A Change from Cheddar (Tesco Red Leicester)

Member Name: DavyMichelle

Product:	Tesco Red Leicester
Date:	18/06/09 (42 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very Cheap, Creamy, Soft and Good Quality

Disadvantages: Can Smudge Through Being So Soft During Grating

Tesco Red Leicester is one of a couple of cheeses that we switched to from cheddar, when prices shot up a few months ago. While a block of Cheddar shot up to nearly £2 for a small 250g size, this Red Leicester remained around the £1.50 mark. The price of cheddar has come back down a little bit, but we're so enamoured with this that we've stuck by it regardless of the price changes going on around it.

A 250g block of this cheese will set you back £1.58. That's pretty reasonable given how expensive cheese is in general. You can get it on offer frequently, and they're presently offering this cheese (and others in the range) at 2 for £2.50. The offer runs up until 29/12/09 so you can reliably buy this cheaply on a regular basis.

This cheese has got a really deep orange colour to it, that gives dishes like lasagne a really lovely tinge. It's got a rich, cheddar like taste, but with a more savoury edge to it than cheddar cheese has. It's described as having a nutty flavour, which is something you'll understand if you're familiar with cheese flavours in general. It basically describes the savoury, nut like after taste that comes from eating this cheese. It's not as tangy as cheddar is, but along the same lines.

One of the things I've been most impressed with about this cheese is the relatively solid texture. Some cheaper cheeses are prone to crumbling and falling apart in your hands, but this stuff slices smoothly without breaking apart. The only slight grumble I have regarding the texture is that it tends to get easily smudged into the grater when I'm trying to grate it. I think that's something that happens with a lot of soft cheeses though in fairness, especially when they meet with the heat from your hands and the grating action.

All in all, this represents excellent value for money. It's great on pasta dishes or in sandwiches, and for all the uses you'd use your standard cheddar for. But it's nice to have a change every now and again, and you certainly can't argue that this is available at a pretty great price.

Summary: Highly Recommended