Snowdonia Cheese Company “Rock Star” Vintage Cheddar

My last few liaisons with the Snowdonia Cheese Company’s legendary Black Bomber have left me a little bewildered. Yes, that extra mature Cheddar is undoubtedly delicious, with a silky-smooth texture belying a surprisingly intense, mellow flavour, and yet… And yet. Perhaps one too many devastating once-in-a-generation crises – pandemic, potentially-nuclear war, a Truss government – have numbed all my senses; perhaps my tastebuds are left jaded by 31 too many chocolate milks, but I do feel that Black Bomber Cheddar no longer packs the punch I feel it used to.

Luckily, Snowdonia Cheese Company have delivered another Cheddar, this one at the vintage maturity tier, which answers most of my tastiness prayers. It’s matured in a cave for 18 months, yielding a richer and more full-bodied flavour than you get with the Black Bomber.

This is a pleasing wax-robed truckle in classy blue, which makes it highly portable, robust to knocks, and relatively low-maintenance to keep for long periods of time (though that’s not much of a risk given its diminutive size). Texture-wise it’s extremely smooth, almost moist, though with occasional crunchy crystals; flavour-wise it manages the impressive feat of being both creamy and sharply tasty. This fine balance of smooth tastiness makes it exceptionally moreish and easy to eat.

When buying the vintage version of a premium brand’s fancy Cheddar from an artisan-cheese market stall, I certainly expect my wallet to be milked like a prize heifer at a county show, and I wasn’t disappointed, forking over the hefty sum of £7 for this 150g truckle [it is available for ~£5 online]. I walked away somewhat shaken, fiscal udders sore and aching. Conventional Black Bomber already retails at around £5 – but that’s for a 200g truckle. While it was satisfying to know that my purchase of this cheese played a critical role in stabilising the pension funds of the entire UK artisan-cheese market stall industry, this really is a high price for a Cheddar. Is it worth it compared to the Black Bomber? I’d say, “Just about… maybe”. There’s no doubt this cheese has a stronger flavour while retaining the creamy texture that made the merely extra-mature Bomber such a hit.

You’d have to have a pretty formidable commitment to the finer things in life to use a £7-a-truckle cheese for a sandwich, but I can imagine the flavour and texture there would be great. With apple or with a thin cracker this impresses, and a fat, juicy wedge would be fantastic in a ploughman’s, though it lacks the searing sharpness to cut through more complex biscuits. Its flavour isn’t too overpowering, so it’ll go well with pretty much anything, but the slight buff to tastiness mean it edges out the Black Bomber for solo focused eating.

Overall, I’d rate this highly, as an easy-to-eat delicious strong Cheddar. I hoped for a stronger Black Bomber, and I got it.

Philip

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