Somerset Brie
Brie is probably one of the most iconic cheeses to come out of France. However, like many cheese, they don’t have the market all to themselves. One such foreign pretender is this delightful offering from Somerset, England. OK its not exactly a new kid on the block, having been winning awards since 2002. Let’s also not get too far down the rabbit hole of PDOs (protected designation of origin) – this looks and tastes like a Brie so lets get stuck in.
(Before I go further, its worth noting that Somerset Brie can be purchased at larger supermarkets. The one I tried was from a small cheese shop so I can’t guarantee that a supermarket offering will be as good!)
The cheese itself is very light and very smooth with an almost buttery taste and texture. The taste, while not strong, still lingers in the mouth for a pleasant amount of time. The chalk-white rind adds a little texture to the experience and is happy to be spread over your biscuit of choice. The Brie is sold as mild but still carries a good amount of flavour which, according to various sellers online, only improves with age.
Price-wise, there are certainly cheaper options from our neighbours on the continent. Even with the uncertainty of post-Brexit pricing, it is unlikely to be too much different. However, it still offers good value for a British-made artisan cheese and I would not hesitate to recommend this to any soft-cheese lovers! All-in-all, it does exactly what you would expect from a Brie. Will it be enough to leave the French quaking in their boots? That is probably best left to you to decide.
RATING – 8.5
RECOMMENDATION – The rind is edible and adds a lot to the experience so keep it on as you spread!
Consummate copious consumer of cheese. Lover of a good strong cheddar!
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