!).

Any recommendations?

Colston Basset Stilton FTW

isle of mull cheddar

Bonchester http://www.gourmet-food.com/gourmet-cheese/bonchester-cheese-100388.aspx

Stinking Bishop. Soft and unbelievably smelly, ‘tastes a bit like a farmyard smells’

A fine Welsh goats cheese – a fave restaurant used to do one called ‘Marlin’ or similar, it was worth the trip on its own. More niche than a fixie belt driven Jones 96er, and infinitely more palatable.

blacksticks blue
apple wood smoked illchester
ribblesdale

get yourself to Neals Yard – you wont find a wider collection of only British Cheeses.

They do a very pricey one made with nettle rennet!

A favourite of mine is Sparkenhoe farmhouse red leicester. I think Im right in saying its the only farmhouse style RL in the country and it is superb.

Home

+1 for the stinking bishop

but that’d be 3 quite potent cheese’s. maybe mix it up with a bit of Wallace Wensleydale: http://www.wensleydale.co.uk/shop/miniature-cheese-truckles/wallace-and-gromit-wensleydale-truckle.html

I know farmer Bishop after whom the cheese is named – very cheery chap. Had some forerib off him for christmas a few years back.

Montgomery’s Cheddar – http://farmhousecheesemakers.com/cheesemakers/montgomery_s_cheddar/

Colston Bassett Stilton – http://www.colstonbassettdairy.com/

Cornish Yarg is a nice unusual one – http://www.lynherdairies.co.uk/yarg-cornish-cheese.html

Should be available from any decent cheese shop.

I know farmer Bishop after whom the cheese is named

Did he come up with the variety of pear as well?

Stinking Bishop

Can I commit heresy here and suggest (even though I’m a huge fan) that the Stilton is a little common – how about a nice piece of Shropshire Blue instead?

something subtle, like a nice Caerphilly

and finally something that would beat the froggies at their own game and play to his pallette – a nice unpasteurised soft cheese like Tunworth

Lincolnshire Poacher

http://www.lincolnshirepoachercheese.com/products/

After some research of my own I’m leaning towards:

Montgomery Cheddar
Stichelton Blue (Stilton style, but can’t be called Stilton because it uses unpasteurised milk)
and for the third….

Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire
Cornish Yarg (might be a bit overpowered by the two above)
Berkswell Sheeps Milk (pecorino style)

or what I’m gravitiating to:

Oxford Isis
http://www.oxfordfinefood.com/oxford-blue-and-isis.html/

Might need to do some auditioning

I wouldn’t bother with the Stilton or Cheddar – will play to French perceptions of British cheese. (Although Harlech and Y Fenni are two very nice cheddar blends… horeseradish and mustard / ale respectively)

As above, Cornish Yarg, unusual, subtle flavour.

Celtic Pride – award winning cheese soaked in cider. Reeks to high heaven, which the French admire in a cheese.

I’ll stay out of this one ~
Other than to say;

Quickes Mature Cheddar(Unpasteurised)
Lancashire Blue (Cow) or Brock Blue (Goat)
Toppenrose Gold (Can be hard to get.)
Kebbuck from Loch Arthur Creamery

For gods sake don’t give them Applewood

+1 for the Yarg, lovely cheese.

There is a Scottish blue cheese called Strathdon Blue, creamier than a stilton but not overpowering – lovely stuff.

Nothing wrong with the french perception of Cheddar and Stilton. in fact that’s part the point, that (with some exceptions) the stuff you get in supermarkets is a poor version of proper quality examples of the same. Such that she’ll think ‘ah, Stilton as expected’, and then be forced to swallow her pride when the true quality is revealed.

Zulu-Eleven – Member
Can I commit heresy here and suggest (even though I’m a huge fan) that the Stilton is a little common – how about a nice piece of Shropshire Blue instead?

Mmmm Shropshire Blue is just about my perfect cheese.

Bourne’s Cheshire (I like the oak-smoked one).

-1 for applewood too. Double gloucester and red leicester will also be unimpressive to a Frenchie.

+1 for some nice welsh soft goats cheese. I proper loves it!
This ‘ere Berkswell cheese also looks really nice.

Rindy sheep cheese, mmmmmmmm.

Alas, I found out about Berkswell on my favourite totally unbiased cheese-opedia http://www.univers-fromages.com which also suggests that you will never win a cheese-off against The Motherland France. 😈

rkk01 – Member
I wouldn’t bother with the Stilton or Cheddar – will play to French perceptions of British cheese. (Although Harlech and Y Fenni are two very nice cheddar blends… horeseradish and mustard / ale respectively)

In a cheese-off I’d avoid any additives cheese, because they really are pretty awful. A little like being given an alcopop in a real ale contest. The additives only mask the flavour of the cheese and the cheese itself on the whole is poor. Similarly, Wallace and Gromit truckles are a novelty condom of a cheese and I’d also add that the act of forming the truckle spoils the texture of the cheese. Avoid anything wrapped in wax – it’s been pushed through a tube before being sliced.

If theotherjonv is giving cheddar it needs to be a good strong extra mature (not a farmhouse!) – unfortunately my supermarket favourite is Canadian so I’m not suggesting that!

