Applewood

Country and region of origin: England, Sommerset
Milk: Pasteurized Cow’s Milk
Age: 60 Days
Rind: None – Paste is rubbed with Paprika
Creamery: Ilchester Creamery
Creamery website: Ilchester Website

Properties: Semi-soft cheddar, flavored with smoke flavoring. This one is very popular with flavored cheese afficionados.
Uses: Will likely be devoured off your cheese plate. Ilchester offers that it’s good in grilled sandwiches and mashed potatoes. They also suggest using it in cheese sauces – and risotto (!).
Wine Pairings: Ilchester suggests a Shiraz or a Merlot.

Production Notes: This cheese was, once, actually a smoked cheese. They switched from smoking the cheese to using smoke flavoring at least 6 or 7 years ago, however. Most consumers don’t seem to mind one bit. This is still a very pretty cheese on the cheese plate. Nutrition Data

Testimonials:

Abbeydale

Country and region of origin:England – Sommerset
Milk: Pasteurized cow’s milk
Age: 4 months
Rind: none
Creamery: Ilchester
Creamery website: Ilchester Website

Properties: It’s a fine, pleasant Cotswold – Double Cheshire with chives and onions. Unlike a lot of them it isn’t rubbery.
Uses: Munching, sandwiches, cooking. Cheddar straws would be lovely with this cheese.
Wine Pairings: The ilchester site doesn’t pair Abbeydale with wine and I’m not sure I would, either. A good, strong beer would be totally natural though.

Production Notes: Ilchester uses vegetarian rennet in their Abbeydale.Nutrition Information

Testimonials:

Well… our customers like it. This is one of those cheeses that people love and that cheese writers make a show of disdaining. The Cheese Primer (amazingly) doesn’t even mention Cotswold, not even in passing.