Cheese Lovers Guide To… Cheddar

We’re celebrating the world’s most widely eaten cheese with a crumbly chunk of its history and a generous selection of champion cheddar recipes for you to get stuck into. Three cheers for cheddar!

Taking its name from Cheddar in Somerset, where the cheese was (and still is) matured in the Gorge caves, cheddar’s been made in the area since at least since the 16^th century.

Traditional cheddar cheese making includes a process called ‘cheddaring’ where the curds are cut, stacked and then turned by hand as they firm under their own weight.

Cheddar doesn’t have to come from Cheddar (although West Country Farmhouse Cheddar must be made traditionally in the South West). Regular cheddar is now produced around the world and you’ll know it by its pale yellow, semi-hard, crumbly form.

From mild to extra mature, run of the mill to artisan, there’s a strength and variety to suit all tastes/wallets. You’ll find it in just about any food shop with a fridge, but if you want something special, buy a wedge of traditionally made cheddar from a cheesemonger.

Store it in the fridge, wrapped up to protect the edges from air. For the best flavour, bring it to room temperature before eating. Cheddar can be frozen but it’ll only be good for cooking with once thawed.

This recipe for leek, cheddar and mustard rarebit proclaims itself to be the rarebit to end all rarebits. With pale ale, chestnuts and sourdough all in the mix, we’d have to agree.

A cheesy seafood bake that’s packed with flavour and goodness and topped with cheesy mash is the stuff of comfort food dreams.

Or there’s carbonara cake. Yep, pasta as a cake. With cheese. Lots. That’s comfort food right there.

With autumn insight, what we all need is a next level, completely delicious English onion soup with sage and cheddar croutons recipe. Obviously.

This mouth-wateringly rich cheese stuffed pasta shells dish can be made up and frozen before the baking stage, so a tasty option for busy weeknights.

Make use of seasonal squashes and knock together this fennel, leek and squash gratin. Serve up with crusty bread, perfect for dipping into the creamy, cheesy sauce – mmm!

For fancy sausage rolls with a punch of cheese, whip up a batch of these pork, cheddar and caramelised onion lovelies. The extra twist is the ready-made croissant dough, which gives them a decadent, flaky yumminess.

They may look like Chelsea buns but these marmite and cheddar sticky buns are best served with a hearty bowl of soup rather than a cuppa.

Heard about chaffles? Cheese waffles are big in keto circles but make a delicious and easily customisable snack for non-keto types too. Pop this super simple chaffle recipe in your waffle maker to see for yourself.

These fabulous recipes all take cheddar to new heights but does anything beat sneaking a slice at the kitchen counter? Go on, you know you want to!