The big cheese taste test

Dairy Australia classifies cheddar as mild (matures for one to three months), semi-matured (matures for three to six months), matured or tasty (matures for six to 12 months) and vintage (matures for 12 to 24 months). But according to our experts, these definitions aren't strictly adhered to. 

Some manufacturers use pack colour to indicate age – generally you'll find 'mature' cheddars in a red pack, and 'vintage' cheddars in black. And some provide a strength indicator with a lower number indicating a mild (or young) cheese, and a higher number indicating vintage. But these systems are really only useful for comparing products within a brand, as the age represented by each colour and the strength number scales aren't consistent between brands.

Cheddar cheats?

To make cheese, two important ingredients are added to milk: cultures (special bacteria that convert the milk lactose to lactic acid) and enzymes (rennet). Depending on the desired outcome, the resulting cheese can be left to mature. The species and strains of bacteria used in the starter culture can affect the texture and flavour of the matured cheese.

Our experts told us that some manufacturers use different adjunct cultures to enhance cheddar flavours in a shorter period of time. But while a more mature flavour can be manipulated, an aged cheddar texture can't be faked – crunchy calcium lactate crystals in the body of the cheese, a typical feature of aged cheddars, only start to appear after long periods of maturation. 

And not all cheddars are the real deal. Some are what's known as 'club' — made by milling one or more cheddars and forming them back into a block under pressure. Club cheddars have a smooth, creamy texture, very different from that of traditional cheddar, and some have flavours (such as onion or pepper) added to them.   

Our experts

(Left to right) Petra Sugiarto, Penny Lawson, Hugh Nicholas, Sonia Cousins, Tiffany Beer

Petra Sugiarto has an academic background in food technology and microbiology and has been working in the dairy industry for 17 years. For the last 12 years she has been on the judging panels of state dairy products competitions including Dairy Industry Association of Australia NSW and VIC competitions, the Sydney Royal Cheese & Dairy Produce Show and for Dairy Australia's Australian Grand Dairy Awards.

Penny Lawson is a self-diagnosed "curd nerd", with 20 years' experience in the food industry, including dairy judging at Royal Agricultural Society produce competitions in Sydney and Melbourne. She has been at the forefront of the specialty cheese sector as a retailer and commentator and is a passionate supporter and promoter of Australian producers. You can find her working with cheese at Danks Street Cheese Affineurs, Waterloo.

Hugh Nicholas is the owner of - and cheesemonger at - Cheese etc., a Sydney-based cheese retail, events and catering business. He is trained in sensory evaluation and judging of cheese and has been both an associate judge and judge for the Sydney Royal Cheese & Dairy Produce Show. 

Sonia Cousins has worked as a cheesemonger for more than 12 years. As well as judging regularly at cheese shows in Australia (and occasionally overseas), she runs a cheese education and consulting business called Cheese The Day, which presents cheese appreciation classes for the public, and workshops covering cheese sensory evaluation for industry professionals.

Tiffany Beer is a consultant food technologist who works in food safety and compliance. She is passionate about good food and is a dairy products judge and associate cheese judge for the Sydney Royal Cheese & Dairy Produce Show and dairy products judge for the Australian Grand Dairy Awards.

How we test

Products We included pre-packed cheddars described as vintage/mature/aged cheddar available nationally in at least one of the major supermarket chains. Where a brand has multiple products that meet the above criteria, we selected the most premium cheddar(s) from their range (as determined by price and/or number of months aged/claimed 'premium-ness' and/or its most widely available/popular).

Tasting The experts tasted the cheeses blind (without knowing the brands) in a randomised order, which was different for each expert. 

Scores Experts independently judged all 18 cheeses, giving a score out of 10 for each of the following criteria: flavour, aroma, texture and appearance. The overall score is the weighted average of these scores (taste 50%, aroma 20%, texture 20%, appearance 10%). 

Cheddar cheese product comparison

We tested 18 supermarket cheddars, ranging in price from just under $14/kg to more than $50/kg. We've listed them below in alphabetical order. To order by another criteria, simply click on the column headings.

