Last week I was sent some cheese from a PR company representing Barber's. The Barber family have been farming and making cheese at Maryland Farm in Somerset since 1833. Along with the cheese I was surprised to also receive some of the ingredients to make some cheese soufflés. I didn't have everything that I needed to make the soufflés so I decided to improvise and make a crustless quiche instead which you can see pictured below and it was very tasty even if I do say so myself.
Well as my readers will know, this blog is not about recipes and cooking but rather reviewing food products so what did I think of Barber's 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar?
The cheddar is always matured for a minimum of 24 months and I had no idea that it took so long! It tasted smooth and creamy and the packet describes it as having a slightly crunchy texture which is apparently due to the natural development of calcium lactate crystals. I personally didn't find it crunchy in the slightest but it was quite hard compared to a lot of Cheddars that I have tasted, there wasn't much of a crumble to it.
Verdict
It's not the strongest Cheddar that I've tried but it did have a lovely flavor to it and this really came though when I cooked with it.