What's going on with cheese?

[ilovebagpuss]

So sorry, to ask such a dull question but I can't take it anymore. Why is all cheddar suddenly disgusting slimy blocks of plastic cheese? OK I'm not talking M&S but Sainsburys, Aldi and Lidl "extra mature" is all disgusting.
I've spent about 3/4 quid on a block and it's too foul to eat. It's not off or mouldy its just non tasting rubber.
Can anyone explain why this is? Shortage of something ?

Yes! I’m so glad others have said the same.
We tried Double Gloucester and Leicester, they are all more waxy and oily than they used to be.

We need a cheese professional here to tell us the actual reasoning behind this madness.

Their butter is lovely too. And cheaper than Norpak etc.

I haven't noticed it as I only buy cheddar for the dog (training treats) - but I bet it's because we don't have to comply with EU food standards anymore. Sliding towards USA food standards so they can sell more of their crap here when we've forgotten what real food tastes like

I didn't realise cheese had changed, I thought I was just going off it 😅 I had to give half my cheese toastie away yesterday because it was way too greasy

Since Brexit, British producers of cheddar cheese have probably not had so much Irish bulk milk available to them. Grass fed cows, different taste to milk. Cheese will taste differently at different times of year too.

And, many Irish cheese manufactures who were exporting cheddar cheese to the UK switched to producing other cheeses such as mozzarellawhich would be popular in the EU in order to remain viable.

Different guidelines apply to manufacturers in the UK now, best to seek out artisan suppliers.

Brexit might not have been the best decision for foodies.

The cows have had enough 😲

It's probably a Brexit issue.

Yes!!!

Cheese is cheaper now that it was 20 years ago so i'm not surprised that much of it doesn't taste great. I never buy anything milder than extra mature (including when the DC were little) and even then would pick quite carefully. Wyke has always been good, M&S extra mature is great, think I bought a Lidl or Aldi extra mature a little while ago which was still good. The Cathedral City, Davidstow's etc of the world wouldn't be something I would ever buy. Extra mature from Somerset tends to be a winner.

I thought I had just forgotten how to cook 😅

I’ve switched to brie for anything uncooked. At least it still has flavour.

I thought dh had been leaving it out of the fridge too long, it had melted and reset changing texture. And I thought he kept doing this with every packet of cheese.

I thought I was just going off it too! And haven’t been able to get cheddar brown and bubbling for a while, I thought I’d just lost the knack somehow. Had some vile Red Leicester from Iceland recently (I know, hardly a renowned artisan cheesemonger..) which used to be fine as an everyday staple, don’t think we managed to finish the last block.

Still enjoying generic brand feta, halloumi, and Parmesan. Recently enjoyed a lovely Camembert. Been buying a lot of Mexicana lately too, that’s still really nice but obviously it’s a specific flavour so not a good replacement for plain cheddar.

Aldi buyer here. I tend to get the 50% fat cheese and it's been lovely - until recently. Now, it's greasy but manages to be crumbly and tastes so strongly of parmesan (or, worse, feet!) It's disgusting. We had to throw the last block out.

I've thought the same about cheddar. I bought some West Country Farmhouse mature cheddar from Sainsbury's and that's more like "proper" cheese than the likes of Cathedral City etc. I am so fed up of rubber cheese but the Sainsbury's one crumbles rather than bends. I haven't tried having it melted yet as it is my good cheese so I save it for having on crackers, or just with chutney.

I will try to remember to get some bread and have a toastie tomorrow, purely in the interest of MN science.

Yep - I’ve noticed it too. Bought Asda extra mature Wykes Farms the other day and it tasted like Dairylea triangles when I was kid. Vile. What’s happening?

I usually love Waitrose's own brand extra mature cheddar (no 6). Used to be lovely and crumbly but last time I bought it the texture was a bit slimy. What's going on?

Yes
but it didn't taste like this even 20 months ago, so what's happened?

Cathedral City Vintage has changed packaging. Comparing my last packet of the good stuff to my new one, it tastes the same but is less crumbly. Not sure that is a bad thing.

A little bit of googling says Europe makes cheese unpasteurised (or if they do use pasteurised milk it's processed in a different way to the USA)

I too have noticed the 'non bubbly' nature of cheese

Tesco cheap cheese has palm oil in it too

Tesco cheap cheese has palm oil in it too

What?! Since when has cheese been made with palm oil?

The Canadian cheese has disappeared from sainsburys, This cheese was available since I was a teen, but since 2020 it has disappeared. It had a really strong taste so could use less of it. And yes i have gone off cheese too, tastes too plastic.

Those 'plastic' squares you put on burgers - that are wrapped individually

I don't consider those cheese, though I love them!

I switched to a Tesco own brand mature cheddar recently to try to bring the shopping bill down a bit.
Did a pasta bake and there was so much fat sitting on top of the dish from the cheese I had to lay kitchen towel gently over it to soak it up. Disgusting.
Back to Cathedral City - I'll have to economise somewhere else.