Putting the Red into Leicester (Tesco Red Leicester)

Member Name: norton501

Product:	Tesco Red Leicester
Date:	06/08/09 (38 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: 500g for £2.50! Good quality cheese find

Disadvantages: May be a bit rich for non cheese advocates

I can't cope unless there is cheese in the fridge- any type- continental cheeses are my favourite (emmental,. jarlsberg.... mmm). My husband on the other hand, hasn't quite got the cheese bug and as such will only eat Red Leicester cheese and no others.

I've been actively promoting cheeses of the world to him for the past 12 months with regular buys of a different variety of cheese cut into small pieces with canape flags stuck in them (in an attempt to dress up the cheese as if I was the embodiment of the Tesco cheese counter in our kitchen... ) to no avail and we are stuck buying this :- Red Leicester cheese from Tesco on offer for 2 blocks for the price of £2.50 until September 2009. Bargain.

Seeing as my cheese promoting isn't paying any dividends, we have got through a fair few blocks of this Red Leicester cheese. My husband is getting protective of his Red leicester and has suggested we buy a locked box for the fridge to keep it safe... Hmm. I like Red Leicester, it is not my favourite cheese but it is in the top 15. It has a mild but full taste and it is brightly coloured. You can quite happily cut a small slice as you wander past the fridge and merrily go on your way. Cheese is good for your teeth as it reduces plaque acids- hence having cheese and crackers after a meal (or for a meal...). It is also a good source of calcium.

On the down side, cheese is high in fat and calories. Around 400 calories per 100g and 33.7g of fat. Red Leicester in particular is generally famed for being from Central England (though I live in Leicester and would expect there to be more Red Leicester cheeses around, there isn't) and has a rich yet slightly nutty flavour. It is tasty. Good to make toasties with and good as cheese on toast (there is a difference). It melts well and it is good on a cream cracker. It is a cheese where you can eat it on its own without needing garnishes (though it is awesome with pickles).

If I was making a party food spread, I would use Red Leicester as it has advantages over cheddar- it looks good and holds its self together if you cut it into cubes and put a cocktail stick through it (with a piece of sausage and pickle?) and it doesn't crumble at whim like wensleydale. Most people will eat Red Leicester who would not go near Stilton or Brie or Camenbert- the more hardcore cheeses.

Red Leicester is the cheese for the masses.

This Tesco version in my husbands limited cheese opinion is richer than cheaper Red Leicester blocks. So he says he needs to use less of it on crackers. I agree- it has a good flavour and is rich and tasty. I find the Tesco Value Red Leicester cheese in comparison almost rubbery- it seems to bounce back when you try to cut it - you need a really sharp knife. This is a more solid, quality cheese. It has a strong red colour and it smells nice and really is good value for money- especially at the moment with the offer on! That's half a kilo of cheese for £2.50!

Summary: Quality version of a well liked cheese