Recipe Ideas for Pilgrims Choice Mature Cheddar Crumbles

Pilgrims Choice have a new range of Cheddar Crumbles, 4mm cubes of diced cheese designed for the perfect melt.  With three varieties: Mature, Mature with Black Pepper and Extra Mature with Breadcrumbs and Herbs, they can transform fridge staples into a tasty meal.

I was challenged to give the Crumbles a try and come up with some recipe ideas using everyday ingredients.  The Crumbles with Black Pepper or with Breadcrumbs and Herbs add a twist to meals, while the convenient ready to use cheese pieces save time and effort in the kitchen.

Mushroom and Spinach Pie with Cheesy Crumb Topping

Ingredients

1 sheet of puff pastry

olive oil

1 red onion chopped

1 clove garlic

8 oz button mushroom sliced

160 g of  fresh baby spinach

3 tablespoons Hummus

Half a pack of Pilgrims Choice Crumbles with Breadcrumbs and Herbs

Method

Fry the onions in a little oil until softened.

Add the crushed garlic, spinach and mushrooms until cooked through.

Put the puff pastry sheet on a baking tray.

Spread the hummus over the base.

Spoon the filling on top.

Fold the edges of the pastry over.

Glaze with a little milk or egg.

Sprinkle Crumbles on the top.

Cook at GM6 for approx. 20-25 minutes.

You can also use the same filling to stuff large open cup mushrooms (just whizz through a food processor along with 2 slices of wholemeal bread processed into crumbs) and top with Crumbles.  Cook for about 20 minutes at GM6.

Check out the Pilgrims Choice Facebook Page for lots of cheesy fun!

Foodie Review Round-Up - Chicago Town, Little Cracker's Drinks & Pilgrim's Choice Pick n Mix

Chicago Town Takeaway Pizza

Freddy's favourite food is pizza.  It is the one food guaranteed to make him clear his plate!  We were sent a voucher to try out a Chicago Town Takeaway pizza with its saucy stuffed rising crust.

There are two limited edition flavours available: BBQ Sizzler and Deep Dish Ham and Cheese Topper, but we opted for Freddy's favourite Four Cheese Melt.  The dough rises in the oven for an authentic taste.  The mozzarella, Monterey Jack, mature Cheddar and Emmental topping is deliciously cheesy!

Priced at £4.00 RRP for a family sized pizza, it's much cheaper than a real takeaway and takes just 22 minutes in the oven.  Perfect for a night in!

Little Cracker's Juice Drink

Little Crackers juice drinks are a delicious range of fruity chiled drinks made especially for kids.  With 75% juice and a splash of water, they are all natural and contribute to kids' five a day.  New to the range are Orange & Lemon and Apple & Raspberry.  We received a pack to try out.

The cartons feature the fun Fruithead characters Ollie Orange and Lilly Lemon. The zesty citrus combination is fresh and fruity.  The 200ml cartons come with a straw making them perfect for lunchboxes or drinking on the go.

They are £1.99 for a three pack and available at Tesco.

Pilgrim's Choice Pick n Mix Cheeses

Pilgrim's Choice have a new range of 80g cheeses, each in an exciting flavour, to inspire cheese lovers to try something new.  With Vintage, Smokey, Wensleydale & Cranberry, Indian Spice, Firecracker and Wensleydale & Apple, the range offers something for everyone and changes seasonally.

We were sent a range to try out.  It is perfect for adding a cheesy twist to a variety of dishes.  The Firecracker is great for grating over Mexican food such as nachos.  The Indian Spice melted onto a naan bread gives cheese on toast an Indian twist.  They add an interesting flavour to tarts and quiches, and jazz up cheeseboards.

The Pick n Mix cheeses are £1.50 each or 3 for £3.00 from Tesco stores.

Applewood Recipe Challenge

I love smoked cheese.  It is one of those foods that always reminds me of Christmas because, as a child, there would always be a smoked cheese on our festive cheeseboard for Christmas tea.  It was always my favourite!  Thankfully, I don't have to wait until Christmas to enjoy smoked cheese nowadays.  It is a regular purchase and a cheese that the whole family enjoy.

Applewood is a smoke flavoured British cheese hailing from Ilchester, Somerset and is a best seller boasting 80% of the smoked cheese market. It was first created in 1965 and its unique smoky flavour, smooth and creamy texture and finishing flourish of sprinkled paprika, sets this hand-turned farmhouse Cheddar apart from other cheeses.  Applewood also have a new spreadable cheese that can be heated and made into a smoky cheese sauce, making it a very versatile product.

I have been challenged to come up with some recipes using Applewood Smoked Cheese, and was sent a hamper to help inspire me in the kitchen!  

As vegetarians, we were not able to use the spreadable Applewood cheese, so we incorporated the Applewood block cheese into our recipes instead.

