Cheddar cheese is a staple in most households, but does spending more actually get you a better flavour? I put Sainsbury’s organic, mid-range and budget mature cheddar to the test to find out

Who doesn’t love cheddar cheese? While a fancy cheeseboard will never get a no from me, you simply cannot beat the timeless classics, especially served on a cracker or melting gloriously inside a toastie.

However, one of the most surprising revelations of adult life has been the cost of cheddar cheese. The big-name brands, in particular, came as quite a shock, so it’s fair to say I’ve made a firm switch to supermarket own-brand alternatives.

But even then, there are still some considerable price variations between the options lining the shelves, especially at Sainsbury’s.

Most supermarkets nowadays offer several pricing tiers across their own-brand ranges.

While I’ve been aware of this for some time, I’ve often questioned just how different these products truly are, given how similar they all appear — none more so than with cheddar cheese.

So this week, I decided to purchase three blocks of cheddar from Sainsbury’s — each at a different price point — and conducted a taste test to see which came out on top.

To keep matters simple, I sampled a few slices on crackers, allowing the flavour of each cheese to truly speak for itself.

Being a firm fan of mature cheddar, I selected the same level four across all three options. I genuinely wasn’t expecting it, but a clear winner emerged — so here’s my verdict on all three.

SO Organic Mature Cheddar – £3.50

Naturally, I started with the most costly option. Sainsbury’s organic cheddar was the most expensive I could find in my local store, priced at £3.50 for a 270g block.

Organic produce typically costs more, so this came as no surprise. It’s reportedly produced by Wyke Farms in Somerset, using British organic milk, accounting for its premium pricing.

It had a pleasing, sharp aroma, which was encouraging and enhanced the overall impression. I cut it into slices and placed it on a cracker, noting that it wasn’t rubbery whatsoever, which represents a disappointing drawback of certain cheddar varieties.

It tasted wonderful too, beautifully creamy yet with a nice sharpness that made it seem far more premium than it genuinely was.

Even better, there was no unpleasant aftertaste – another common issue with cheddar. The only drawback was the slight absence of flavour in my view, and it was a little bit dry.

That said, I’d certainly purchase it again.

Rating 3.5/5

Sainsbury’s Mature British Cheddar – £2.50

Following this was the mid-priced cheddar cheese which set me back £2.50 for 220g. While this was a slightly smaller block than the organic variety, it was still cheaper per kilogram.

I should highlight that all three cheeses looked and essentially smelled identical, to the extent where it was difficult to tell which was which when placed on the crackers. As for this one, it was probably my least favourite.

It was very potent, and maybe not in a positive way. It failed to achieve the balance between tanginess and creaminess, in my view, and had quite a bitter aftertaste that was difficult to shake.

I can imagine that this might work well in a toastie or in cooking, such as when preparing macaroni cheese or lasagne. Nevertheless, by itself, this didn’t particularly impress.

Rating: 3/5

Stamford Street Cheddar – £2.49

Moving on to the third and final cheese in my taste test, the Stamford Street block. This brand is Sainsbury’s most economical range, and they stock hundreds of additional products throughout the store, from fruit and veg to garlic bread and pasta.

This weighed almost twice the quantity of the mid-range cheese and cost less – admittedly by merely one penny – but I was still impressed by this. Nevertheless, it ultimately depended on the flavour.

It came off in neat clean slices, and it tasted superb too. It was by far the creamiest of the selection, and I was concerned it might taste rubbery or plasticky, but this fortunately wasn’t the case at all.

There was a satisfying burst of sharpness, and even when served plain on a cracker, it tasted wonderful.

You genuinely cannot fault the pricing either, so this became my favourite, and the one I’d certainly recommend buying.

Rating: 5/5

The sun has well and truly been OUT

For the sunniest start to Parklife in a good few years, it was good vibes only as the biggest metropolitan festival made its return to Heaton Park.

With the weather staying in check throughout the day, it meant the usual presence of staples like ponchos and wellies were kept well out of sight, replaced instead by bandanas, bucket hats and football shirts.

Taking over the Bury park for the first of two days, it was pioneering ladies Alexandria and Niamh given the distinct honour of kicking off the line-up as gates opened at 12pm at The Valley and the Matinee – with Catching Cairo over at the Magic Stage thanking those who made an ‘early start’ to the festivities.

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A breath of fresh air has been injected into Parklife 2026 with the addition of several new features – spanning from secret sets to new stages – with festival-goers enjoying a whole host of new offerings including a new food court, a supermarket with a twist, and Polaroid photographers who will snap you a vintage pic for £8.

