Pitchfork Cheddar

Among the nine hundred and fifty truckles of cheese stolen in London last week there was a quantity of Pitchfork Cheddar made by the Trethowan brothers in Somerset. Pictured above is a wedge of Pitchfork I bought on Saturday – from a legitimate, established stockist I should stress, lest anyone infer any connection with the theft.

How does a relatively expensive farmhouse cheddar made with raw milk compare with a cheaper factory-made one? To me it’s not a radical dissimilarity but something analogous to the difference between a blocky, pixelated image and a fully high-definition one, with the extra money buying nuance and subtlety. It has been characterised as ‘nutty’ and ‘slightly earthy’ which may be so. I’d be more inclined to just describe it as quite like regular cheddar – only better.

Edited to add: in subsequent tastings I have discerned the advertised nuttiness in the shape of an intriguingly bittersweet hazelnut-like note emerging from the mix of flavours.