My first recipe is a delicious pasta dish with a smoky cheese sauce, topped with delicious and colourful roasted vegetables, walnuts and torn basil.  It's a great way for the kids to eat an array of new vegetables.

Spaghetti with Roasted Vegetables, Walnuts and Applewood  Smoked Cheese Sauce

Ingredients for the Roasted Vegetables

1 leek

1 onion

6 cloves garlic

2 parsnips

1/2 culinary pumpkin

1/2 aubergine

1 courgette
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper

olive oil

ground pepper

Other Ingredients

handful walnuts

1 bag fresh spaghetti

1 bag fresh popped peas

1 handful fresh basil

1 pint of milk

30g plain flour

50 g butter

125g of Applewood Cheddar grated
(or you could use a tub of Applewood Spreadable - heated in the microwave to make a sauce)

Method

Prepare the vegetables by cutting into bite size chunks and lay onto baking trays with whole garlic cloves.
Drizzle with olive oil and grind over black pepper.
Bake in an oven at 180 degrees for about 25 minutes until roasted.
Meanwhile make the Applewood sauce by whisking together the milk, flour and butter over a medium heat until a thin, smooth sauce is made.  Stir in the cheese until melted through.
Throw over a handful of walnuts and carefully squeeze the roasted garlic from the cloves over the vegetables.
Return to oven for a further 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, boil the fresh spaghetti according to instructions.
Throw in a bag of fresh podded peas for the last 5 minutes.
Strain and pour over Applewood sauce and toss well.
Serve the spaghetti in a serving bowl topped with the roasted vegetables, walnuts and some torn basil leaves.

This pie dish is so quick and easy to do (especially if you use a ready rolled puff pastry sheet).  The vegetables take on the creaminess and smoky flavour of the Applewood cheese, making a perfect autumnal pie for the whole family to enjoy.  The open top lets the delicious filling with the golden, brown melted cheese  topping show through, to tantalise the taste buds!

Smoky Applewood and Vegetable Open Topped Pie

Ingredients

1 Yellow pepper sliced

1 large onion chopped

2 cloves garlic crushed

150g fresh baby sweetcorn halved

5 bricks of frozen chopped spinach - defrosted

100 g sliced button mushrooms

1 leek sliced

olive oil for frying

100g Applewood Cheese grated

150g of value cream cheese
(or use a tub of Applewood Spreadable stirred through the veg)

Ground pepper.

1 pack puff pastry

Grated Applewood for topping

milk to glaze

Method

In a frying pan, fry the onion and garlic in a little olive oil for about 5 minutes.

Add sliced sweetcorn, pepper, leek, spinach and mushrooms and cook for a further 5-10 minutes until well cooked with any liquid evaporated away.

Stir through the cream cheese and grated Applewood and season.

Roll the puff pastry into a large rectangle and put onto a baking sheet.

Put the filling into the middle of the pastry.

Fold over the edges, pinching to seal.

Glaze with a little milk.

Top the filling with grated Applewood cheese.

Cook in a pre-heated oven at GM6 for 25 minutes until puffed up and golden brown.

The Applewood cheese makes a perfect ingredient in many dishes, adding a delicious smokiness to dishes.  The Applewood Spreadable is a very convenient product as it can be microwaved to make a sauce, stirred through hot pasta or mash or used as a dip or spread.  If, like me, you can't eat the spreadable version, the block cheese can be added to a roux sauce or mixed with cream or cream cheese and heated, to make a smoky sauce to bind vegetables, pour over pasta or other foods.

You find find out more about Applewood Cheese at applewoodcheese.co.uk.

A Recipe for Quesadillas using Mu Cheddar Cheese

Cheese is one of the products that finds itself in our shopping basket every week.  We use it in lots of ways, from putting in the kids' lunchboxes to using as an ingredient in our meals.  We were sent some Mu cheese to try, Cheddar Sticks and Medium Block Cheddar.  

There are seven products in the MU cheese family, offering something for every occasion.  They include the following products:

MU Sticks are mixing up lunch times as the perfect little treat for lunchboxes. Individually wrapped in packs of four or eight, they are a perfect snack for everyone.

MU Patz bring creativity to the kitchen - the round cheese slices, made from 100% cheddar, are ideal for decorating pizzas, sandwiches or placing over jacket potatoes. At only 37 calories, these make the perfect snack.

MU Grated Cheddar is perfect for sprinkling on salads, baked potatoes and pasta and the delicious medium cheddar is a good source of calcium and protein.  It is convenient to use straight from the pack.

MU Block Cheddar comes in four varieties – mature, mature lighter, medium and mild, perfect for the whole family to enjoy with any meal.

We made Cheese and Quorn Ham Quesadillas using the Mu Block Cheddar cheese.

