Gruyere (Tesco Finest Swiss Reserve)

A raucous and rambunctious hard cheese, this is a tasty delight given sufficient pre-consumption warming to develop its full taste. Gruyère shines as a winsome, nutty contrast to the heavier flavours and hard, flaky texture of many British mature cheeses.

Gruyère is an unpasteurised cow’s milk cheese. This instance has a smooth, firm, slightly bouncy texture which responds well to cutting, with minimal flakeage or waste. The cheese is a rich buttery yellow at its heart, clad in a thick, inedible rind; betwixt the two stretches a no-man’s-land of harder, darker cheese matter which should be avoided. To get the most out of your Gruyère slice, cut out and enjoy the meaty and delicious centre, then nibble mouse-like up to near the edge of the rind.

The flavour is rich, deep, nutty, but not overpowering. The faint hint of the farmyard barn is buried deep beneath drifted mounds of autumn-leaf earthiness. There is significant sweetness gloriously counterbalanced by nutty smoothness: a complex and highly enjoyable flavour here, which is sophisticated but not devastatingly mature. The multifaceted nature of the flavour means this is likely to appeal to a varied audience, even those who disdain scaling the forbidding flavour heights of really strong mature Cheddars.

Gruyère is not a low-maintenance browsing cheese, moderately enjoyable to eat even straight out of the fridge. When not allowed to warm sufficiently, it will be tedious, flavourless, rubbery. This Gruyère advises warming for at least an hour; heed that advice or risk crushing disappointment. This cheese excels on its own where its complexity can be enjoyed. It would pair well with simple but sweet crackers, e.g. digestives or Hovis biscuits, or a dry wine of almost any sort which will interplay well with the earthy taste.

Gruyère is a critical ingredient of many recipes such as fondue or croque monsieur sandwiches. In my personal view that is something of a waste of a delicious cheese; the complex balance of sweet and nutty flavours is rather lost when mixed into a meal. That is not to say do not use Gruyère in such environs – but when you do, you must be sure to buy a second slice for casual consumption as you cook.

For its complex, nutty taste I rate Gruyère 8.5 out of 10.

Trivia: the eagle-eyed reader will spot that the thumbnail for this cheese has the bag filled not with Gruyère but with cashew nuts. This is in homage to Gruyère‘s sweet, nutty nature. Your reviewer inadvertently consumed all of the cheese before being able to photograph it – further testament to its delicious nature.

Philip

I love cheese. Most of all I love the strongest Cheddars available; ewe’s or goat’s cheese are also often hits.