Description
Westcombe Cheddar Cheese
About Westcombe Cheddar Cheese
There aren’t many dairies where the journey from cow to cheese is quite as short as it is at Westcombe.
The milking parlour is just a stone’s throw from the dairy, which means the raw milk can arrive at the cheesemaking vat still warm from the cows. Traditional starter cultures and animal rennet are added and another batch of Westcombe Cheddar begins.
And from that point on, there’s quite a lot of hard work involved.
Once the curds have formed, they’re drained, gathered together and cut into slabs before the cheesemakers begin the traditional process of cheddaring. Those slabs are repeatedly stacked and turned by hand, gradually changing their texture and acidity.
They’re then broken into smaller pieces using a traditional peg mill, salted and packed into moulds before being pressed.
Finally, the cheeses are wrapped in muslin, brushed with lard and taken away to mature.
And they don’t have very far to go.
Into The Hillside
One of the things I love about Westcombe is its maturation cellar.
Built into the clay hillside beside the dairy, it provides the cool, humid conditions the cheeses need to mature slowly and naturally.
The wheels spend around 12 to 18 months here, gradually losing moisture and developing all those wonderfully complex flavours.
But this isn’t a cheese made to a stopwatch.
The team at Westcombe regularly assess the wheels as they mature because, ultimately, the cheese decides when it’s ready rather than the calendar.
Protected by PDO Tradition
Westcombe is one of the traditional Cheddars protected as West Country Farmhouse Cheddar PDO.
The protection keeps Cheddar connected to the part of England where it originated, with production restricted to Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall and traditional cheesemaking methods required.
Westcombe ticks those boxes rather beautifully: raw milk from the farm, traditional cheddaring, clothbound wheels and long, slow maturation just metres from where the cheese was made.
From cow to dairy to maturation cellar, this really is a cheese with a strong sense of place.
Westcombe Cheddar – Jen’s Tasting Notes
Westcombe is a cheese that doesn’t give you everything at once.
Take a bite and the first thing I usually notice is a lovely buttery richness. Then the nuttier flavours start to arrive — toasted hazelnuts, sometimes a little browned butter — followed by sweet grass and a gentle fruity acidity.
But it’s the finish that really makes Westcombe stand out.
The savoury flavours seem to keep developing long after you’ve swallowed the cheese. There’s a wonderful depth and earthiness, with a tang that slowly builds rather than disappearing.
Texture-wise, it’s firm with a gentle crumble, but there’s enough moisture there to stop it ever feeling dry.
It’s complex without being overpowering, and every time you think the flavour has finished, something else seems to appear.
Which brings me rather neatly to its nickname…
How to Serve and Pair Westcombe Cheddar
- Make sure you take it out of the fridge a good hour before you want to eat it so it can come up to room temperature.
- Classic pairings: West Country Cheddar calls for West Country cider. The fruity acidity cuts through the richness of the cheese and the two simply belong together.
- Something a little different: If you’re a beer drinker, try something with a good malty character. Those toasted, slightly caramel flavours work beautifully with Westcombe’s nuttier, savoury side.
- On the plate: Try drizzling a little truffle honey over a piece of Westcombe. Add some cured meats and good bread and you’ve got a very easy — and rather fabulous — lunch.
- In the kitchen: Grate it over a jacket potato or beans on toast. It’s proper comfort food, but with a Cheddar this good it suddenly feels rather more exciting.
Jen’s note: Westcombe is sometimes known as the ‘five-mile Cheddar’. The story goes that you can take a bite, get in your car, drive five miles down the road and the flavour will still be developing by the time you get there. I’ve never actually measured it, but I completely understand what they mean. This is a Cheddar with a seriously long finish.
Buying Westcombe Cheddar
- Brand or Producer: Westcombe Dairy
- Product name: Westcombe Cheddar
- Milk: Cow
- Country: England
- Region: Somerset
- Strength: Mature
- Vegetarian: No
- Suitable for pregnancy: Yes
- Allergens: MILK
Sizes and Prices
- 100g wedge, £2.65
- 500g wedge, £13.25
- Wheel (approx. 6kg), available to pre-order
Storage Advice
- Keep refrigerated
- Wrap in waxed paper or cling film
- Remove from the fridge before serving
- Consume within 10 to 14 days of opening
Delivery and Collection
- UK wide courier delivery
- Click and collect from our Pangbourne shop
- Free local delivery available for selected postcodes
Ingredients (Allergens are listed in capitals)
MILK, starter cultures, rennet, salt
