Garstang Blue

So here we go-lets travel to Lancashire, in the North West of England.  To the small town of Garstang and try (as it says on the label) a unique, rich, mellow and indulgent cheese...suitable for vegetarians.  After we get through the processed almost Dairylea style foil packaging we find a soft blue cheese, and I have got to say hopes are rising....

Garstang Blue

This cheese is a pasteurised cows milk cheese made in Garstang.  The mild/medium strength cheese has a creamy white colour with blue veining.  It has a smooth almost velvet creamy texture.  It has a flavour that is slightly rich and mellow then ....it hits you like a sock in the mouth. A over powering after taste of gone off mushrooms fills your senses, that completely destroys the good work done before.

Now to be fair to the cheesemakers, and not to them do them a disservice. Garstang Blue has a very noticeable soft blue mouldy rind around its outer curds and I believe to really enjoy this cheese all the rind should be removed first to get a smoother mellow flavour.  Although saying that, if it was removed before it was smothered in its supermarket selling style wrapper, then yes it would  meet up to the marketing hype on its label.

This cheese isn't made by a mass-produced organisation, it is simply a cheese that is made by cheesemakers.  In my opinion, cheese should only be sold, freshly cut, from any good cheese shop or deli counter and kept well away from overly excited marketing gurus...

Unique?  Well I will  leave that up to you!  However, on a scale of 5 (5 being perfection) I would rate this cheese a 2.  If that earthy mushroom aftertaste could be got rid of - this cheese could easily be a 4...