Lancashire Cheese

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

In a world of 1,001 varieties of Cheddar, ranging from awful to lovely, Lancashire Cheese is an oasis in which I have rarely been disappointed. For much of my life, it came in two varieties, Creamy Lancashire and Tasty Lancashire. Recently, they have added Crumbly Lancashire, the mildest form. Never tasted it.

Can't understand why the latter got it's title for any genuine Lancashire is crumbly and many would regard the first two as Britain's finest toasting cheeses. Creamy is nice but Tasty can be stunning - really sharp and full of flavour. And just as on toast, if you hold it in your mouth, it melts. I've bought the Tasty variety in Lancashire itself and there have been times that it has burned the roof of my mouth as an aftermath. But, like many good curries, the taste is great and the burning is a small price to pay.

Much Lancashire is still produced on small farms and that's what you want. You can get the anonymous packaged stuff in many supermarkets but what you really want is the fresh cut stuff from a single farm. Look for it.