While Christmas lunch is the main event of Christmas day, after the presents of course, cheese boards have become a staple of the Christmas celebrations. Whether it be an option instead of Christmas pudding or as part of tea in the evening, most people have a cheese board at some point during the festivities.
To see what was better, cheap or expensive cheese selections, I decided to head to my local supermarkets to find option at either end of the budget, and see which was better both in taste, and value for money.
For the cheap selection I headed to Lidl to see what they had to offer. Looking at the shelves I was a little disappointed to see they only had the one option at the time, a four pack selection of some of the most popular cheeses you usually see. It cost me £4.49.
Read More: Hoba Kebab in Bristol city centre to close this week due to cost of living crisis
The first flavour I tried was the Wensleydale with Cranberry. This is one of my favourite cheeses to treat myself to at Christmas so I was expecting good things. Wensleydale is a relatively mild cheese so I wasn’t expecting a strong taste but I was expecting it to be slightly sweeter than it was with the cranberries in it.
The next cheese in the selection was a Spicy Cheddar. I wouldn’t normally have massive amounts of this cheese but it's a popular one among my friends and family. Upon taking a bite of this cheese the first thing you find is that there is a nice strong cheese flavouring, then you get the heavy spicy kick at the end. This is a nice tasting cheese but if you don’t like spice I would not recommend it.
For the third cheese in the selection I tried the Double Gloucester Onion and Chive. I didn’t know what to expect but I was pleasantly surprised. This cheese had a good strong cheese flavour before getting the onion and chive taste after. They have managed to get a good balance of flavours and I would definitely recommend and try again.
The final cheese I tried was a Smoky Cheddar Cheese. This was a gorgeous cheese with a strong smoky taste but with a slight sweetness. The flavourings were strong without being too overbearing, I would recommend this for people to try
Now for the more expensive cheese. For this I headed to M&S to see what they had to offer. There were many different options for me to try, some with cheese cut into chunks and some with big wedges of cheese but I went for one which had more variation with six cheeses to pick from. This six cheese selection cost me £8.50.
The first one I tried was the Creamy French Brie and this was a gorgeous one, it was just as the packaging advertised - creamy. It was hard to spread but was a lovely addition to the selection.
My next cheese was a classic mature cheddar. The taste was good but was like any other mature cheddar cheese, so wasn’t anything special. For a nice everyday cheese it was good but a bland cheese compared to others in the box.
The third I tried was the Red Leicester. I do love red Leicester as it isn’t as strong as a cheddar but still has a good cheese taste. I was a little surprised at the creamy taste it had as red Leicester aren’t normally that creamy, so I’m not sure whether I loved or hated this cheese.
Feeling curious? Follow Curiously on TikTok , Instagram , Facebook and Twitter .
Ready to explore more? Follow Curiously on TikTok , Instagram , Facebook and Twitter .
Our fourth expensive cheese to try was another Wensleydale and Cranberry cheese. Now this would provide me with a direct comparison. I feel like I preferred this version over Lidl’s version of the Cranberry Wensleydale as there was a greater sweetness to it.
The fifth cheese out of the expensive selection box was a Bavarian style Smoked Cheese. This was absolutely divine, there was the right amount of smokiness mixed with a creamy taste. It tasted a little like smoky bacon or smoked sausages without the meaty flavour. This is one of my favourites I have tried and would definitely recommend.
The final cheese in the box was a Blue Stilton, which is not to everyone’s taste. Now I don’t mind blue cheeses but more on a every now and then basis. This blue stilton did not have a bad taste at all and tasted quite nice in small quantities. The only problem is that it’s really crumbly so it just falls apart.
Overall I would have to say that the more expensive selection was a better choice purely because of taste and variety. While there was nothing wrong with Lidl’s four cheese selection, I found that paying a bit more to get a few more options was better.
Up Next:
Bristol Airport on Christmas peak times and leaving presents unwrapped
Michelin Guide 2023 reveals all the Bristol restaurants on the esteemed list
Symptoms of 'winter lurgy' that's not covid as described by Bristol people
Shop warns ‘use us or lose us this Christmas' during difficult times for Bristol's high streets
