Customer Reviews

English Cheese Assortment (2 pound)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The assortment arrived in excellent condition in a styrofoam cooler packed with reusable icepacks. The sage cheese was intensely sage flavored. It was superb. The Stilton was at the top of it's game, excellent with crackers or fruit. The cheddar was straight from across the Atlantic. I closed my eyes while I was eating it and I was back at the Angel and Greyhound Pub in Oxford, England. It doesn't get any better than this. I highly recommend this assortment.

I'm not particularly well versed in the culinary expectations of fine cheeses and wine, mainly because I was never exposed to it as a delicacy. The cheeses that I grew up with were mostly standard American grocery store varieties, pretty tame stuff like "Cheddar", "Sharp Cheddar", "Monterey Jack" etc. and the wines that I have had were, well, I thought they tasted like wine but they were nothing that I would particularly ever find myself saying "nice bouquet, great legs, very subtle and fruity...yes, that is a must have wine". I also found the somewhat pompous nature of those who consider themselves aficionados of the cheese and wine industries rather a turn off on the whole affair. But, as I grow my taste for the exotic I find myself more and more becoming enamored with cheese and wine. Real cheese and real wine. [And the real good stuff ain't cheap!]

I am a N00b connoisseur and I don't really know that much about cheese and wine but I am learning and most importantly...I am tasting them! I don't know the industry standards on how to stuffily describe the taste adventures or what is supposed to go with what and when. But, I know what I like. So here is my description of this fine cheese assortment, from a regular working guys perspective.

* Coombe Farm Cheddar - Wow! The first thing that hits me is the fruity and aromatic flavor. Reminds me a lot of a very ripe grape. The texture is slightly crumbly but is very smooth and creamy on the tongue. The flavor explodes like no standard American grocery store variety Cheddar cheese. Full, rich, sweet but a very slightly bitter aftertaste. It is just wonderful eaten all by itself. Eaten with a ripe Gala apple is just heaven.
* Royal Blue Stilton - The King. Truth be told, this is what I bought this sampler for. I love and adore blue cheeses and I figured I'd better have some of the Royal Blue Stilton to know how I should be judging the others. Completely unlike most standard American blue cheeses. The first thing that hits me is the awful smell. And I do realize that some of the best cheeses are aromatic, but I'm a n00b, remember? The smell is mostly from the outer skin, the insides smell more or less like blue that I can recognize. But the intense flavor is out of this world. Very soft, almost spread able and buttery richness that easily melts away on your tongue. A definite bitter aftertaste but it is very smooth, sweet and powerfully full flavored (but not overpowering). This is truly the King. I am not qualified to tell you how to eat it but I can say that it makes fantastic Blue salad dressing, excellent on top of burgers or a rib eye steak and eaten with a baguette, garlic olive oil and marinated Greek olives...Divine!
* Sage Derby - My wife calls this one pretty. It is that with the green marbling but the taste is like none other that I have ever tried. The full flavor of fresh sage bursts as soon as you put it in your mouth. Sooo good. The cheese is slightly crumbly but smooth and creamy. The flavor of the cheese curds are mild and sweet and do not interfere with the robustness of the sage. This is a great cheese to be eaten alone, crumbled on a salad or on top of crackers with some salty fatty meat like prosciutto or the like.
* Crumbly Lancashire - Out of Stock
* Cotswold - My assortment must have been out of stock on the Crumbly Lancashire so it was substituted with the Cotswold. I am so glad that it was because this has turned out to be one of my all time favorites. It looks a lot like yellow cheddar with some small dark dots in it. This cheese has onions and chives in it and it tastes to me like an onion Kaiser roll made out of cheese. This is awesome stuff. I have not found anything that it does not go with, yet. PERFECT on top of burgers, very good on steaks, salads, crackers...you name it. A consistency like cheddar and smooth, creamy, full richness, sweet and oniony. If I can get it, this will be a regularly stocked item in my fridge.

I'm from England (so maybe I am slightly prejudiced) but these cheeses are simply wonderful! The quality and flavour are sublime! Enjoy them any way but it's nice to have what we call a "ploughman's lunch" in England which is fresh, crusty bread (maybe a baguette) butter, cheese, pickled onions, a little fruit (grapes) and maybe some cider to wash it all down. Heavenly! Enjoy!

This is an excellent english cheese assortment...We ordered this cheese,for the holidays,and found they went over very well...This cheese would make an excellent holiday gift,and is higly recommended...A 5 star rating...

Pull out these cheeses from the refrigerator after dinner to let them warm a bit. Get your new wine glasses, open a nice red, find some crackers, and either put out grapes or get an apple ready to slice. This is our dessert, or bed-time snack, whichever comes last.

I chose this pack because I like a variety of cheeses on the cheese plate. I absolutely adore Royal Stilton, whose flavors inform your taste buds you are in the company of bleu cheese but do it softly, gently, just a kiss of that flavor. I repeat: Oh, how I love Stilton! I love both its aroma and its flavor. Take a big swirl of that spicy red and you are heaven-bound right now!

I always thought the Germans, the French, the Swiss, the Swedes had the market on cheese until I met the English cheddars. The Farmhouse Cheddar is nothing like an orange cheddar. It's mild and smooth. Its opposite is Sage Derby--herbaceous and fresh. While one lulls you, the other jolts you, each in a pleasant way.

And last on our plate is the Lancashire, a dry, crumbly, old, old English cheese. You might need a spoon to gather up all this goodness because it will come apart upon being cut.

A wonderful pack of cheese! A great gift idea! However, I suggest you consider the explorer, the adventurer among your friends and family, as three of these cheeses are not your American Swiss cheese or cheddar and might not be a welcome gift. But for one who wants to experiment, what a welcome gift!

I bought this as a Christmas gift for my British husband who is always complaining about American cheeses. The staff at igormet were very accommodating. I ordered it in November and asked that they hold off on shipping until mid-December which they did. It arrived before Christmas.

The four imported English cheeses were wonderful, especially the Stilton. I'm vey happy with the service and the the products.

Finally
The order arrived late! with only two out of nine cheeses ordered.
called, waited on hold and spoke to various people. The entire order should have weighed at least 5 pound with out box. The order that I got was marked as 2!
Finally 3 days later got the correct order.
Cheeses small and some from the rind.
Could buy better at Whole Foods.
Not again

Got this for my father for Christmas and he loved it. I'm only giving it 4 stars instead of 5 as I didn't get to taste the cheese myself.

This is a wonderful assortment of cheese, a great value for the quality and quantity that you receive. In a cheese sandwich, or on a cracker with some olives and wine, or mixed into scrambled eggs, this product will not disappoint! If only they delivered to the United Arab Emirates...