Cheddar, Apple and Celeriac Salad
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
MORE RECIPES
Celeriac soufflés; Walnut and blue cheese soufflés; Leek and potato gratin; Polenta croquettes; Fairy ring champignon risotto; Cockle and chard rarebit; Smoked haddock jacket potatoes; Cheddar and onion oatcakes; Hazelnut and cheese biscuits
SOURCING
britishcheese.com; farmhousecheesemakers.com
The finest Cheddar is, I think, the unassailable apex of British cheese-making. But since the name ‘Cheddar’ can be used by pretty much anyone, whether their cheese hails from Somerset, Staffordshire or, indeed, South Africa, it has also come to represent the worst examples of mass-produced mousetrap.
However, cheese labelled West Country Farmhouse Cheddar, and bearing the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) label, is the real thing. This true and traditional cheese, produced by a small group of farms, is made to a specified recipe, using West Country milk, often unpasteurised and usually from the farm on which the cheese is made. The crucial ‘cheddaring’ process – a way of cutting, turning, pressing and maturing the fresh curd in order to produce the right acidity and texture – will have been done by hand, and the cheese will be at least 9 months old.
Age, and the way the ageing happens, is crucial. A young cheese, smothered in plastic almost from the day it was born, will be very different from one more than a year old, that has sat, muslin-swaddled, upon a maturing rack in a cool chamber, respiring gently. As cheese ages, its very chemistry changes and a huge range of interesting flavours develop. If it can ‘breathe’, its texture alters too.
So, to enjoy this most magnificent of cheeses in its full glory, buy a wedge hewn from a big, cloth-bound, lard-coated, unpasteurised cylinder. It will be firm but fissured and enticingly crumbly, breaking into nibblesome nuggets under your knife.
Traditional Cheddar is nutty, complex, tangy and sometimes mouth-tinglingly sharp. Sample a few to find a variety and an age that you like. A sweet and herbal 9-month cheese may be just right for you, or you may prefer the deep, earthy body of a regal 24-month-old. Some names to conjure up in the world of genuine West Country Cheddars include Gould’s, Keen’s, Montgomery, Quickes and Westcombe. When you do find one that totally tickles your taste buds, I recommend that you eat a piece unaccompanied, except for a sip of good red wine or cider, or a bite of a crisp apple, between mouthfuls.
I would balk at using my finest extra-mature Farmhouse in a cooked dish and there are certainly some decent cheaper Cheddars that can do good service for sauces, but I don’t think it’s worth buying anything not labelled ‘mature’ at the very least.
CHEDDAR, APPLE AND CELERIAC SALAD
This crunchy winter salad is the perfect way to show off a good, strong mature Cheddar. Serves 4
8–10 Brussels sprouts or ⅛ medium white or red cabbage
¼ head of celeriac (175–200g)
2 eating apples, such as Russets
200g mature Cheddar
A handful of lightly bashed walnuts or pumpkin seeds
FOR THE DRESSING
1 tbsp cider vinegar
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 tsp clear honey
Sea salt and black pepper
Peel away any damaged or rough outer leaves from the sprouts or cabbage, then cut into 2mm slices. Place in a large bowl.
Peel the celeriac and cut it into thin matchsticks, using a sharp knife or mandoline. Add to the sprouts or cabbage.
Quarter and core the apples and cut into slim wedges. Add these to the bowl too. Crumble the Cheddar, or cut it into rough cubes, and add to the salad along with the walnuts or pumpkin seeds.
For the dressing, whisk the ingredients or shake together in a screw-topped jar and add to the salad. Toss to combine, check the seasoning, and it’s ready to serve.