Ryvita Crackers for Cheese

*** Don't miss out on the cracking (not crackers !) competition on Ryvita's facebook page (here) where you can win one of 50 fab Crackers for Cheese hampers ! *****

If you're anything like me, as soon as you hear the name Ryvita, you think of their iconic crispbread (which I reviewed here), but this time, when the lovely PR people from Ryvita contacted me, it was to ask if I'd like to try out their brand new crackers for cheese. Hmmm sounds like the perfect snack in front of the TV after packing the kids off to bed so I said yes without a second's hesitation !

I was asked if I could provide 25 words of feedback for the Ryvita facebook page so I came up with this : "The new crackers are lovely, light and crispy and pack enough taste to be lovely with or without cheese. And they're low-calorie too!" I'm now used to writing tweets on twitter that don't go above 140 characters but it's actually really hard to write a micro-review that doesn't exceed 25 words ! It took me three attempts and I still used the word lovely twice ! So what more can I tell you with an unrestricted word count ?!

The crackers come in two varieties, Golden Rye and Black Pepper, and they're both really tasty. The Golden Rye ones are lovely (oops, said it again !) and light and go really nicely with some of the blander cheeses so that it doesn't overpower them. The Black Pepper ones have a delicious kick that nicely complements some of the stinkier French cheeses like camembert, brie or maroilles that permanently live in our fridge.

The crackers are crisp and crunchy and add a lovely texture combination to creamy, runny cheeses. They also avoid getting stinky runny camembert stuck to your fingers when you eat it which is always a good thing ! The girls like eating the crackers on their own or with butter or cheese spread on them as a snack. As each cracker only contains about 27 calories and is low in fat and high in fibre, as well as using wholegrain flours, I don't mind as they're a healthier option than many snacks. I really like the fact that each pack contains four "stay fresh" sachets too, firstly because it keeps them fresh and crispy for longer but also because it's a handy way for stopping yourself from eating the whole pack in one go !

If you fancy finishing off your dinner party with an impressive cheese board (as we frequently do in France), Ryvita, along with cheese expert Juliet Harbutt, have come up with some themed cheeseboards that are brilliant for discovering some of the lesser-known cheeses on the market. Bon appétit !

Healthy Cheeseboard

For those who want their cake and eat it too! Most people think the fat content of cheese is around 60%, but in fact the majority are only between 20 and 35%, which means many cheeses contain half the fat you expect. This means you can eat twice as much! Try…

Pant ys gawn: Fresh, Welsh cheese made using Goat’s milk

Camembert: Soft white cheese from France

Taleggio: Semi soft Italian cheese made from Cow’s milk

Caerphilly: Hard cheese from Wales made from Cow’s milk

Parmigiano Reggiano: Hard Italian cheese

Cornish Yarg: Made with Cow’s milk from Cornwall

Indulgent

There are some cheeses that, despite having a relatively low fat content, taste wickedly rich or wonderfully voluptuous and indulgent. This is for a lazy day in the sun or to follow your Sunday lunch - just relax, sit back with some wonderful wines or cider and enjoy. Try…

Fleur de Marquis: Aged fresh cheese from Corsica

Pierre Robert: Soft cheese from France made with Cow’s milk

Stinking Bishop: Semi soft Gloucestershire cheese

Langres: Semi soft cheese from France

Beaufort: Hard cheese made with Cow’s milk from France

Pecorino Toscano: Hard cheese from Italy

Roquefort: Blue cheese made with Ewe’s milk from France

Girls At Home

Light, soothing and delicious, these are the perfect cheeses to wile away an evening with the girls. Serve with lovely crisp English apples and your favourite Ryvita crackers. Try…

Herbed Perroche: Fresh cheese made from Worcestershire

St Eadburgha: Soft white cheese from Gloucester

Wigmore: Soft white cheese from Berkshire

Carre de l’est: Semi soft cheese from France

Manchego: Traditional hard cheese from Spain

Creamy Lancashire: Hard cheese using Cow’s milk from Lancashire

Gorgonzola Dolce: Blue cheese from Italy

Boys’ Night Out

For the boys, I’ve selected a variety of strong, bold and outspoken cheeses to match the mood of a boys’ night out, and the beers or big reds. Theses cheeses are boastful, confident and full of character.

Cerney Ash: Fresh cheese from Gloucestershire, made with Goat’s milk

Brie de Meaux: Soft white cheese from France

Tornegus: Semi soft cheese from Sussex

Lincolnshire Poacher: Hard cheese made using Cow’s milk

Gruyere: Hard Swiss cheese made from Cow’s milk

Blue Monday: Blue Scottish cheese made from Cow’s milk

Beenleigh Blue: Devonshire blue cheese

Best of British

The ultimate British cheeseboard has over 700 different British cheeses to choose from. How do you choose just 7? Start with the following, all major winners from the British Cheese Awards.

Innes Button: Fresh cheese from Coventry

Little Wallop: Soft white cheese from Somerset

Flower Marie: Soft white cheese from Sussex

Golden Cenarth: Semi soft Welsh cheese

Lord of the Hundreds: Hard cheese made with Cow’s milk from Sussex

Wyfe of Bath: Hard cheese from Bath

Shropshire Blue :Nottinghamshire blue cheese

star rating : 4.5/5

RRP : £1.25 for a 175g pack

for more information : http://www.ryvita.co.uk/products/crackers-for-cheese

Other reviews you may be interested in :

Ryvita Crispbreads

Ryvita’s seasonal topping ideas

NO-NO range of American style flatbreads

Cricketer Farm Cheese - Nether Stowey Reserve Cheddar