Today is Lancashire Day and St Andrew's Day

[Blue Hills]

To mark both days i bought a tin of Scotch Broth and a packet of Lancashire cheese. Broth and cheese on crackers for supper sounds ok.

View attachment 561075

Cheese question.
Am i imagining it, or does most lancashire cheese these days not crumble like it did when i was a kid?
The texture of most supermarket stuff seems far too smooth and solid.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Cheese question.
Am i imagining it, or does most lancashire cheese these days not crumble like it did when i was a kid?
The texture of most supermarket stuff seems far too smooth and solid.

I don't know. I haven't tried it yet. To be honest,i'm not a big cheese fan. A bit of strong cheddar and Edam every now and then is enough for me. I remember as children we were given Lancashire cheese bought from a stall on Great Harwood market. Our mum would make cheese and onion or cheese and egg once a week. It was cooked in the oven in one of those white metal with a blue rim dishes. I've tried to replicate that dish,but i just can't get the same taste or texture. 🤔

 

[stephec]

Cheese question.
Am i imagining it, or does most lancashire cheese these days not crumble like it did when i was a kid?
The texture of most supermarket stuff seems far too smooth and solid.

Cheshire cheese is always sweet and crumbly, Lancashire can be crumbly but also more like a normal solid block, I get this stuff from the factory shop, they make a creamy version of it as well.

I usually prefer extra mature stuff but that Lancashire is lovely, and their Double Gloucester is the best I've tasted so far.

 

[T4tomo]

Two observations:

- There was a mention of two flags? I saw the Scottish one and then just some loo roll on a string?

- Lancashire cheese just is just a poor man's Wensleydale.

 

[Blue Hills]

Cheshire cheese is always sweet and crumbly, Lancashire can be crumbly but also more like a normal solid block, I get this stuff from the factory shop, they make a creamy version of it as well.

I usually prefer extra mature stuff but that Lancashire is lovely, and their Double Gloucester is the best I've tasted so far.

View attachment 561124

thanks - may check out - i was cycling near Garstang earlier this year, to an an excellent outdoor shop, - maybe even went past it - never been to Garstang but discovered recently that it seems rather attractive - as a kid something about the name made it sound rather ugly.

 

[Blue Hills]

- Lancashire cheese just is just a poor man's Wensleydale.

surely you mean craft, rustic, artisan?

 

[stephec]

thanks - may check out - i was cycling near Garstang earlier this yea, to an an excellent outdoor shop, - maybe even went past it - never been to Garstang but discovered recently that it seems rather attractive - as a kid something about the name made it sound rather ugly.

It's on the A6 about a mile south of Garstang, you can't miss it as there's a wind turbine that powers the factory.

 

[PK99]

Cheese question.
Am i imagining it, or does most lancashire cheese these days not crumble like it did when i was a kid?
The texture of most supermarket stuff seems far too smooth and solid.

I've been puzzled by that too.
Wiki tells me that the crumbly form is not actually the traditional Lancashire.

Crumbly is a 1950's invention - easier and cheaper to make in bulk and cow to shelf time is much shorter.
I was brought up on Crumbly - probably because it was the cheapest

Creamy Lancashire

For centuries, Lancashire dairy farmers' wives made cheese from surplus milk. On small farms there was insufficient milk from a single day to make a cheese, and so each day's milk was curdled and accumulated for several days until there was enough curd to make a cheese. Uniquely amongst all British cheeses, two or three days' curd of varying maturity are blended together, giving Lancashire cheese a distinctive character.

Creamy Lancashire cheese is made by this traditional method and matured for a period of four to twelve weeks. It has a fluffy texture and creamy flavour, and is good for toasting, as it does not become stringy when melted.

Tasty Lancashire
Tasty Lancashire cheese is made by the same traditional method as Creamy Lancashire, but is matured for longer, from 12 weeks to 24 months. It has a mature nutty taste.

Crumbly Lancashire
In the 1950s, Crumbly Lancashire cheese was created. Unlike the other Lancashire varieties, this is made from a single day's milk and resembles other crumbly cheeses such as Cheshire and Wensleydale. It is the only Lancashire cheese that is produced outside the county of Lancashire.[4] It tends to be matured for only 6–8 weeks, resulting in a crumbly, fresh, high-acid cheese.

 

[Blue Hills]

I've been puzzled by that too.
Wiki tells me that the crumbly form is not actually the traditional Lancashire.