Part of my job a decade ago was to buy in the Xmas stilton and distribute it to our cheese graders – we always got Cropwell Bishop, the experts seemed to rate it very highly.

As above, I’d suggest finding a decent cheese shop and avoiding almost anything from a supermarket.

However, theotherjonv will struggle to beat a good piece of Roquefort!

Maybe not. But faint heart never won fair maiden, and if I can’t beat the motherland I’ll die in a dairy based gluttony of trying.

Lincolnshire Poacher rocks my world, try the Louth Cheese shop –

The Cheese Shop & Deli, Louth

Lincolnshire poacher ftw

+2 for Cornish Yarg!

It survives in the fridge for about 20 minutes when I’m around.

Snowdonia Cheese Company Little Black Bomber. Yum.

+1 for the Snowdonia Cheese Company Little Black Bomber. The one with pickled onions in actually makes your teeth water

Grandma Singletons tasty lancs. Can make your mouth feel like its having a fit. The best thing to come out of Lancashire since my missus

And to temper all that tangyness – Sage Derby – beautifully subtle, herby, and bright green. Whats not to like

stay away from any ‘flavoured’ cheese IMO, yo want to showcase the cheese, and ale flavoured cheese wont do that.

stinking bishop is the one for me!

Dovedale Blue, mmmmm creamy

stay away from any ‘flavoured’ cheese IMO

Yep, and all that Wensleydale with Cranberries in it muck. Thats a discrace

Anything local to you would be a good start.

Don’t try too hard, in my experience and believe me, I’ve eaten my way across the hexagon, English cheese is far superior to French cheese, so just keep it simple.

Little Black Bombers are chopped and are extruded. However the comment about waxed cheese is incorrect. We make our mini truckles from whole cheese cut to shape and not extruded thus keeping their original texture. Granny Singletons can be really hit and miss as a Tasty Lancashire as it’s generally downgraded stock that’s stronger than normal for it’s age profile. Similar is said for our own Owd Timer. There’s nothing wrong with it, just that it’s a lot stronger than most people would like it.

Alas, Hartington Creamery which made the PDO Dovedale no longer exists and we bought most of there equipment a couple of years ago. There are a couple of others making it but not as succesfully. I believe Oxford Cheese Co. has been having a stab at it.

We’ve probably got good few customers in your area so I can reccomend you some good cheese shops when I get into work 🙂

If theotherjonv is giving cheddar it needs to be a good strong extra mature (not a farmhouse!)

I’m interested in why you warn against a farmhouse mature cheddar.

As above, I’d suggest finding a decent cheese shop and avoiding almost anything from a supermarket.

100% agree. 😉

I’ve just tried to find the trade name of Wildes of Mollington and the best the internet gives me is Mollington Farms Ltd, Chester. Good cheese shop in Chester too.

goon – Member
I know farmer Bishop after whom the cheese is named
Did he come up with the variety of pear as well?

Yes.
Never trust wiki too much goon.

Bish drinks in the Chase In in Colwall.

Although it is a pungent cheese, the name “Stinking Bishop” actually comes from the name of a variety of perry pear, reputed to have been created by the Bishop family of Colwall.

The cheese is washed in the perry cider to give the rind its characteristic odour.

Colwall farmer John Bishop said: “The pear was named after my great grandfather, Frederick Bishop, but I expect someone else cultivated it. It’s not exactly a great claim to fame!

“He was quite notorious, hard drinking and he did a lot of fighting.

“Once he sold a cow at Ledbury Market for £17 and didn’t return home until he had drunk all the money. He was an out and out rogue, but they were hard times.”

http://archive.thisisherefordshire.co.uk/2005/9/16/69784.html

Quicks mature +1 my Dad is their vet and he was a meat inspector for shippams, he reckons their operation is top notch and the cheese is ruddy marvellous.

Oh and if you did get one of our blues you could tell em it was matured in a cave like Roquefort, not many British cheese can claim that 🙂

BenjiM – Member
BenjiM – Member
Little Black Bombers are chopped and are extruded. However the comment about waxed cheese is incorrect. We make our mini truckles from whole cheese cut to shape and not extruded thus keeping their original texture.

EXTRUDED!! That word had escaped my brain for the whole night! Thank you BenjiM.

I used to work for a large cheese company and did a lot of work on extruded cheeses – hence my warning about the texture. A genuine question for you – does the wax genuinely help the cheese’s shelf life at all, or is it a cosmetic thing?

I’ve had some of your cheese before (possibly from a stall at the Swansea Xmas market) and it was very good.

don simon – Member

If theotherjonv is giving cheddar it needs to be a good strong extra mature (not a farmhouse!)

I’m interested in why you warn against a farmhouse mature cheddar.

Mainly down to personal taste I’m afraid Don Simon – I’m less keen on the ‘silage’ taste of farmhouse. I used to find that farmhouse cheese seemed to be an acquired taste for most peoople though – at tastings it was rather less popular than a good extra mature.

Fair enough, I never really ate the cheese that I made at Mollington, so couldn’t really compare. I just think that mass produced 30,000l vats is not going to be the better option.