Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company Review

Reviewed by Dee Ryz

Cheese is one of those versatile foodstuffs that, I personally, couldn’t live without – from oozing cheese toasties, to a decadent cheese board, I haven’t met a cheese I don’t like (apart from the REALLY smelly ones, you know… the ones that smell like feet!). It’s not just me! Cheese is incredibly popular, whether you’re buying a French Brie or a Smoked Applewood – according to Countryside Online, Cheese is bought by 98% of UK households, with the average UK person eating 30g a day!

So as somewhat of a cheese connoisseur, I was excited to try The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company’s cheddar – the only Cheddar made in Cheddar. A quick taste of cheese history for you, in case you weren’t aware: Cheddar originally comes from the village of Cheddar, in Somerset, and Cheddar Gorge, which is situated just outside the village, is full of caves which had the perfect conditions for maturing cheese (in terms of a steady humidity and temperature).

I received a delivery from The Cheddar Gorge Cheese company which included a pack of their multi-award-winning products – Cheese Straws, Mellow Cheddar, Vintage Cheddar and Natural Blue Cheddar. Following the instructions on the cheery leaflet, I took my cheese from the fridge, and opened the pack around 40 mins before I wanted to try them. This brought them up to room temperature ensuring I could “savour the true depth of flavour with all its complexities”. Now for the tasting notes!

The Mellow Cheddar is your classic Cheddar cheese – creamy, doesn’t pack too much of a punch, but is still distinctly cheddar-esque. It also made for the perfect cheese toastie – yum!

The Vintage Cheddar, which due to the pandemic has been maturing for 30 months, is incredibly rare and delightfully unique to The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company. In terms of taste it was nutty, slightly crumbly and salty, and an all-round outstanding cheese. In fact, it won Best Cheddar at the World Cheese Awards AND the British Cheese Awards, and I can see how.

The Natural Blue in contrast, was ever so slightly tangy, with the familiar Cheddar overtones. Having never had a blue Cheddar before, I was impressed by this one too.

In my package I also received Cheese Straws, and as the accompanying flyer noted, they are delicious… but dangerous! My word – I have had cheese straws before, but nothing like these. Made from all-butter puff pastry, and The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company’s mature cheddar cheese (they’re 37% cheese!), these cheese straws were light but oh-so-cheesy. My mouth is watering at the thought of them. Which reminds me, I must buy more!

The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company online shop, means you can choose from individual cheese portions, gift packs, chutneys and cheese related-gifts from the comfort of your own home. All their products are vegetarian friendly too.

You can also visit The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company in person. They have a visitor centre and shop, which means you can see actual cheese being made! There’s a tour which ends in their Taster Bar where you even get a sneaky taste of their charming cheeses. If I’m ever in their neck of the woods – or gorge – I’ll be sure to check it out.

Rating: 5/5

RRP:

Cheese straws £4.25 (1 box)

The Mellow Cheddar £4.95

Vintage Cheddar from £5.65

Natural Blue Cheddar £4.95

These products can be purchased from The Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company here.