'Mature' cheddar: Cheese maker Martin Crabb says it's an 'acquired taste' (From Dorset Echo)

'Mature' cheddar: Cheese maker Martin Crabb says it's an 'acquired taste'

2:30pm Friday 27th January 2012 in Local News

Martin Crabb, Ford Farm master cheese maker since 1983, said: “It’s a staggering find really and when we tasted it we were surprised it had kept as well as it had.

“We would expect it to keep if it’s well-made cheese but this one was 2,055 days out of date.

“It goes to show it’s a well-made piece of cheese to last as long as that.

“Obviously it had been at a temperature where it’s not been maturing and it’s just held at a steady level.

He added: “It wasn’t frozen or anything but the temperature must have been low enough to hold it in suspension.

“Typically, cheese is between 14 and 26 months old so to see one this old is unusual.

“It does taste quite strong and it’s definitely an acquired taste but it’s very much still edible.”