Montgomery Cheddar, 200g

Rich, brothy, savoury flavours are the hallmarks of the Cheddars we select from Montgomery’s. Drier and more stratified than most of the Cheddars we sell, its almost crystalline nature makes it melt in the mouth.

Cheddar has been made at Manor Farm since 1911, where today the milk from the 200-strong herd of Friesian cows is used exclusively for making Cheddar. Jamie Montgomery takes a measured approach to modernisation, changing only the factors that he is confident will not compromise the quality of the cheese. As well as the time-consuming method of 'cheddaring' – the cutting, stacking and turning of the curds by hand to drain the whey away – Montgomery's uses a traditional 'pint' starter (as opposed to the powders favoured by industrial cheesemakers) and an old, slow peg mill. Each wheel is wrapped in muslin cloth and rubbed with lard before being stowed on the wooden shelves of the cellar for between 12 and 18 months, during which time they are carefully turned and tended. Once upon a time, all this was standard practice; today Montgomery's is one of only a handful of Cheddars left in the county to be made using these traditional techniques.