When you taste a top quality cheddar, you’ll really notice the difference.
This year, make sure you’ve got a wedge or truckle (or both!) of Quicke’s Mature Cheddar taking centre stage of your Christmas cheese board. It is an exemplary cheddar cheese, handcrafted using milk from the farm’s own grass-fed cows, clothbound and naturally matured, typically for 12-15 months. It’s a rich and buttery cheddar that offers outstanding depth of flavour, which develops as it reaches the back of the palate. It starts with brothy notes, which progress to grassy and then caramel flavours.
This multi award-winning cheese makes an excellent gift or a showstopping addition to a splendid feast, festive or otherwise. Due to the more compact nature of the truckles, you’ll find they take on different, exciting flavours compared with the wedges.
As a country of cheese lovers, it’s no wonder the nation’s favourite crisp flavour is in fact, cheese and onion. According to a 2020 survey of 2,000 Brits by insights agency, Perspectus Global, an impressive 38% of the vote went to cheese and onion. Therefore, when Burts was looking for an archetype Cheddar for its thick-cut, hand-cooked potato chips, it deliberated long and hard, and opted for Quicke’s Mature Cheddar.
Dave McNulty, CEO at Burts, said: “Being based in Devon, we have some of the best food producers in the UK on our doorstep. Our potato chips are hand cooked in small batches using potatoes from Red Tractor approved local growers, and we put the same care and attention into sourcing great ingredient partners. Working with Quicke’s on our Mature Cheddar & Onion potato chips was an obvious choice. Its Cheddar is second to none and helps us create a classic flavour with a serious taste of the South West.”
Mary Quicke has been the MD of Quicke’s since 1987, and is the 14th generation of the Quicke family on Home Farm. There are records to show her family was tending the land all the way back in 1540. Mary is incredibly passionate about artisan cheesemaking and was awarded an MBE in 2005 for her impressive contribution to farming as well as being honoured with the prestigious Cheese Industry Award at the British Cheese Awards.
She said, “Cheddar is one of the world’s best cheeses along with the likes of Parmigiano Reggiano, Brie and Stilton. And Quicke’s Mature Clothbound Cheddar is the only Cheddar you need on your cheese board this Christmas. It can sometimes be seen as a ‘safe’ option as it was the first industrialised cheese, but when you get a great example – like Quicke’s – you’ll really taste the difference. This festive season, I hope more people embrace the Australian habit of eating cheese before dinner, instead of nibbles or canapes. It’s a perfect time for a cheese board: there’s wine flowing, lovely conversation with friends and family, and most importantly, plenty of room for cheese.”
If you can’t wait until Christmas to enjoy Quicke’s Mature Clothbound Cheddar (and nor should you!), these two stunning autumnal recipes will leave you feeling cosy and inspired.
Autumnal squash and sausage pizza
We love the autumnal colours and textures of this pizza, which is great to make with leftover Halloween pumpkins and to enjoy around the bonfire with friends. It’s a great combination of savoury, sweet and salty, all in one dish.
Serves: 2
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Ingredients
2x pizza dough balls
65g butternut squash or pumpkin, cut into small cubes
1 clove of garlic, minced
65g Quicke’s Mature Cheddar, grated
65g Quicke’s Double Devon cheese, grated
½ red onion, finely sliced
8 fresh sage leaves
65g good quality sausage
1tsp honey
Method
1. Take the dough balls out of the freezer. Defrost overnight (for at least 12 hours) in a refrigerator covered with a clean cloth or cling wrap to prevent them drying out.
2. Remove 2 hours prior to use and bring up to room temperature. Allow the dough balls to double in size.
3. On a floured surface, either hand stretch or roll out your dough using a rolling pin to your required size.
4. Place in a pre-oiled pizza pan.
Prepare the toppings:
5. Mix the cubes of butternut squash or pumpkin with oil, a little bit of sage and minced garlic. Roast in the oven at 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 4 until soft and lightly golden. This should take around 20-30 minutes.
6. Gently caramelise the onions in a pan, then set aside.
7. Squeeze out the sausage meat from the casing. Roll into small balls and cook in a pan over a medium heat with a small amount of olive oil. Once cooked through, set aside.
8. Place the toppings on the pizza dough and bake in a very hot oven for 10 minutes, until the base is crisp and the toppings golden. You could also try cooking the pizza on a high heat in a dry frying pan, then transferring to the grill (set to high) for a few minutes to finish off the toppings. Just keep an eye on it so it doesn’t burn.
9. Finally, drizzle with honey and serve.
Parkin: the perfect teatime treat
The perfect teatime treat during the winter months. If you can be patient and leave it in the tin for a few weeks it becomes deliciously sticky. Best served with a cup of tea and a wedge of Quicke’s Mature Cheddar, it’s wonderfully warming with a ginger kick.
Serves: 16
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 60 minutes
Ingredients
200g Quicke’s cow’s whey butter, plus extra for greasing
1 large egg, beaten
4tbsp whole milk
200g golden syrup
85g treacle
85g light soft brown sugar
100g medium oatmeal
250g self-raising flour
1tbsp ground ginger
Method
1. Heat your oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas mark 3.
2. Butter a deep 22cm square cake tin and line with baking parchment.
3. Over a gentle heat, melt the syrup, treacle, sugar and butter together in a large pan until the sugar has dissolved. Be careful not to burn it.
4. Stir the oatmeal, flour and ginger together in a bowl.
5. Stir together the syrup mixture and oatmeal mixture.
6. In a bowl, beat 1 large egg with 4tbsp whole milk. Add this to your syrup/oatmeal mixture and combine.
7. Pour the mixture into the baking tin, make sure it’s even distributed and bake for 50mins-1hr until crusty/firm to the touch.
8. Cool in the tin.
9. Wrap the cake in more parchment and foil, so it’s completely sealed. Wait at least five days before tucking in, or longer if you’re patient enough.
10. Serve with a wedge of Quicke’s Mature Cheddar.
Note: the cake becomes softer and stickier the longer you leave it. Wait at least five days before eating, but up to two weeks for optimum stickiness.
Photo credits to: Matt Austin