2 wrap
2 slices of Quorn ham chopped
1 spring onion sliced
grated Mu Cheddar
1 teaspoon of chilli flakes

Put the wrap into a dry frying pan.
Sprinkle over grated cheese and top with sliced spring onion, Quorn ham and chilli flakes.
Put second wrap on top and heat through and then turn.
The quesadilla is ready when the cheese is melted.

Serve with salad for a delicious lunch.

For more information including fun games and recipe ideas,  just visit www.mucheese.com or www.facebook.com/mu.cheese.

The MU range:
* MU Sticks RRP £1.25 (4 pack), £2.30 (8 pack)
* MU Patz RRP £1.30
* MU Mature Cheddar RRP £2.00
* MU Mature Lighter Cheddar RRP £2.00
* MU Medium Cheddar RRP £2.00
* MU Mild Cheddar RRP £2.00
* MU Medium Grated 150g RRP £1.35

Primula Pods

Primula Cheese Spread has always been a bit of a favourite of mine.  So when I was offered the chance to try out their new Primula Pods I was happy to accept. 

The pods come in five individual 20g portions in a net bag.  The plastic packs open really easily to reveal a round cheese portion.  I was expecting it to be like a spread but it is in fact a firm cheese made from a mix of Cheddar and Gouda.   They come in an original cheese flavour and a cheese 'n' chive flavour.

They are perfect for lunchboxes and snacking and are high in calcium and protein with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.

My kids really loved them.  Kizzy said they were much more flavoursome than another leading brand of individual cheese portions that I sometimes buy  She said they were also easier to unwrap.  Freddy wanted three on the trot and they are now his "favourite snack".  I had a nibble of one and was pleasantly surprised.  The cheese tasted very much like an Austrian smoked cheese which is one of my favourites.  They are such a hit with the kids I've already bought more to replenish the stocks and they will be featuring on our weekly shopping list.

They cost £1.29 RRP and are available from Morrison's and independent stockists.

Primula Pods have a fun website with games, colouring in and other fun stuff at www.primulapods.co.uk.

Christmas Planning

It's hard to believe that we have reached the end of October already.  The year that has been 2012 has flown by making a myriad of memories.  With a matter of mere weeks before Christmas comes, I am starting to make mental lists to ensure we have a fabulous time as the year comes to an end.

We have spent many recent Christmases holidaying away from home, which is something we love.  We enjoy having our Christmas meals made for us, we like having a range of activities available for everyone and we like that holiday feeling adding to the togetherness of the season.  This year, because my grandson is due on the 18th December, we have decided to stay at home ready for when the call comes to tell us that the baby has been born.  So I am having to think hard and make plans to ensure we have a wonderful Christmas.  I am quite excited about having a change.

Food is a big part of our family traditions at Christmas.  We love eating the festive fayre that is available at this time of year.  Being vegetarians means that we have to be a bit more creative with our Christmas dinner but there are some traditional foods that we love as much as the next man!

Cheese and Christmas go together perfectly. There is nothing as evocative of Christmas than a cheeseboard, loaded with fabulous blue cheeses like Stilton and Shropshire Blue, alongside a smooth Brie and Camembert, a tangy goat's cheese, a traditional Cheddar and a crumbly Lancashire.  I also love Austrian smoked cheese which reminds me of being a little girl at Christmas.  It was always my favourite and my children now love it too.  Add some top quality crackers and a bunch of grapes and you have the perfect Christmas tea time treat.

A Premium Cheese Selection from Waitrose

A fruit bowl is also synonymous with Christmas.  I love buying a crate of Satsumas which still have the leaves on, making them somehow more special!  I also buy the usual assortment of apples, oranges, bananas, grapes and plums, which the kids can dip into whenever they fancy a fruity snack.  It's much healthier than having mountains of chocolates and sweets permanently accessible!

I love baking for special occasions.  At Christmas, it is wonderful to make traditional gingerbread with the children, yummy frosted cupackes and festive muffins.  It is lovely to cook together and even lovelier to enjoy the spoils of a day's baking while sat down together enjoying a Christmas family movie.

I've definitely got lots to look forward to this year and I'm excited about making my plans to ensure we enjoy lots of fun activities together.   Having my family around is what really makes Christmas special, sharing traditions and indulging in the finest festive fayre.  Plus I'm about to be a Grandma...it doesn't get much better than that!

Disclosure Policy

Old Amsterdam Cheese

When I received a block of cheese through the Royal Mail post I must admit that I had reservations about eating it!  But, being me, reservations were cast aside as I sampled the Old Amsterdam cheese that I had been sent to review.  I was glad I did!

With a Dutch name I was expecting something akin to Edam.  I was very wrong.  The Old Amsterdam is a very, very mature cheese that had an aroma to match!  This cheese is incredibly full flavoured, nutty with a sharp tang and a granular texture.  It excites the palate with its depth of flavours and is a world away from its milder cousin from the Netherlands.

