Being married to a Frenchman, I think it's inevitable that our fridge always contains at least three or four different types of cheese. I just went and had a look actually to see what is in there at the moment and there is some cheddar, some goat's cheese (more about that in another blogpost !), some leftover raclette, a very stinky Camembert and ... ahem, some Cheestrings for the kids ! We were therefore very enthusiastic when we were asked to try out a new addition to UK cheeseboards called
Old Amsterdam.
As the name suggests, Old Amsterdam is a Dutch cheese, more precisely an aged Gouda, so I was expecting a slightly waxy cheese like Edam. I found it to be more like a mature cheddar though, with a deep, rich taste and quite a hard, dry texture. It's easy to slice and doesn't crumble so it's lovely to eat in chunks, from a cheeseboard, or with crackers. I also tried it grilled and it makes a lovely cheese on toast.
The producers say that a surge in interest for Old Amsterdam among UK cheese lovers hit an all time high in 2011 after it won the Supreme prize at the Yorkshire Show. Latest figures from the largest multiple retailers in the UK show that since December, more than seven tonnes of Old Amsterdam has been sold, and one retailer sold 1.5 tonnes in January alone. That's a lot of cheese ! In response to the demand, producers of Old Amsterdam are rapidly churning out more of the cheese to satisfy UK tastes, as Chris Chisnall, spokesperson for Old Amsterdam in the UK explains: “Its great to see the UK market going crazy for such a unique tasting cheese. The success of the retailers speaks for itself; in December, one of the major multiples alone sold over a tonne of Old Amsterdam in December – this is a trend we’ve never experienced before.”
As it's similar in taste and texture to Cheddar and Cheshire cheeses (while remaining different and unique), I can understand why it appeals to the British palate so much. It got a thumbs-up from French Madhouse Daddy Mike too though. The fact that it is so versatile, being great for eating straight from the pack, added to sandwiches or salads but also melting on the top of dishes, makes it another great storecupboard basic.
A 1oz (28g) serving contains 125 calories and 10g of fat, of which 7g saturated.
star rating : 4/5
RRP : £2.49 for 150g
for more information : http://oldamsterdam.com/
Disclosure : I received a pack of Old Amsterdam cheese in order to write the review.
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having read this I might buy it the blog made it sound delicious and I like the fact that it is easy to slice that is usually what puts me off some cheese. Thank you
ReplyDeleteThis actually sounds really nice, we only normally buy different cheeses at Christmas but I think I will look out for this one - thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm not very adventurous with cheese, but this does sound very tasty!
ReplyDeletei want to try this now i love my selection of cheeses.
ReplyDeleteadore cheese, am definitely going to try this out @ToybuzzUK
ReplyDeleteMy son is half Dutch so we try to make a Dutch breakfast/brunch occasionally, Uitsmijter, which is basically thin bread toasted with cheese and ham or bacon and an egg on the top, will have to try this with it! I love cheese, even if my waist doesn't!
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