Latest news with #cheddar
Yahoo
20-07-2025
- General
- Yahoo
I tried: These award winning cheeses made in Gwent
JAMES Joyce once described cheese as 'the corpse of milk.' As a veteran cheddar sceptic there's nothing more corpsey than cheddar 'cheese'. I also regard adding faddish ingredients to cheese as pointless. Cheese is just milk, culture and time. So, when challenged to try a cheddar that has cider and marmalade added to the mix, I envied those munching - or slurping - on pot noodles. I had long dismissed cheddar as dairy's beige wallpaper, fit only for grilling, a workday sarnie filler or to placate uncouth guests with a token cheese plate. Proper cheese, I insisted, should challenge the palate, not comfort it. So, when I was dared to try Blaenafon Cheddar infused with onion marmalade and taffy apple cider, I braced myself for disappointment, culture shock and possible revulsion. My last brave food assignment was trying what was billed as 'Wales's best hot dog' at Aimmee's Street Food, and was impressed by the top dog! I do believe in food redemption, but not in miracles, so I didn't hold out much hope for cheddar from Blaenavon with added bits. Taste test: Ok, I was completely wrong about cheese and my own palate! From the first bite, it was clear this was no ordinary cheddar. The texture was a revelation, buttery and still as crumbly as any quality mature cheddar. The mouthfeel was exquisite, the combination of complexities made me search for cheese accompaniments and pretentious foodie words like 'umami'. The flavour was layered and complex. The mature cheddar brought a deep, savoury hit, while the onion marmalade added a smoky sweetness that contrasted the crisp cider vibe. It was sweet and sharp, rustic and refined, a cheese with true character. This is no sandwich filler, toastie griller or sop to uncultured palates. It was a conversation starter, a centrepiece, a must-try for anyone who thinks cheddar has to be dull - fromage ennui! This delightful cheese challenged me and taught me something I didn't know - that cheddar is a great cheese and deserves its place on any discerning plate. Blaenafon Cheddar has earned its place not just on my cheese board, but in my heart. It is proof that even the most familiar cheeses can surprise you, if you give them the chance. These cheddars are handmade, vegetarian-friendly, and wax-coated, which gives it a six-month shelf life. The above reviewed taffy apple cider and onion marmalade-infused cheese is an award-winning cheddar and is among several products that use local alcohols that act as natural preservative. The 1868 cheddar is aged in the cellars of The Lion Hotel. The Pwll Mawr cheese is matured in Big Pit coal mine, 300ft below the surface. All wax casings show Blaenavon industrial heritage designs. Eat them all, you'll have no regrets.
Telegraph
17-06-2025
- General
- Telegraph
Salmon and pea pasta bake
The sauce here is quite thick, but you can add an extra 100ml milk if you prefer it looser. This pasta bake can be prepared ahead of time – just pop it in the fridge and then cook it for 10-15 minutes longer than given in the recipe below. Other vegetables such as sweetcorn, broccoli and chopped green beans also work well here, as do some chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Ingredients 400g dried pasta (penne or rigatoni works well) 4 skinless salmon fillets 500ml whole milk 50g butter 50g plain flour 150g mascarpone 250g frozen peas 75g mature cheddar, grated 75g panko breadcrumbs Handful of parsley, finely chopped Method Step Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook 400g dried pasta according to the packet instructions. Step With 4 minutes of the cooking time left, add 4 skinless salmon fillets to the pan, laying them on top of the pasta. Step After the 4 minutes, carefully remove the salmon fillets and set them on a plate. Drain the pasta and set aside. (You can pop the pasta back in the pan, if you like – this is a good place to mix everything for the pasta bake. And if it's an ovenproof pan, you can even use it to cook the pasta bake in.) Step Preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas mark 6. Step Pour 500ml whole milk into a heatproof jug and heat in the microwave in 30-second blasts until steaming, making sure it doesn't boil over. (This step is optional, however, I find it speeds up the sauce-making process.) Step Melt 50g butter in a small pan over a low heat. Step Gradually pour in the milk a ladleful at a time, stirring continuously until all the milk is fully incorporated. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 minute. Step Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 150g mascarpone with a good pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Mix until combined. Step Transfer everything to an ovenproof dish or ovenproof pan, and then level the top of the pasta. Step Combine 75g grated mature cheddar, 75g panko breadcrumbs and a handful of finely chopped parsley, and then scatter over the top of the pasta. Step Bake in the hot oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the dish is bubbling and the crumb topping is golden.
The Guardian
09-06-2025
- General
- The Guardian
Rukmini Iyer's quick and easy recipe for harissa and gnocchi-topped fish pie
I love fish pie, and gnocchi, and harissa, so what could be better than a combination of all three? Particularly if it saves you 15 minutes' boiling and then mashing some potatoes. Bookmark this for chillier summer evenings – I'm determined to eat as many meals as possible outside right now, and this will keep you warm when the temperature dips to an unseasonal sub-15C. Use your favourite type of fish, or add some prawns, if you like. Prep 15 min Cook 20 min Serves 4 250ml milk 50g rose harissa – I like Belazu 100g cream cheese 1 tsp sea salt flakes 260g sustainably-sourced cod, or other white fish, cut into roughly 3½cm chunks260g trout, cut into roughly 3½cm chunks150g frozen peas, defrosted500g gnocchi (fresh or vac-packed)20g salted butter 100g cheddar, grated Put the milk, harissa, cream cheese and salt in a large saucepan, turn on the heat and whisk until the cheese melts and is thoroughly incorporated. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to a bare simmer – just the tiniest bubbles should break the surface, otherwise you'll boil the fish. Add all the fish and leave to poach for 10 minutes. Add the peas for the last two minutes. Once cooked, the fish should very gently flake apart when cut with a fork, but still neatly hold its shape. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fish to a pie dish or small roasting tin, then scoop out the peas and scatter over the top. Bring the harissa milk mix back to a boil, drop in the gnocchi and cook for two minutes. Then – and stay with me here – you're going to hold a colander over the fish dish and pour the harissa milk through it on to the fish, leaving the gnocchi in the colander. Stir the butter through the gnocchi in the colander, then tip the gnocchi evenly over the contents of the pie dish. Turn on the grill to medium-high, scatter the cheese over the gnocchi, then grill the fish pie for three to five minutes, until the cheese is golden brown and bubbling – this may take slightly more or less time, depending on how fierce your grill is, so keep an eye on it. Serve hot with a glass of something cold alongside.
