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
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