Old Amsterdam is actually a premium matured Gouda that comes in a black waxed ball. It slices, grates and can be used to cook with. I melted it over pasta and it added a real depth of flavour.  It tastes best served at room temperature allowing the flavours to develop and works well with wine and crackers after a meal.

Old Amsterdam is a real taste of the continent and is becoming a favourite amongst cheese lovers everywhere, scooping awards and gaining in popularity.  I'll definitely be buying some whenever I do a cheeseboard as it will add a very unique flavour and texture that I really enjoy!

Look out for it on cheese counters in Waitrose, Tesco, Booths and Morrisons, as well as independent delis and fine food shops across the UK. RRP approx £2.49 per 150g.  


For serving suggestions, accompaniment and recipe ideas, visit www.oldamsterdam.com

Cathedral City Taste Test

Cathedral City is proud to be the nation's favourite cheese and can be found in half of the households in the UK!  The mature West Country recipe delivers a smooth, rounded, mellow flavour.  Cathedral City have also developed a Lighter Mature Cheddar which has all the flavour but 30% less fat.  Can the lower fat alternative match up to the full fat Cheddar?  We carried out a taste test to find out!

The two cheeses looked very similar, although the Lighter variety was slightly paler, and both sliced nicely without crumbling.  They both had a good aroma.  So far so good!

I love cheese, so I was very interested to taste the Lighter variety.  Less fat means I can enjoy more :)

I was very impressed with both samples.  Smooth textured, mature flavoured and creamy.  If I am very honest, I preferred the Lighter option.  It had a marginally drier mouth feel which is a quality I like in cheese. It certainly was not a disappointment, like so many lower fat products can be.  This cheese is not a compromise on either flavour or texture.  It is a good cheese, regardless of its fat content.

I gave some to my children to try and they could not taste any difference.  They ate it happily not realising that it was lower in fat and therefore a healthier option.  This simple switch to a lower fat alternative such as Cathedral City Lighter can make a real positive change to your family's diet.

The next test for me was how well I could cook with it so I used it to make cheese on toast.  It melted satisfyingly, although it didn't bubble as much as a full fat cheese.  I also grated some over pasta sauce and it was really flavoursome and held its form really well. It also worked well in a simple cheese sauce, melting in and giving a good cheesy flavour. The cheese was less greasy when melted which is a positive.

For anyone who wants to cut down on their fat intake, but is not prepared to compromise on taste or texture, Cathedral City Lighter Mature really ticks the boxes.  Find out more about the full range at:

www.cathedralcity.co.uk

Pilgrim's Choice The Choosiest Cheese

Shopping for your favourite Cheddar has just been made a whole lot easier thanks to Pilgrim's Choice.  In response to customer feedback, the helpful folk at the "choosiest cheese company" have revamped their look and range for 2012!

The Pilgrim's Choice Range

The new eye catching, user friendly packaging carries helpful descriptions to guide your cheese selection.  So whether you like your Cheddar crumbly or smooth or rich or punchy, you'll be able to pick the right cheese to suit your tastes.

Each pack also includes cheese-tastic recipes, serving tips and suggestions for flavour combinations.  So whether you are after simple sarnies or cheese based masterpieces, there are loads of ideas on the packs.  This will give you culinary inspiration and give you plenty of cheesey knowledge to impress your friends!

Serving Suggestions

With the brand new award winning Lighter Extra Mature Cheddar which accompanies the Lighter Mature Cheddar in the range, even those of us who are watching our diets can continue to enjoy a quality cheese which contains 30% less fat without compromising on taste.  I've tried the Lighter Extra Mature Cheddar Cheese and I can confirm that it is really delicious.  It is really strong and tasty...perfect for cheese on toast!

I love the definitions on the packs which really helps with appreciating the cheese and understanding the qualities.  My children prefer the rich, smooth flavour of the Mature Cheddar, while my husband favours the tangy, crumbly Vintage Cheddar.  It is really useful to know what you are getting when you buy your cheese.  The information on the packs gives lots of good ideas for meals, snacks or ways to use your cheese.  How about grating over salted popcorn? Or serving in a Ploughman's with a drizzle of runny honey?

Each pack is embossed with the "Choosiest Cheese Company" crest - a celebration that Pilgrim's Choice cheese experts hand select only the finest cheese from the best farms and creameries!

2012 promises to be an exciting year for Pilgrim's Choice with a high profile TV ad campaign due to be launched soon.  Join in with the fun at the Pilgrim's Choice Cheese Facebook Page or find out more at pilgrimschoice.com.

Keep an eye out for the new distinctive packaging in a supermarket near you, and pick up a pack of your favourite Pilgrim's Choice Cheese.  It is the perfect cheese for anyone who appreciates quality, flavour and heritage, but also appreciates good value!