News.com.au
28-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
‘Are you serious?': Bondi woman in drama over $10 block of cheese
A pregnant Bondi mother's late-night craving for cheddar and crackers has spiralled into a public spat with the prestigious Australian cheesemaker after she took her gripe to social media. Julia Sakr was after a simple indulgence when she picked up a $10 block of gourmet Maffra Cheese from a grocery store in Sydney's affluent eastern suburbs. But what she claims to have found inside has turned into an ordeal after she complained to the company and was dissatisfied with the response. 'I'm preggers and I had a hankering for cheddar cheese and crackers and I saw this gourmet piece of cheese, and I was like, 'you know what, hell yeah',' she shared in a now-viral video. However, after returning home, she decided to tuck into the savory snack – and claimed things quickly went awry. 'It's night, I open it up and I see in the top right hand corner there is like a little shadowy bit in the cheese,' she said. Thinking 'that's strange', Ms Sakr explained she 'broke the top piece' off and discovered a metal bolt, 'like something from a toolbox'. Shocked Ms Sakr said she immediately threw the cheese in the bin, fearing it may be contaminated – adding she decided to err on the side of caution as she's pregnant. She also noted it was late, and had a trip to Cairns looming the next morning, so instead decided to email the company rather than go back to the store. In her email to Maffra Cheese, Ms Sakr said she not only reported the foreign object she had allegedly found in the block of cheddar, but also asked for a refund. 'I said, 'Hi there, I purchased your cheese and found a bolt in it. I'm glad I spotted it before chewing on it. How do I get a refund?'' She claimed she then received a reply the following day from the company who thanked her for the message and asked for the batch number from the label. But having already thrown the cheese away and with her cleaners scheduled to come while she was out of state, Ms Sakr said she had no way to retrieve the serial number of her cheese. 'I was a bit p***ed off, to be honest,' she said. 'A customer tells you there's a bolt in your cheese, and that's the attitude?' Ms Sakr said the company went on to dispute the claim entirely – saying the factory didn't use nuts or bolts like the one in Julia's photo, and that all products passed through a metal detector. 'I was like, are you seriously denying this?' she said. 'Why on earth would I contact you if this didn't happen?' What Ms Sakr, who is the owner of orthopaedic dog bed company Barney Bed, then took to TikTok, to share the exchange where understandably the saga has divided Aussies. While some agreed they would 'want my money back too', others argued the cheesemaker followed standard food safety protocol. 'The reason they asked for the batch number was to trace it – it's literally to protect other customers,' one person wrote. 'She didn't need to get defensive. They weren't accusing her of lying. That's just how these things are handled,' said another. Ms Sakr has since told that she has received a follow up email after the drama went viral.
News24
26-05-2025
- General
- News24
Spinach tart with yoghurt and cheddar crust
Ingredients - CRUST 250g (grams) - plain flour 50g (grams) - finely grated cheddar - pinch of salt ½teaspoon - ground black pepper 100g (grams) - unsalted butter, melted and cooled 80ml (millilitres) - amasi or full-cream yoghurt (add 30ml (2T) water if using thick yoghurt) - FILLING 50 - unsalted butter 1 - onion, chopped 2 - garlic cloves, chopped 300g (grams) - leaves of morogo or spinach, chopped 1 - handful basil leaves or other herbs 5 - eggs, lightly whisked 1cup - amasi or full-cream yoghurt 50 - grated cheddar, plus extra to sprinkle on top - GREEN OIL (OPTIONAL) 2tablespoon - finely chopped chives 2tablespoons - finely chopped parsley 80ml (millilitres) - extra-virgin olive oil 1 - lemon, juiced ½teaspoon - ground black pepper - pinch of salt Method Description: Preheat the oven to 180°C. CRUST Place the flour, cheese, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix to combine. Add the butter and amasi (or the yoghurt and water if using) and stir to combine then bring together and knead gently to form a dough. The mixture won't be very wet but add some water if it is too crumbly to press together. Press the mixture into a 23cm fluted tart tin so that the crust is even all over. Use a cup measure to press the base down so it is even and to press the sides so the crust comes up at a 90° angle. Trim the top with a sharp knife and chill the pastry for at least 1 hour. Place the tart shell in the oven for 15–20 minutes until it is light golden then remove and set aside. Press the centre down if it has puffed up a little during baking. FILLING Melt the butter in a large frying pan or saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and season with salt and pepper then cook for 3–4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute then add the morogo or spinach leaves and cook for 2 minutes or until wilted then stir through the basil. Remove from heat and cool. Combine the eggs, amasi (or yoghurt) and the cheddar and season with salt and pepper. Add the cooled spinach mixture and stir to combine then add to the tart shell and distribute the mixture evenly. Sprinkle over an extra handful of cheddar if you want it extra cheesy. Place on a baking sheet and then into the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until just set.
