UK versus US Cheese

[Dianemwj]

I must say that I was extremely impressed with the quality of the cheese available in the UK in the supermarket as opposed to the waxy junk we get here. I fell in love with some Scotish cheddar I bought at Morrison's that made me want to weep, it was so good. I also bought several other cheeses there as well. For one thing, the Scotish cheddar was white not bright, day-glo orange like ours is. Why do our cheese producers feel the need to dye our cheddar cheese orange? I brought several pounds of cheese back to the US in my luggage and the nice man at customs in the Las Vegas airport let me keep it.

Since then I have found a few stores where I can buy European cheese; Trader Joe's for one and a local store called Village Meat and Wine. It's not cheap, but it's worth every penny. Do any of the other Americans here have any idea why our cheese is so inferior?

 

[crimsonghost747]

I don't think you have the same cheese producing culture on that side of the pond. In Europe cheese has been a big thing for a long time, not really in the UK but more in central Europe. Think of the Netherlands, France and Switzerland etc. Cheese has been produced in small scale (locally) for centuries and of course that relates to a very different quality than the US "hey lets put up this megafactory that pours out 1000kg of cheese per day" way of manufacturing. Not saying you won't find good cheese made in the USA but as you pointed out: in general the quality is not that great.

Also cheese is used a bit differently. In the USA I often see it melted and thrown into all kinds of dishes whereas in Europe it's often eaten on it's own (ideally with a bit of red wine) as a desert or a small snack when sitting down with friends. That simply won't work really well with cheese that tastes like chemicals so pretty much every grocery store has better stuff because people will buy it.

 

[Berties]

Cheese production in the UK is on a high , small producers making a artisan selection ,and there are plenty of them starting up,
And then we have makes like cathedral city and connected brands being churned out by the ton ,I've seen the factory at camelford still a good product,
UK has a primed audience and good export market ,the quality and diversity will only grow,,not to dissimilar to were France is now, may be the UK will have more quality guidelines to follow how France produces
Maybe the UK has a higher demand for so called quality cheeses,the varied selection that is required for a cheese board ,

 

[sidevalve]

A friend of mine [who was going to move to the US] did mention to me that one of the things he noticed when over there was the cheese - or lack of variation of it. In a store over here you can often find twenty different types but in the US [as he said] it was usually more like three or four. Not too sure if this is the same in the big cities [he was in a small town area] but it does seem to be the case.

 

[Morning Glory]

Also cheese is used a bit differently. In the USA I often see it melted and thrown into all kinds of dishes whereas in Europe it's often eaten on it's own (ideally with a bit of red wine) as a desert or a small snack when sitting down with friends. That simply won't work really well with cheese that tastes like chemicals so pretty much every grocery store has better stuff because people will buy it.

I think this may have hit the nail on the head. In France the tradition of the cheese course has been around forever, in the UK there has been a tradition of 'the cheese course' at dinner parties for decades (longer?). Here, we also have a tradition of eating hunks of cheese and bread with pickles (Ploughman's Lunch) and cheese sandwiches (not melted cheese) are standard British fare.

 

[Lullabelle]

The only comment I can make about American cheese is that when it is on food programmes it just seems to be grated and added to pretty much everything which must ruin/conceal the flavour of the rest of the food.

Here in the UK we have so much cheese to choose from, blue cheese is heavenly, blue goats cheese is an acquired taste which I adore. A cheese board and a glass of port is a great way to finish a meal for those who don't have a sweet tooth.

 

[Morning Glory]

The only comment I can make about American cheese is that when it is on food programmes it just seems to be grated and added to pretty much everything which must ruin/conceal the flavour of the rest of the food.

Here in the UK we have so much cheese to choose from, blue cheese is heavenly, blue goats cheese is an acquired taste which I adore. A cheese board and a glass of port is a great way to finish a meal for those who don't have a sweet tooth.

I hope you have voted in the Blue Cheese Poll, @Lullabelle !

 

[Duck59]

There are parts of the world where cheese doesn't receive the reverence we feel for it in the UK. When I lived in Eritrea, my town had a shop that sold cheese, but in general it was a rather plastic and bland affair with little discernible taste. It was the only show in town, though, when it came to cheese. Then one day I bought some and it was really nice; crumbly and tangy like a decent Cheddar. I rushed back to the shop the next day and the chap that ran it said he didn't have any more. I assumed it had sold well, but he said that he threw it out because people didn't like it - too strong. Only the thought of making myself look grossly undignified stopped me from diving into his rubbish bin.

 

[Lullabelle]

Red Leicester is bland

 

[Dianemwj]

There are parts of the world where cheese doesn't receive the reverence we feel for it in the UK. When I lived in Eritrea, my town had a shop that sold cheese, but in general it was a rather plastic and bland affair with little discernible taste. It was the only show in town, though, when it came to cheese. Then one day I bought some and it was really nice; crumbly and tangy like a decent Cheddar. I rushed back to the shop the next day and the chap that ran it said he didn't have any more. I assumed it had sold well, but he said that he threw it out because people didn't like it - too strong. Only the thought of making myself look grossly undignified stopped me from diving into his rubbish bin.

I wouldn't have worried about appearances. I'd have dumpster dived. Hey, good cheese is good cheese. And free as well.

 

[Dianemwj]

American's do tend to use cheese as a garnish instead of savoring for its ownself. I learned to use it differently when I was in the UK. I did end up making a three-cheese semolina bread from some of the cheese I brought back from the UK which, I swear, would have won any baking contest. Alas the UK cheese is gone and I have to look for substiutes.

 

[Diane Lane]

Most supermarkets here have prepackaged cheese, some of which is good, some not. What irks me is the 'cheese food product' that many people think of as cheese, which is not actually all cheese. I grew up in an areas with meat shops and delis, and the quality and variety were much better than down here. There is an occasional meat shop here, but they are few and far between, versus on practically every street corner back home. I think many here have become complacent with prepackaged foods, and a lot of people here haven't been exposed to the better products that are available elsewhere, so the demand doesn't exist, therefore the stores have no reason to change what they're doing. The higher end grocery stores, and those that are trying to attract that type of customer, tend to have a better selection, probably because their clientele demands it.