Brits are gorging on punchier cheddar varieties as data reveals growing demand for top strength cheeses. Extra sharp not only tastes better, it is healthier and easier to digest.
Traditional Cheddar cheesemakers are in a sweat to produce stronger varieties to keep up with Britain's changing palate.
For centuries the most popular strength for Cheddar across the UK was mild and medium, but latest sales data reveals the fastest growing cheeses are now the most powerful extra mature and vintage types.
Experts say Brits are showing a growing desire for spicier foods, which has hardened our palates.
Artisan Cheddar cheesemaker Ford Farms, based in Dorchester, which specialises in making the very strongest varieties, has seen demand soar.
And in order to meet the growing demand, supermarket Tesco has increased the pack sizes of its own label top strength cheeses while ordering more to be ready once they have matured for the requisite 18 months.
Cheese experts say the change is all down to our love of spicier food which now dominates British cuisine and has hardened our palates.
The latest 12-month volume sales data from all retailers analysed by Kantar showed the demand for vintage Cheddar growing by 5.4 per cent and extra mature Cheddar up by 2 per cent.
But sales of medium Cheddar has fallen by 5.6 per cent and mild Cheddar down by 2.4 per cent. At Tesco, demand for extra mature and vintage Cheddar have increased by nearly 25 per cent in the last year.
For centuries the most popular strength for Cheddar across the UK was mild and medium
Experts say Brits are showing a growing desire for spicier foods, which has hardened our palates
Wookey Hole caves, where the Wookey Hole cheddar variety is stored by artisan independent cheesemakers, Ford Farm
Tesco UK cheese buyer Darren Atherton said: 'The gradual move towards stronger tasting Cheddar varieties has come about because of our love of spicy food.
'With curries, Asian and Mexican food now a regular part of the UK diet, our palates are acclimatising to these stronger and more exotic flavours so that we tend to go for more complex taste profiles.
'This has been especially recognised in the Cheddar industry where producers are widening the strength profiles of their cheeses to include varieties that pack more of a punchier taste.
'And they are achieving this by selecting different starter culture at the start of the cheesemaking process which then produce different flavour profiles over longer periods of maturation.'
As a result of the trend, more Cheddar producers are now making stronger tasting varieties.
Ford Farm, which makes the famous Wookey Hole and Coastal Bite varieties, is also seeing a rising demand.
Head cheesemaker Martin Crabb said: 'Demand for vintage Cheddar is going through the roof right now and is almost certainly at an all-time high.
'We created our Coastal Cheddar to appeal to the consumer demand for a rich, rugged Cheddar and we age it for up to 15 months which gives it an intense flavour while the culture used also adds a contrasting subtly sweet top note.'
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14475373/cheddar-demand-strength-cheese.html
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