Patricia Michelson 

Say cheese

Patricia Michelson, last year's OFM award-winner, who owns the fantastic La Fromageri cheese shops, tastes the best bries, cheddars and stiltons.
  
  


FETA

Neal's Yard

1kg, £16.25 www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk

- Delicious. The milk flavours come through perfectly. Nice and salty. I love it.

5/5

Greek Feta

100g, £1.80, available at Harvey Nichols, 0207 235 5000

- The cheese itself is OK, but the herbs and oil spoil it.
1/5

Marks & Spencer

100g, 99p

- I don't like the smell and you can almost taste the lanolin from the sheep.

0/5

Sainsbury's taste the difference

200g, £1.39

- This cheese has taken on the flavours of the plastic packaging.

0/5

Somerfield

200g,£1.49

- It has no style. It's salty and bland. You wouldn't know it was feta.
0/5


MATURE CHEDDAR

Neal's Yard Montgomery's

1kg, £18.55 www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk,

- Real farmhouse cheddar. It's deep and rich. Very elegant and moreish.

5/5

Forman and Field Keen's

500g, £9.95, 0208 221 3939

- Quite dense. Strong and spicy. Would go well with a beer.

3/5

Paxton and Whitfield Montgomery's

1kg, £19.95, 0870 264 2102

- Very full-on and a bit aggressive. Men would love it.

3/5

Sainsbury's taste the difference Davidstow

250g, £2.25

- It's rather sweet. A very average mature cheddar.

1/5

Cathedral City

200g, £1.57, widely available

- Tastes like a mild cheddar.

0/5


MILD CHEDDAR

Sainsbury's so organic farmhouse

1kg, £6.79

- It tastes like cheddar. It crumbles nicely and has a good flavour.

3/5

Tesco organic mild cheddar Belton

1kg, £6.79

- A simple, one-dimensional cheese. It's quite salty and not crumbly at all.

1/5

Marks & Spencer

- This one is ordinary and inoffensive. Children would like it.

1/5

Somerfield

454g, £3.54

- It's a bit synthetic.

0/5

Wexford mild and creamy

400g, £2.29, widely available

- It doesn't really taste like cheddar. It's far too sweet.

0/5


GOATS CHEESE

Neal's Yard Perroche

150g, £4.95, www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk

- It has a nice, clean freshness to it, but lacks a bit of aroma.

4/5

Paxton and Whitfield cerney pyramid

200g, £6.50, 0870 2642 101

- A bit too sour, but still a perfectly decent cheese.

3/5

Childwickbury

200g, £6.90, available at Harvey Nichols, 0207 235 5000

- Very fresh with a good rind, but it doesn't really taste of much.

2/5

White Nancy

100g, £1.90, www.finecheese.co.uk

- Nice crust and a good aroma, but not of goat. Very strong.

2/5

Somerfield Welsh

100g, £1.29

- It could be any cream cheese.

0/5


MOZZARELLA

Marks &Spencer di bufala campania

125g, £1.79

- Very nice. It has the softness and stretchiness a mozzarella should have. Slightly sweet.

4/5

Neal's Yard di bufala

300g, £5.50,www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk

- Not the best I've ever tasted, but really very good.

4/5

Tesco premium di bufala

125g, £1.24

- Quite average. It's a bit too wet and could be more delicate.

2/5

Sainsbury's organic

125g, 99p

- It is a mozzarella, but it's not going anywhere tastewise. It's too bland.

1/5

Somerfield

125g, 80p

- Tastes the same as the one before (Sainsbury's). Very, very mild and completely ordinary.

1/5


SOFT CHEESE (NATURAL)

Waitrose full fat

200g, £1.15

- Very rich with a lovely texture. Would be good for cheesecakes.

4/5

Sainsbury's taste the difference

150g, 99p

- Nice texture, but very salty. It's quite elegant and not too creamy.

3/5

Kraft philadelphia light

200g, £1.14, widely available

- It's got a soothing creaminess to it.

1/5

Marks & Spencer

150g, 99p

- The texture is nice, but the cheese is much too salty.

1/5

Weight Watchers,

150g, £1.08, widely available

- It doesn't taste of cheese or milk.

0/5


SOFT CHEESE WITH GARLIC

Gaperon à l'ail

250g, £7.50, available at Harvey Nichols, 0207 235 5000

- Good quality. Fresh and rich with deep and complex flavours. Beautiful.

5/5

Boursin garlic and herbs

150g, £1.79,widely available

- Tastes of garlic, but it's too salty and tastes manufactured.

1/5

Sainsbury's garlic and herbs

200g, 48p

- You can see pieces of garlic in it, but you can't actually taste anything.

0/5

Somerfield garlic and herbs

200g, 89p

- Weird plasticky texture.

0/5

Kraft philadelphia light garlic and herbs

200g, £1.14

- Extremely salty. I can't taste the garlic.

0/5


BRIE

Neal's Yard brie de Meaux

1kg, £16.10, www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk

- Fully ripened, very deep and rich. It's the perfect brie.

5/5

Fine Cheese Co. brie de Meaux

250g, £4.95, www.finecheese.co.uk

- Proper French brie. Very soft and creamy with earth and nut flavours.

4/5

Paxton and Whitfield brie de Meaux

1kg, £16.95, 0870 264 2102

- Nice and chewy. Flavour could be more prominent.

3/5

Waitrose mild and creamy

1kg, £6.49

- It's a little under-ripe.

2/5

Burland Green

100g, £2.56, available at Harvey Nichols, 0207 235 5000

- Nice and creamy. Good if you want a soft and runny cheese.

2/5


GOUDA

Harvey Nichols farmhouse

100g, £2.45, 0207 235 5000

- It crackles as it should. This is a big boys' Gouda. The true taste.

5/5

Paxton and Whitfield aged

1kg, £17.95, 0870 2642 101

- A really good and very typical Gouda.

4/5

Neal's Yard Coolea

1kg, £16.75, www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk

- It's too young and doesn't have a great depth, but it's perfectly pleasant.

3/5

Waitrose,

1kg, £5.79

- It's more like a Edam than a Gouda.

1/5

Tesco finest Dutch

1kg, £10.98

- It tastes of plastic - perhaps it's from the packaging.

1/5


PARMESAN

Harvey Nichols

100g, £2.59, 0207 235 5000

- Nice, crunchy and very well balanced. You could eat this on its own. A real pleasure.

5/5

Sainsbury's Italian

1kg, £17.69

- It's quite unrefined, but it crumbles nicely and has the right saltiness. It's really pleasant.

3/5

Neal's Yard

1kg, £19.50, www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk

- It's OK, but it's a bit flabby and could be more interesting.

2/5

Marks & Spencer

300g, £5.99

- It has the salty grittiness, that it should have, but could have deeper flavours.

2/5

Tesco

1kg, £14.99

- Sweaty and too acidic. It's oily, wet and too waxy. It doesn't smell of parmesan either.

1/5


STILTON

Forman and Field Colston Bassett

500g, £9.95, 020 8221 3939

- Lovely creaminess. The blue is forward, but not too aggressive.

3/5

Paxton and Whitfield

0870 264 2102

- Typical strong and acidic taste.

3/5

Harvey Nichols, Strahodon blue

100g, £1.89, 0207 235 5000

- Really strong. Too strong for me, but many love it.

2/5

Sainsbury's taste the difference

1kg, £8.39

- Good saltiness, but it's really just like a very strong cheddar.

1/5

Tesco finest

1kg, £5.44

- It's a touch bitter and aggressive.

0/5

 

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