It contains activated charcoal, which is nontoxic. Normal charcoal has carcinogens.
The cheese is very creamy and has an interesting taste. More like a dessert, actually. I’m going to eat some again tonight with an imperial stout by Evil Twin (I Love You With My Stout).
Cheese is made by this cheese purveyor here : http://www.finecheesesltd.co.uk/
Light reading: http://www.odditycentral.com/foods/jet-black-char-coal-cheddar-cheese-is-made-with-real-charcoal.html
Oh, I know – and I’m familiar with its use as a tummy-calmer across Europe, thus my comment.
Still wonder if it’s a coal-region schtick, though.
According to the makers they first wanted to make a black cheese (excerpt from the second link above). They didn’t have to look far.
(There’s not much info to learn more about this cheese that I can find.)
“The idea of combining charcoal and cheese is so unusual that I wonder
how anyone thought of it in the first place. Amy Birkin from Michael Lee
Fine Cheeses (the creators of charcoal cheese), said: “We toyed with
the idea of making a black cheese and how we could make this look
appealing.” And when they came to know of the various mining communities
around them that needed support, they found their ‘black ingredient’.”
Wow i have never seen black cheese like that. Interesting!
Snowdonia make a range of cheddar based flavoured cheeses which, personally, I don’t like. But then I don’t like flavoured cheeses. However, and this is a big however, if you come across their Black Bomber which is a plain cheddar, then buy it. It really is a good one - mature, sharp yet creamy.
In spite of the evocative branding, they make their cheeses in an industrial park in the North Wales town of Rhyl.
Harters, it was my first Snowdonia. They didn’t have the Black Bomber so I picked what I thought was better than other flavours. Thanks for the tip. Next time I shall look out for that mature, sharp yet creamy one by them.
JTPhilly, it’s an interesting experiment. Am not a flavoured cheese fan at all but glad I’ve tried it.
Lidl’s catalogue of holiday foods arrived my letter box yesterday. Of course I jumped to the cheese pages straight away. Shrieked with delight when I spotted a few new cheeses in the selection, one of which was Wensleydale. However, my joy was cut short. All 3 Wensleydale are blended (onions and chives, cranberries and blueberries, raisins-orange and champagne).
Are they actually any good? I would be happy with just one great plain, aged, sharp Wensleydale cheese.
All 3 kinds are wrapped in wax, like in picture of Snowdonia above.
No, no, NO!
You really don’t want flavoured Wensleydale, Pres. It is never a strong cheese and those sort of flavourings will easily overpower it. In fact, some of those flavourings should never be anywhere near any cheese. Even a plain one is probably going to be made in one of the big industrial creameries and have little character - there’s no general “designated origin” on Wensleydale so it could be made anywhere. That said, there is PGI status for “Yorkshire Wensleydale” which has to be made in the county. Keep your powder dry on this one till you’re next over this way and look out for it in a specialist shop. Buy, nibble, think of Wallace & Grommit.
Is this a good Yorkshire Wensleydale?
Your conversation get me curious, I found this online shop that seems to be able to ship in EU.
Almost certainly. From memory, I think this is the only producer who is actually in Wensleydale.
Thanks, Harters. I have doubts having not yet seen it in person. The blended flavours don’t sound appetising at all. When I see it in the shop I shall check the fine print.
They bring back 3 aged cheddar in their holiday range. Though I have no recollection of their producers. At least they still have my 2 favourites Langres and Pont-l’Évêque.
Btw, all these food specialities are mostly for St. Nicolas day, another big commercialised fictional holiday here on Dec. 5th.
Also, in the pub today I have finally met the cheese specialist who is opening his cheese shop sometime in december. I had brought a couple of cheeses to share with the employees and he happened to have an appointment with the co-owner today. He knows his stuff… I think I have met my cheese match! This is going to be good for my cheese addiction and bad for my wallet 
I’m interested in this topic (CHEESE!!!) and read it religiously (oops not supposed to post aboutl my religion!!) but I’m finding it hard to follow/stay interested in all that’s going on in this one thread. The topic is a category in itself!!
Could I suggest that people start a new thread under Fermented Foods when they have an interesting cheese topic or question?
I found myself in a very dangerous cheese shop yesterday. I was there buying muffaletta mix and unfortunately, I was hungry. Ended up having 50g of my favorite, Chaumes, with some baguette for lunch, and then gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce for dinner. Oof, was I stuffed.
Yes, that’s a good suggestion. It’s better to have a separate general cheese thread, and threads for questions, info, news and media etc.
Someone (or the mod) could start a general cheese thread and move question posts there. I use this thread for photos of cheese (would love to hear and see everyone else’s as well of course.
Ack, avert your eyes!
These days I try to avoid dangerous cheese shops as I need to eat all opened cheeses in the fridge before Dec. 20. Have been avoiding one of the market cheese mongers who has unpasterised Époisses.
The struggle is real
I’m always craving burrata. That’s the only constant in this category.
That said, I’m really liking Spanish cheeses lately. Manchego, cana de cabra and Idiazábal come to mind…but to be fair, I really don’t know many other cheeses - by name, at least - from Spain.
Mahon.
The only cheese made in significant quantity in the Balearic islands. It’s a cow’s milk cheese usually sold quite young - only about 3 months aging. But there is a “reserva” which is matured for getting on for a year.
I had burrata for breakfast today - one of my favorites. This one was from Nigro Casearia, a producer I’ve not encountered before, and it was probably one of the best I’ve ever bought off the shelf.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to find good burrata here, I mean the real fresh kind. I can get it but it’s not 2 days old straight from the farm.
Harters, I shall keep Mahon in mind next time I find myself in that area of Spain. Old sheep’s milk cheese from the Balearic islands are also hard to find elsewhere in Spain.
Have been meaning to post these piccies. Question for Harters: is this one pretty standard? Found it at a cheese specialist in another town 1 1/2 hrs from me.
The Norwegian one is not really a “cheese” and it’s mass produced no less. Got it from the market cheese monger just to relive my Norwegian holiday.
I don’t normally eat Dutch cheese* but sometimes I get a wedge of unpasterised “spring grass cheese” in high season.
