For day to day, a decent cheddar or mature manchego. But the King is clearly Torta del Casar, when you cut the top open and the smell hits you… wow:

Reblechon FTW, awesome on a burger or salad, not just for tartiflette.

Mont D’Or. Seasonal. Awesome.

The chaource I tried at Christmas was very nice and it got consumed very quickly so it’s the current king of cheese. Manchego or Saint Agur are contenders as well.

A decent tangy tasty Lancs is about as good as it gets…

Cheshire.

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A cheddar that can kill you with one punch.

Day to day- the prime minister of cheese, if you would- I’ll have an orkney.

theotherjonv – Member

But the King of Cheeses – the ultimate ruler above all else – is Stichelton. Bow down, you unworthies.

It’s good, but it’s still just a dirty German Stilton. 😉

I’m going to have to go with Cheddar. The sort that a translucently thin wafer of will strip the flesh off the roof of your mouth.

Also good to remind the French that you can mature cheese in caves without it going mouldy. 🙂

why can’t I get on with blue or stinky cheeses?

I really want to join the cheese appreciation club, but my palate limits me to cheddars, maybe some herby white creamy cheeses, gouda, dairy lea and parmesan. I even like the crappy ‘we can no longer call it parmesan’ hard grated cheese in the little plastic shaker pots, i’ll spread that shit all over my spag bol.
MrsSlim loves to bake a camembert but I find them a bit too claggy and old sock-like.

What gives? Make my taste more aquired please STW.

slimjim78 – Member

why can’t I get on with blue or stinky cheeses?

I never used to.
I think you need to mate your cheese with the right booze. 😀

You’ll be scoffing the aforementioned Epoisse in no time!

I still can’t eat Roquefort. Tastes like battery acid. I’ve had both. 🙁

Good point. Alcohol is probably the easiest path the cheese enlightenment.

does anyone know the cheese/gout ratio?

why can’t I get on with blue or stinky cheeses?

I really want to join the cheese appreciation club,

<stuck record>

I love my cheeses but some of the above mentioned cheeses are too strong for me – I find the strong blues (St Agur, Roquefort, etc.) too acidic for my taste. I recently had some Oxford Blue and found it almost inedible, which was a surprise as i was lead to believe it was milder than Roqueforts. Stilton – depends on which as that’s a catch all, but sometimes these can get too strong for me. I therefore find Stichelton to be milder, creamier, and better flavoured than many of its counterparts.

For hard cheeses – again while I like the ultra-tangy cheddars, etc., it’s a different experience to flavour iself. Getting a thin slice of high quality small batch cheddar or cheddar type (it’s a DOC thing) like a Montgomery or Lincolnshire Poacher and just putting it in your mouth and waiting – you get far more than the bite of a strong cheddar. Same with Lancashire, or Caerphilly, or…..

Seek out a decent cheesemonger (or if near London to Borough Market and go into Neals Yard Dairy) and talk to them about what you (think) you like and don’t like and let them give you a few to taste.

Blue doesn’t have to be like battery acid

Cheddar doesn’t have to strip the lining of your mouth

and while it’s perfectly OK for other folks to like what they like, you can be a cheese fan without venturing to the extremities; there’s infinite subtlety on offer as well as the triple-X varieties.

Surprised no mention of Comte. bloomin lovely! Though a decent Roquefort still just edges it for me.

Surprised no mention of Comte. bloomin lovely!

One year I drove down to the Passportes du Soleil and stopped at a dairy on the back road. Huge chunks of 36-month aged comte in a fresh baguette for about 5e. I keep looking for the place but can’t find it again. Bugger.

If you find it again let us know! down that way in July.

Comte or Manchego gets my vote, but there’s a place in my world for goats, halloumi, or Feta for that matter.

Calling one cheese better than another is a fool’s endeavour TBH.

acsevens – Member

Surprised no mention of Comte. bloomin lovely!

Waitrose sold out of Comte just before Christmas and I didn’t have time to get to my friend’s cheese shop. 😥

nickc – Member

Comte or Manchego

Had a couple of “meh” Manchegos over the years, and then the last one I had was amazing!
Needs more research. 🙂

Delice de Bourgogne

best cheese is the one currently on my cracker/toast/baguette/etc
they’re all good

except wensleydale obviously

acsevens – http://www.comtecheese.co.uk/

Bound to be something on your way there but if I figure it out I’ll let you know. I’m back-tracking my route a bit

X-14?

and then the last one I had was amazing!

d’you remember the name by any chance? As it’s become more popular here, it’s getting hard to find a good one

I’ll mention my own local one here. May I present Dorset Blue Vinny…

Best enjoyed with a Dorset Knob Biscuit:

Had a couple of “meh” Manchegos over the years

Manchego’s pretty much the Spanish equivalent of Cheddar, with all that implies. There’s a world of difference between the rubbery industrial stuff and a decent aged cheese from a smaller producer.

nickc – Member

d’you remember the name by any chance?

Not a chance, nor where it came from.
I shop at Waitrose, my friend has a cheese shop and my best mate is a head chef in a posh village pub who’s patrons are always bringing him in cheeses and meats from their frequent trips abroad.
Could have come from anywhere!
I’ll just have to eat all the cheeses to find out! 😀

Roquefort with a glass of Sauternes or Barsac

Honourable mention to Saint Felician although to be honest I could make a very long list. Have civerted the wife to some good English cheeses too. Not unusual for us to spend 30% of food shop bill on cheese when in France (may be related to my appearance in the STW Chub Club

I like all cheese, but to suggest Saint Agur is top of the pile is plain weird.

I look down on it, a poor mans Roquefort.

There are so many I love sometimes but the ones that have never let me down are Shropshire Blue, Isle of Wight Blue, Explorateur, Caboc and Montgomery Cheddar. The one I go catnip mental for occasionally is smoked mozzarella – oh God I can feel it happening…

TLDR
– has anyone mentioned Munster cheese yet?

Chaource from Burgundy is my current fave. Very fond of Comte, Loch Arthur cheddar and Lanark Blue.