Just been to a local MAS supermarket here in Nerja. There was a good supply of cheddar, with a handful marked 'Made in UK' with use by date several months ahead.

I bought some in lidl yesterday - the heathwoods extra mature. They had loads of that, and their normal one in the red packet, and sliced.

im in malaga.

They used to do two versions. The milder one in a red packet and a really nice extra mature one in a grey wrapper. The mature one seems to have disappeared, which is a shame as it was one of the best I have tasted.

So it looks like I live in the only part of Spain which is currently being boycotted by the cheese suppliers.

Our Dialprix supermarket here in Benidorm has cheddar on the shelves.

Steve

Perhaps now's a good opportunity to try out the great cheeses from the north of Spain

Do you have any recommendations? Aren't they typically oveja?

I like my local queso de cabra which is called 'suerte ampanera'. I don't know how widely available it is but I think Aldi stock it.

But for cheese on toast or cheese sauce I do prefer cheddar. So at the moment it's 'hard cheese' on me.

Spanish cheeses are very good, but the range in the supermarkets is very poor. They all taste much the same in various degrees of maturity or milk origen. Many blue cheeses with the same problem apart from Cabrales which is great if you can cope with the strong taste. The average supermarket will stock up to 20 different varieties of Manchego type cheese and not a lot else.

Compare that to any market in France or even Waitrose in the UK. It’s no surprise that Brits want good Cheddar. Any Spaniard that I have introduced to good Cheddar has gone crazy over it, which is probably why so many Spanish outlets are selling it (if they can get it).

The Basque country produces its protected sheeps' cheese called "Idiazabal" (named after the village of the same name) and must be made only with sheeps' milk. Eaten together with some walnuts and membrillo (quince) it's heaven's delight as either an aperitif or dessert.

It's totally different up here where there are many cheeses, mostly Spanish but also French etc. Cheddar is sold in the Mercadona (red only, a bit yuk!) and an Irish one is available at larger Lupa supermarkets (Lupa is a Tesco-like chain that are everywhere up here). I also saw some in the Santander central market but was expensive.

It's still available here - perhaps the English down there have bulk-bought it all?

There is sheep's milk cheese but there's a variety between sheep, cow and goat's milk.

As well as Fred's mentioned Cabrales I'd try Picón Bejes-Tresvisto, a blue cheese, made from all three milks and I think the most famous Cantabrian cheese.

Another that they sell in supermarkets here is Flor de Escueva Cuña - this one is sheep's milk.

I try out your recommendation, thanks.

Try your local Dealz, they seem to be the go-to place for Brit foods. Over Christmas they were selling out of mince pies within minutes. Alternatively, try your local bodega. They will either know where to get it or will have something very similar.

No shortages in my local Mercadonna's (Alicante region).

Mild and mature both available in plenty.

Expiry date May 2021.

Tried Mercadona this morning and they only had orange slices of Spanish Cheddar. The same in Supercor.

So five major supermarkets in my area have no British Cheddar. Something must be going on.

Nerja, which has 30% British/Irish population, has 5 large supermarkets. Mercadona only stocks one kind of Cheddar, red, made in Spain. Supersol and MAS both stock about 5, with three of them UK-made. Iranzo, a local old-established with a wide range of foreign food about the same. So it must have something to do with local demand.

i much prefered the mature one - the "mild" one tastes of nothing, its like eating a sheet of plastic.