Drawing one of the big crowds of the day at The Valley a remarkably early 1pm was Leeds electronic duo Prospa – made up of Harvey Blumler and Guiorgi ‘Gosha’ Smith – who rose to fame in 2018 with breakthrough hit Prayer after it was named the ‘hottest record in the world’ by Annie Mac.

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Following up not long after on the same set was Josh Baker – with plenty of unfinished business. The local lad was one of the big names on the line-up last year – yet he never actually got to perform with his set on the Matinee Stage shut down just minutes after stepping in front of fans.

Taking over The Valley on Saturday as he played songs including Leave A Message, Back It Up and latest single Down To The Bone, it proved to be a special moment for the star who has been brought up the ranks of the Manchester festival. “We started from not even being on the flyer for my first set at Parklife to now playing on the mainstage,” he told the M.E.N earlier this year about the significance of the event to him. “It feels unbelievable.”

Later on The Valley, an interpretive dance show courtesy of jungle and drum and bass collective 4am Kru. Matched with high energy beats, the group featured street dancing, beatboxing, and a bit of topless drumstick slapping (not an innuendo).

Anastasia Howden, 20, visiting with friends, said they had come specifically to see 4am Kru .“It’s been really good,” she said, though she noted the heat and lack of facilities: “The bad thing is there is no seating or shaded areas and it’s really hot.”

Lewis Norris, 19, said he had been looking forward to the event after missing a previous chance to see one of the acts. “I was meant to see them at Warehouse Project but didn’t, so I was excited to see them today. It’s our first time here.

“Prospa was also really good, such good vibes. Everyone has been really friendly and it’s been really good, so we’re really excited to do it all again tomorrow.”

In terms of fashion this year, attendees basked in the sun beaming down by fits that wouldn’t be out of place at Coachella festival with bohemian chic and bejewelled shawls popular alongside low-rise chunky belts, ruffled skorts, football shirts, and bucket hats.

Charlotte Crowther, 28, and her sister Sophie, 30, along with Jack Smith, 31, said they had come primarily for the drum and bass acts on the Magic Sky Budweiser Stage. Charlotte said: “We came to mainly see the people on the Budweiser stage, all the drum and bass acts. I saw Kanine which was really good and we’re looking forward to Mozey later.”

She added that they had previously attended the event but felt this year’s line-up was stronger. “We came two years ago and preferred this year, today’s line-up has been really good. We’re only coming today as we’re big drum and bass fans.”

Over at the smaller Beatbox area, Artful Dodger brought the nostalgia vibes with the demand for a party. Joining the crowd of revellers in the intimate area, the act told fans ‘it’s a ****ing rave right now, it’s a rave right now!’ as they belted through versions of Sambuca and Show Me Love.

And the lively vibes at Beatbox continued when Happy Mondays legend Bez appeared for a scheduled DJ set. Taking more of a hype man approach, he urged fans to ‘call the cops’ in a nod to the band’s hit Step On, which was mixed with KRS-One’s Sound of Da Police as he kept in line with Parklife’s top fashion choice of the day by sporting an orange bandana.

Over at the Magic Sky stage, Manchester DJ and producer BOU brought a rowdy drum and bass set to the festival before being joined by Moston rapper Aitch for a special unscheduled rendition of Raving In The Studio, followed by Ring My Bell. “O161 every time,” the rapper declared in his love for his home time as he left the stage.

Producer, DJ, singer and songwriter Nia Archives, who is no stranger to a Parklife stage, proved she is ever the multihyphenate with her takeover of The Valley between 4am Kru and Skepta on Saturday night.

Since being named both Artist of the Year by BBC Music Introducing and Best Breakthrough DJ by DJ Mag back in 2024, Nia has gone further and further up the ranks, working with the likes of PinkPantheress, Jamie XX, Jorja Smith and Fred Again.

The Emotional Junglist (the name of her upcoming album) brought an unrivalled energy as she tore up The Valley Stage, her 2023 hit Baianá feeling utterly joyful and anthemic – right on the money with the World Cup hype at the moment.

Skepta delivered a standout moment of Parklife at the Valley Stage, opening his set with Shutdown immediately set the tone and built the energy from the very start. The crowd reaction was instant, the entire field erupted as soon as the beat dropped.

