Price range: £2.90 through £17.40
Harlech is not a cheese for anyone who thinks everything on a cheeseboard has to be terribly serious.
It’s a mature Cheddar-style cheese blended with horseradish and parsley, and that combination gives it a completely different character. You still get the creamy richness of the cheese, but then along comes the horseradish with a lovely bit of warmth, followed by the freshness of the parsley.
And you certainly can’t miss it in the counter. Wrapped in its bright orange wax, Harlech isn’t exactly a cheese that likes to hide!
Harlech is part of a long tradition of adding other flavours to cheese. Herbs, spices, fruit and even alcohol have all found their way into cheeses over the years, and while I will always have a soft spot for a beautiful farmhouse cheese that tastes simply of milk, place and maturation, sometimes you just want something a bit different.
That’s where Harlech comes in.
Horseradish is a particularly clever addition because cheese has enough richness to soften its heat. Rather than overwhelming the cheese, you get that familiar warmth through the nose, while the parsley adds freshness and stops the whole thing becoming too heavy.
The name, of course, is wonderfully Welsh too. Harlech Castle stands dramatically above the coast of North Wales and is probably best known to many of us through Men of Harlech. It’s quite a grand name for a cheese — but then Harlech has never exactly been shy.
The first thing you notice with Harlech is the horseradish.
There’s no gently wondering whether you can taste it — you can!
But that’s exactly the point. The cheese underneath is rich and creamy enough to carry it, so you get that lovely savoury dairy flavour followed by the distinctive warmth of horseradish that travels right up your nose.
Then the parsley comes through and freshens everything up.
It’s creamy, savoury, herby and warming rather than simply hot, and that’s what makes it so moreish. If you’re someone who likes horseradish with roast beef, I suspect you’re going to get along very well with Harlech.
Jen’s note: I’m a great believer that there is room in the cheese counter for everything. I adore traditional farmhouse cheeses, but sometimes you just want cheese with something added to it. And if you’re going to add something, horseradish and parsley is a pretty good place to start!
Sizes and Prices
Storage Advice
Delivery and Collection
Ingredients (Allergens are listed in capitals)
Welsh Cheddar Cheese (88.5%) (MILK, starter cultures, rennet, salt), Horseradish Sauce (11.2%) (water, rapeseed oil, dried horseradish, sugar, pasteurised EGG yolk, acidity regulator (acetic acid), salt, MUSTARD flour, stabiliser (xanthan gum), preservative (potassium sorbate), natural flavouring (contains MUSTARD)), Potassium Sorbate, Parsley (0.04%)
Normal opening Monday – Saturday 9am – 4pm until:
Sunday 22nd 9am – 4pm
Monday 23rd 9am – 4pm
Christmas Eve 9am – 12pm
Christmas Day Closed
Boxing Day Closed
Friday 27th Closed
Saturday 28th 9am – 4pm
Sunday 29th Closed
Monday 30th 9am – 2pm
Tuesday 31st 9am – 2pm
New Year’s Day Closed
Thursday 2nd January Closed
Friday 3rd 9am – 4pm then open as normal
After Christmas our courier delivery slots start from 8th January.
