Photographed by Nina Gallant | Styled by Chantal Lambeth
Origin: Cabot, Vermont
Milk: Pasteurized cow’s milk
+ SQIRL Strawberry Lemon Verbena Jam
This cheddar is the result of a collaboration between two Vermont cheesemakers: the large-scale Cabot Cooperative Creamery and the much smaller Cellars at Jasper Hill. Aged between 9 and 14 months, this cheese boasts flavors of rich salty caramel with vegetal notes. For a sweet-savory matchup, try a wedge with a smear of strawberry-lemon-verbena jam.
2. BARBER’S 1833 VINTAGE RESERVE CHEDDAR
Origin: Somerset, England
Milk: Pasteurized cow’s milk
+ Bantam Buzzwig Cider
The Barber family has been farming in the heart of rural Somerset since the early 1800s. The family’s flagship cheese is a creamy-crumbly sharp number that boasts a fine balance of umami and sweet milky flavors, with hints of butterscotch and toffee. Pair it with a cold glass of cider like a true Anglophile.
Origin: Lincolnshire, England
Milk: Raw cow’s milk
+ fresh figs
This natural-rind cheddar is matured between 12 and 24 months and has a golden, buttery hue with hints of straw and cellar, especially near the rind. Match this cheese with fresh figs to create a deeply earthy bite.
4. ROGUE CREAMERY CHOCOLATE STOUT CHEDDAR
Origin: Central Point, Oregon
Milk: Pasteurized cow’s milk
+ Raaka Pink Sea Salt Chocolate
Milder than the other cheddars featured here, this subtle version is borne of a collaboration between Rogue Creamery and Rogue Ales. It’s savory and tangy, with classic cheddar notes augmented by delicate hints of chocolate and coffee from the stout. Try it with a piece of sea salt chocolate to amp up the contrasting flavors even further.
Cathy Strange
Cathy Strange is the global cheese buyer for Whole Foods Market and an international expert on cheese and food trends. Cathy is a member of the American Cheese Society, the Cheese of Choice Coalition, the Cheese Importers Association, the International Association of Culinary Professionals, Slow Foods USA and Les Dames d’Escoffier where she serves as the vice president of the Austin Chapter.
