Cheddar: How To Know If It's The Real Thing?

It’s not always easy to identify an imposter, but when it comes to cheese it’s important to understand the differences between the artisanally produced and industrially produced versions. We spoke to producers from Montgomery Cheddar, Westcombe Dairy and Moorehayes Farm from the Slow Food Artisanal Somerset Cheddar Presidium about what may be the most imitated cheese throughout the world: Cheddar.

Round and cloth wrapped vs. square

Traditional artisanal wrapped cheddar is always round, with layers of lard and muslin cloth, which aids the cheese in absorbing the flavors of the environment. Turned by hand, it is matured for at least a year, sometimes up to 18 months – only then can it be called aged Cheddar. The industrially produced variety, on the other hand, matures, on average, for just 6 months.

Vegetable vs. animal rennet

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