From that opening, the energy never dipped throughout the entire set. He performed some of his biggest hits including That’s Not Me and Toxic, keeping the momentum high. The Valley Stage was completely packed, with fans seen hands up, dancing, and fully immersed in the performance as Skepta kept the atmosphere electric the whole way through.

Performing towards the end of the day, he brought a closing energy that felt like a perfect peak for the festival crowd. Further into the set he also performed Energy and Papi Chulo, both of which went down massively well with revellers.

One of the biggest highlights came when Skepta performed Praise the Lord by A$AP Rocky, which he featured on, sending the crowd into chaos as the track rang out across the Valley Stage.

To end the set, Skepta paused and closed with a nod to the moment, saying “it’s coming home” in reference to the World Cup, sending the crowd into one last huge reaction and finishing the performance on a high.

And so it came to one man to close the first night of Parklife 2026. Introduced to dubstep through Rinse FM mixes, Sammy Virji headlined The Valley stage on Saturday night for a celebration of his bassline and UK garage-tinged roots.

Last September, he released his album Same Day Cleaning, which featured collaborations with the likes of Chris Lake, Salute, Giggs, MJ Cole and fellow Parklife headliner Skepta.

Later this month, he’ll play Electric Island in Toronto, Canada before heading to Cardiff Castle in July for a special headline gig. But tonight it was all about Manchester and there couldn’t have been a more perfect ending as the light faded down over Heaton Park, revellers closing moments of the day were soundtracked by an intoxicating mix of tracks from the last 30 years.

Skepta made a return to the stage for their collab Cops & Robbers while Flowdan appeared for a rendition of Shella Verse. All that was left was a picture-perfect finish courtesy of some well-timed fireworks and plenty of pyro to cap off what was an epic first day down at the park.

With his double against the Ivorians, Undav became the first German to score in his first two World Cup appearances since Miroslav Klose in 2002.

That is elite company – but at one stage even taking part in a World Cup was a distant dream for Undav, who was rejected by Werder Bremen aged 14.

At 17, he was earning £120 a week as a semi-professional in the German fourth tier while balancing his footballing career with eight-hour shifts at a factory.

“When Werder told me at 14 that I didn’t have a future with them because I was too small, it broke my heart,” Undav said in an interview with Belgian outlet 7sur7.

“But I did not abandon hope. I left the family home at 17 to sign for Havelse in the fourth division in Germany where I combined playing and training with working full-time, eight-hour days operating a laser machine in a factory.

“I got up around 4am, went to the factory, then I went to training and got back home around 8pm… before doing it all again the next day.

“I had to do that job for the money to live because I couldn’t survive on the money from the football alone.”

Undav moved to Belgian second division side Union Saint-Gilloise in 2020, helping them earn promotion the following year and then scoring 25 goals in the top flight – which earned him a move to Brighton.

But after only scoring five goals in 22 Premier League appearances in 2022-23 season, he was loaned out to Stuttgart who signed him permanently in 2024.

Undav hit 19 Bundesliga goals in 2025-26 – finishing second behind Harry Kane in the top scoring list – to earn his World Cup spot.

Gary Lineker appeared on ITV’s World Cup coverage of Germany vs Ivory Coast but left viewers very confused by a surprise decision

ITV viewers were left baffled by Gary Lineker only appearing for 20 minutes during the build-up to Germany vs Ivory Coast in the World Cup. The former BBC pundit looked to be part of the rival broadcaster’s match coverage but surprisingly departed their studio before kick-off.

Lineker left the BBC 12 months ago following social media posts that did not align with their guidelines. He has since started The Rest Is Football podcast with Micah Richards and Alan Shearer and is out in the United States after a huge Netflix deal was agreed for the World Cup.

Taking advantage of his presence, ITV booked him for a short appearance on Saturday evening with Lineker also promoting his upcoming show ‘The Box’ on the channel. Following a barrage of questions towards him to start the programme, ITV returned from ads and Lineker had disappeared which saw confused viewers take to social media.

One X user said: “Oh, Gary Lineker was only there for the first 20 minutes of the build-up. Won’t be in the studio during the game itself. Ah well.”

Another added: “Just turned on #GERCIV – Where’s Gary Lineker? He spoofed hosting & then left?”

A third stated: “Wait where’s Lineker gone was he only on the bit at the start or?”

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Though most were bewildered by his premature exit, Lineker impressed many others with his comments, which also saw a number of viewers again commend ITV for their superior coverage.

One X account brutally admitted: “ITV have absolutely wiped the BBC out the park in every single department for this World Cup. Gary Lineker is a real one who should’ve never been sacked.”