Brand/product name	Pack image	Score*	Price/kg ($)**	Maturation time	Strength rating/ statement	Country of origin statement	Rennet is non-animal***	Contains added preservatives?
Mainland Vintage Aged up to 24 Months		88	18.00	Aged up to 24 months	ns	Packed in Australia from New Zealand cheese	ns	no
Cracker Barrel The Vintage Cheddar Special Reserve		87	20.00	Matured up to 32 months	Strength = 5 (on a scale of 1 to 5)	Made in Australia	yes	no
Mainland Epicure Aged up to 36 Months		84	24.00	Aged up to 36 months	ns	Packed in Australia from New Zealand cheese	ns	no
Emporium Selection (Aldi) 20 Month Aged Cheddar Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese		81	15.96	20 month aged cheddar	Strength = 5 [on a scale of 1 (extra mild) to 6 (intense)]	Made in Australia	yes	no
Great Ocean Road Vintage Cheddar		79	13.60	Aged to perfection	ns	Product of Australia	yes	no
Warrnambool Heritage Vintage Cheddar		79	22.76	Matured up to 16 months	ns	Product of Australia	yes	no
Premier Selection Grand Reserve Cheddar		78	40.00	Typically matured for 18 months	ns	Product of the UK or Ireland, Packed in Australia	yes	no
Collier's Powerful Welsh Cheddar		77	40.00	Aged	ns	Product of Wales	yes	no
Coles Australian Vintage Cheddar		76	14.00	ns	Strength = 5 [on a scale of 1 (very mild) to 6 (vintage)]	Made in Australia from at least 97% Australian ingredients with Australian milk	yes	no
Bega Strong & Bitey Vintage		75	24.00	ns	ns	Product of Australia	yes	no
Devondale Our Special Vintage Matured One		73	20.27	ns	ns	Made in Australia	yes	no
King Island Dairy Surprise Bay Cheddar		72	51.71	Matured over 12 months	ns	Made in Australia	ns	no
Barber's 1833 Vintage Reserve Cheddar		69	36.84	Aged for 24 months	ns	Product of the UK	yes	no
Maffra Cheese Co Mature Cheddar		69	40.00	Mature	ns	Made in Australia	yes	no
The Original Dorset Drum Aged Cheddar Cheese		68	34.95	Aged	ns	Product of England	ns	no
Mersey Valley Original Club Cheddar Vintage Sharp & Crumbly		64	31.70	ns	Milder cheddar flavour	Made in Australia	ns	yes (202, 221)
Ashgrove Aged Full Flavoured Vintage Cheddar		60	37.50	Aged	Strong	Product of Australia	yes	no
South Cape Vintage Club Cheddar		60	42.86	ns	ns	Made in Australia	ns	yes (202)

Table notes

ns not specified
*Score based on Taste 50%, Aroma 20%, Texture 20%, Appearance 10%
**Price based on price paid in Sydney in March 2017.
***Rennet enzymes were traditionally extracted from the stomachs of newborn calves, but non-animal microbial rennet, which is suitable for vegetarians, is now commonly used.

Vintage cheddar cheese scone recipe

Home economist Fiona Mair tests ovens for CHOICE each year and in the process bakes approximately 1500 scones using this simple recipe. Now that's what we call tried and tested!

The addition of vintage cheddar cheese simply elevates the scones to a new level. 

Makes approx. 20 scones

Ingredients

• 500g self-raising flour
• Pinch salt
• Pinch cayenne pepper
• 90g butter, cut into cubes and slightly softened
• 150g vintage cheddar cheese, grated
• 300 – 350mL milk

Method

1.  Preheat oven to 230°C (210°C fan-forced).
2.  In a large bowl combine flour, salt and cayenne pepper.
3.  Add butter and rub into flour using fingertips until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
4.  Add cheese and milk and use a butter knife to mix together lightly to form a soft dough.
5.  Turn out onto a floured surface and use fingertips to gently knead the dough for 20 – 30 seconds.
6.  Roll to 2cm thickness, cut into 6cm rounds and place onto a greased scone tray approx. 2cm apart. Repeat until dough is used up.
7.  Brush with milk, sprinkle with extra grated cheese then bake on middle shelf of oven for approx. 12 minutes, or until browned.
8.  Serve warm with lashings of butter.