The classic combination of cheese and onion (Sainsbury's Cheddar with Silverskin Onion & Herb)

Member Name: i_am_joy

Product:	Sainsbury's Cheddar with Silverskin Onion & Herb
Date:	28/04/09 (102 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Delicious cheese, a change from the norm, fairly versatile for a flavoured cheese

Disadvantages: ----------

One of my favourite cheeses at the moment is this Cheddar with Silverskin Onion and Herb, one of a range of pre-packaged cheese from Sainsbury's.

I love cheddar of most descriptions but when the cheese has had something nice added to it then it just takes the flavour to another dimension completely. And this cheese is certainly in a dimension of its own in my opinion.

5% of this 200g wedge of cheese is pickled silverskin onions which gives the cheese a delicious tanginess that makes my mouth water as soon as I open the packet. A further 2% of the block is dried onions which work to give the cheese a real onion flavour as opposed to it simply tasting of pickled onions. The herbs mentioned in the title are basically chives and that's it, but these work to give an overall herby flavour and also add a nice touch of colour to the appearance of the cheese.

The cheddar itself is quite creamy, but it's obvious to me that Sainsbury's have gone for a depth of flavour with this cheese rather than a fantastic texture. That's not to say that it's bad of course, this cheese is perhaps a little drier than I would expect but that isn't necessarily a bad thing it's just different to my usual plain cheddar.

Just in case you're wondering, there are some small bits of onion in there but they have a lovely texture and none that I have bitten into have filled my mouth with the sour flavour I have come to expect when dried onion is added to any foods. Actually the onion pieces do not taste of much at all really, the flavour of the pickled onion has already infused the cheddar to such a degree that I don't need to bite into a piece to know it's there.

I find this cheese goes beautifully with crackers, it's not so good on sandwiches if I'm honest as the flavours become lost somewhat when combined with bread. I have also used shavings of this cheddar on top of spaghetti bolognese instead of parmesan and this worked well too, also if you have a party planned you could do much worse than including this on your cheeseboard as I'm sure most people will love it.

This cheese is currently priced at £1.85 for a 200g wedge from Sainsbury's, Tesco do the same variety but theirs is nowhere near as good as this one and has a strange aftertaste that always makes me feel thirsty.

Summary: Cheddar and pickled onions without getting your fingers covered in vinegar!