A second said: “Seeing Gary Lineker on ITV today is like watching Lewis Figo go from Barca to Real. Unreal move by ITV!”

A third wrote: “That opening segment on ITV with Gary Lineker was exceptional. The best in the business.”

Lineker’s most noticeable remark during his showing appeared to be a subtle dig at the BBC following his playful exchange with lead presenter Laura Woods.

Upon being asked what he has been up to, Lineker said: “I’ve been doing a show daily for Netflix in Times Square but I did desperately wanted to come and see your set. I think it’s absolutely amazing, and I can confirm that it’s real.

“What a backdrop. And obviously I wanted to do TV, I haven’t done it for a little while.”

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The four-year-old is one of only two boys in Northern Ireland with this condition

This is four-year-old Pearse Connolly, who has been defying the odds since birth.

The little Co Tyrone lad was diagnosed with severe X-Linked myotubular myopathy(XLMTM), a rare neuro muscular condition that affects the muscles and causes severe hypotonia. It is considered a life-limiting condition. XLMTM affects his breathing, ability to swallow, his movements and mobility.

Most children born with it don’t survive past infancy. Pearse is one of only two boys in Northern Ireland with this condition. He was sent home as ‘end of life care’ at four months old and it has taken a lot of research and work to by his devoted parents, John and Laura from Edendork in Dungannon, get him to where he is now. The couple are also parents to 6-year-old Eve.

Speaking to Belfast Live, his mum Laura explained Perase’s journey so far: “Pearse was born on December 14 2021 at Craigavon Area Hospital. He was resuscitated at birth and spent five and a half weeks in the Neonatal Unit. When he was born, he had pneumonia in both lungs, and the doctors thought his limpness was due to how sick he was.

“As the antibiotics kicked in and they felt his lungs were improving, the limpness remained. He was like what they would have described as like a very floppy child, and he didn’t open his eyes, didn’t really cry or respond to an awful lot.

“Because he was born in December we were obviously expecting to have him home for Christmas, but the doctors decided to do some genetic testing. At 4 months old and after a very traumatic and difficult time in hospital, Pearse was sent home as ‘end of life care’.

“He was not expected to survive more than a few days but he had no intention of leaving us. After a month at home, a new complication put Pearse back into hospital and we were there for the next six months.

“He was not expected to survive more than a few days but he had no intention of leaving us. After a month at home, a new complication put Pearse back into hospital and we were there for the next six months.

“Pearse wasn’t officially diagnosed until he was 10 months old, so we actually had to do an awful lot of guesswork in the beginning. We always say that Pearse is actually rare in a rare world. During his first year, Pearse was intubated countless times and we lost count of the amount of drains his lungs needed.

“His life at that time was full of needles, tubes, drains and trauma. But despite it all, he was resilient and showed he had remarkable potential. We just knew we had to do everything possible to provide him with the best life possible.

“Now here he is at four years old and living a trache/vent and PEG/blended diet life that is full of happiness and love. Pearse is very affectionate, fun loving, and a happy, contented child. You know, if he cries that there’s something very wrong.

“He loves attention, being involved in everything, loves people talking to him and interacting with him. He loves getting out and about, being out in the car and knowing that he’s going somewhere. He has really thrived at school because they’ve been able to introduce so much to him in terms of technology.”

Unfortunately, his family are now at the stage that in order to keep Pearse strong and well, they need access to ongoing therapies and equipment. They have launched a Just4Children fundraising campaign, called Pushing Pearse’s Potential, to make that happen. It has already raised over £10,000 in six weeks.

Laura added: “Just4Children are fundraising to provide Pearse with therapies and specialist equipment to enable him to reach his full potential and stay as well as he can for as long as he can having a happier life with less restrictions.

“In order for Pearse to live his best life despite all the complications of his diagnosis, he will need ongoing funds to access regular therapies and purchase specialist equipment. We want to keep Pearse as well as possible for as long as possible and we want him to have a wonderful life where as many options as possible are open to him.

“The people of Edendork and the wider Dungannon and Coalisland community have been amazing. What has really taken my breath away at times has been the kindness of strangers, people reaching out who I have maybe never spoken to or ever seen.

“Any support would be greatly appreciated and we really hope the community within Tyrone will really rally behind him. We have already seen that there is real kindness out there and it really restores your faith and changes your whole perspective on everything as well.”

You can donate to Pushing Pearse’s Potential here and follow his journey on Facebook.

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