Lincolnshire Poacher

At the cheese counter the lady unwrapped a half-wheel of Lincolnshire Poacher cheese and, with the wire poised over it, asked “this much?” Although at first glance it had seemed like a good amount, by the time she’d finished cutting I realised it was a significantly heftier slab than I’d had in mind. Even so, I said I’d take it, striving not to twitch as much as an eyelid when I learned how much it would cost. At least it did very nearly all get used and I felt like I got something like my money’s worth in the end. A small remnant of it is pictured above.

It’s a mature hard cheese with a firm texture. Devised to combine characteristics of Cheddar and Alpine cheeses like Comté, it is to my palate more obviously reminiscent of the latter. It has variously been described as having “rich herbacious notes” of being “nutty” or “savoury and brothy”. Some can discern a pineapple-like hint in it. I found it worked equally well on a cheeseboard as it did grated and used in cooking. This is one of only a small number of cheeses produced on the east coast of England, in an area much better known for arable farming. Its name derives from the title of a traditional folk song.