The best cheddar cheeses in the UK have officially been revealed – with several supermarket own-brand options nabbing top spots.
A panel of 64 taste testers from the consumer giant Which? sampled 11 mature cheeses, from popular brands like Cathedral City and Pilgrims Choice to more ‘budget’ options.
In line with results from previous years, offerings from big brands mostly fell flat, while some unexpected contenders won the best cheesy accolades in categories including ‘best buys’ and ‘great value’.
Each cheddar was blind-tasted in private to avoid bias and was ranked for its flavour (50 per cent of the total score), aroma (20 per cent), appearance and texture (both 15 per cent).
Claiming the top overall spot as the panel’s favourite cheese, and collecting a Best Buy award along the way, was Waitrose’s Davidstow Cornish Mature Cheddar, costing £5.75 for 550g, or £1.05 per 100g.
Receiving an impressive rating of 77 per cent, tasters hailed its ‘pleasing firm texture’ and attractive appearance.
They also noted smoothness, creaminess, perfect salt levels and good flavour, as among those winning attributes, while two thirds of tasters also said it excelled on crumbliness.
Slice for slice, the winning cheese was also one of the cheaper varieties on offer, meaning it was awarded the highest overall score.
Next, and also picking up a Best Buy award, was the M&S Cornish Cove Mature Cheddar, which received a competitive 76 per cent overall.
Slightly more expensive than its superior, M&S’s option is priced at £6.50 for 550g, though tasters enjoyed the flavour just as much as the Waitrose variety.
Taste testers praised it as an excellent allrounder, satisfying tastebuds on strength of flavour and saltiness, as well as picking up points for having a smooth but crumbly texture.
In third place was the Aldi Specially Selected West Country Mature Cheddar Cheese, which scored 74 per cent overall.
Though falling slightly behind the top two scorers, it did not fail to deliver in impeccable price, the cheese costing a mere £3.29 for 250g, or 97p for 100g.
Judges were impressed by its flavour, with some even saying it was the best, and three quarters praising its look and firmness. The same number of tasters also liked the level of salt, creaminess, and smoothness.
But it failed to pull off a winning score, with some judges feeling it lacked essential crumbliness.
Although Aldi’s cheese wasn’t rated a highly as others, its affordable price did win it the Great Value award.
In fourth place was Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Barber’s Mature Cruncher Cheese, which also achieved a rating of 74 per cent, but lost out to third spot based on its higher price. Sainsbury’s cheddar costs £4 for 350g, £1.14 per 100g.
Most tasters agreed that it had a good level of crumbliness and creaminess and half were pleased with the flavour.
However, it impressed far fewer on strength, with a handful complaining that it lacked proper tang.
Meanwhile, the branded varieties landed markedly lower spots, with Pilgrims Choice’s Mature Cheddar finishing in last place on a score of 68 per cent.
Judges said that, though it ‘looked the part’, it had a ‘bland’ flavour and lack of texture, despite costing £5.50 for 540g, or 98p per 100g.
Also near the bottom of the pile was the famous Cathedral City Our Mature Cheddar (71%) and Coop’s Irresistible Somerset Mature Cheddar (68%), the lowest-ranked supermarket cheese.
