Hard & aged Cow’s milk

West Country Farmhouse Cheddar

also called Clothbound cheddar

The real thing: cloth-bound, cave-aged, and nothing like a plastic block.

An illustrated wedge of West Country Farmhouse Cheddar

Drawn by the app from this cheese’s own record — paste, rind and texture come from the data, not a stock library.

Cheddaring is a step, not a place — the curd is cut, stacked and turned to press out whey before milling. The protected West Country designation additionally requires local milk, and the traditional makers bind their wheels in lard-rubbed cloth and let a rind grow.

The result is dry, savoury and complex: brothy, faintly grassy, with a long acidic finish and none of the plasticky uniformity of block cheddar. Cheddar Gorge, where it was originally matured, is now largely a gift shop.

Tastes of

broth toasted nut grass a long tangy finish

Put it next to

Dry cider Chutney Ale Bramley apple