Crumbly is a 1950's invention - easier and cheaper to make in bulk and cow to shelf time is much shorter.
I was brought up on Crumbly - probably because it was the cheapest

Creamy Lancashire

For centuries, Lancashire dairy farmers' wives made cheese from surplus milk. On small farms there was insufficient milk from a single day to make a cheese, and so each day's milk was curdled and accumulated for several days until there was enough curd to make a cheese. Uniquely amongst all British cheeses, two or three days' curd of varying maturity are blended together, giving Lancashire cheese a distinctive character.

Creamy Lancashire cheese is made by this traditional method and matured for a period of four to twelve weeks. It has a fluffy texture and creamy flavour, and is good for toasting, as it does not become stringy when melted.

Tasty Lancashire
Tasty Lancashire cheese is made by the same traditional method as Creamy Lancashire, but is matured for longer, from 12 weeks to 24 months. It has a mature nutty taste.

Crumbly Lancashire
In the 1950s, Crumbly Lancashire cheese was created. Unlike the other Lancashire varieties, this is made from a single day's milk and resembles other crumbly cheeses such as Cheshire and Wensleydale. It is the only Lancashire cheese that is produced outside the county of Lancashire.[4] It tends to be matured for only 6–8 weeks, resulting in a crumbly, fresh, high-acid cheese.

interesting.
It was definitely the crumbly I was brought up on.
I imagine it came from a local shop.
Or market stall.
Somewhat fiddly to eat but I do prefer it.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Cheese question.
Am i imagining it, or does most lancashire cheese these days not crumble like it did when i was a kid?
The texture of most supermarket stuff seems far too smooth and solid.

I've eventually opened and had some of that so called Lancashire cheese i bought. You are correct! No crumble whatsoever. It's more like a medium strength cheddar.🧐 Though it does say on the packet 'creamy'. Sorry,but Lancashire cheese should be crumbly as well as creamy. Otherwise it ain't 'Lanky' cheese!

 

[PaulSB]

Cheese question.
Am i imagining it, or does most lancashire cheese these days not crumble like it did when i was a kid?
The texture of most supermarket stuff seems far too smooth and solid.

Locally, within ten minutes walk, we can buy crumbly, tasty and creamy. Pop in to Chorley and the market cheese stall always has a great selection and Booths have a decent range.

Some great cheese makers in Lancashire; Dewlays, Mrs Kirkham's, Butler's, Leagram (my favourite), Greenfields, Grandma Singleton's, J J Sandman to name a few.

Dewlays is the one on the A6 south of Garstang.

 

[PaulSB]

I've eventually opened and had some of that so called Lancashire cheese i bought. You are correct! No crumble whatsoever. It's more like a medium strength cheddar.🧐 Though it does say on the packet 'creamy'. Sorry,but Lancashire cheese should be crumbly as well as creamy. Otherwise it ain't 'Lanky' cheese!

Not so, Lancashire cheese is creamy, crumbly or tasty. Sounds like you purchased yours in a supermarket.

 

[Blue Hills]

Locally, within ten minutes walk, we can buy crumbly, tasty and creamy. Pop in to Chorley and the market cheese stall always has a great selection and Booths have a decent range.

Some great cheese makers in Lancashire; Dewlays, Mrs Kirkham's, Butler's, Leagram (my favourite), Greenfields, Grandma Singleton's, J J Sandman to name a few.

Dewlays is the one on the A6 south of Garstang.

Have actually been to chorley market.
Thanks for the other recommendations.
You make Chorley sound like a gastronomic paradise.
Under current travel restrictions i see Rick Stein's short weekend in chorley hitting the small screen in january.

 

[Dave7]

No expert but to me Lancashire is not crumbly. I tend to use it on toast......grilled.
Cheshire I enjoy but is toooo crumbly.
Wensleydale is similar to cheshire but better to slice for sandwiches.
I am talking supermarket though.

 

[PK99]

Have actually been to chorley market.
Thanks for the other recommendations.
You make Chorley sound like a gastronomic paradise.
Under current travel restrictions i see Rick Stein's short weekend in chorley hitting the small screen in january.

Chorley -
Booth's (far better than Waitrose)
Tripe stalls on the market (Are they still there?)
Cheese shop (long gone)
Thornley's Pork butcher - erstwhile source of the best pork pies in the known universe.
Barbers across from the Bus station - guy with a flat nose, short back and sides, "A little something for the weekend, sir?"