MrCream

Hi all. New here, but been in the US over a year.

I live in NJ and I have reached a breaking point on one foodstuff: cheese.

I get asked if I want provolone, swiss, or american all the time. I might as well shrug given the difference it makes to the taste - cheese appears to be a texture rather than a taste.

Does anyone know anywhere I can get real cheese? Strong cheddars, powerful stiltons etc.
I don't want pasteurised nonsense, just good old fashioned rotted milk.

Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

Pulaski

Artisan cheese (Google it) straight from the farm, or from a cheese specialist retailer.

For example, here's one in Red Bank, NJ

sir_eccles

Be prepared to pay.

Either at a specialist artesian (intentional mispelling) fancy food shop or somewhere like Whole Foods which depending on the buyer/store manager will often have a good cheese selection at the deli counter.

joto

We got "Coastal English Cheddar" out of Costco. It said it's a mature cheddar, but it's more on the mild side, IMO. Trader Joe's does real Stilton and Gorgonzola and some other nice, non American cheeses.

MrCream

Good stuff guys. Thanks. I'll be planning a shopping route for this weekend.

zzrmark

Bizarrely enough, the best off-the-shelf cheese I've found to date is from ... wait for it... Walmart!?!?!

2lb (so a decent sized lump), Cabot Extra Sharp - nearly tastes like 'real' Cheddar without the deli price tag

Pulaski

Cabot cheddars (there are several different recipes) are fairly widely available, round here at least, though they are probably cheaper at Walmart than other retailers. That said even the Cabot cheddars are (i) not close in flavour to a good mature farmhouse cheddar, and (ii) rubbery compared the drier texture of mature cheddar.

username.exe

You can sometimes pick up some half-decent stuff from a local Farmers Market - not sure if you have them where you are?

zzrmark

Haha, don't get me wrong, I didn't say it was like real cheddar, just the closest thing to it without taking a second mortgage out at a deli.
It's handy if you like to cook with cheese.

petitefrancaise

+1 for the costco cheddar,it's not absolutely amazing but it's fine.
+1 for Trader Joe's cheeses, I can get a "petit basque" there which is great and is shipped out by a friend of a friend in Toulouse. The real mccoy and nowhere near as pricey as wholefoods....which is where I go when I am feeling homesick for french food!

Bob

Trader Joe's, they have some decent and affordable UK cheeses, but also some very good stuff from VT/NH/MA.

Wegmans, is another decent source for cheese as it Wholefoods.

Suz16

Shop rite has the Cabot brand, I buy their extra sharp cheddar which is more like a medium British cheddar. It's the best one I've found so far.

Nutmegger

All my local markets have an aisle with the plastic cheese, and the real stuff in a totally different area -- be sure that you aren't missing a case with the good stuff -- we can get Wensleydale, Stilton, a nice double Gloucester, all manner of chevres, Gorgonzola that's ready to walk, some tangy Cheddars from small US companies, and that guilty pleasure, smoked Gouda, all in the supermarket, but not shelved near the plastic ready-cut slices.

Pulaski

Yes, our local Kroger franchise chain has "cheese" in a chiller cabinet on the wall near the milk at the back of the store, but has an island display of pre-packaged gourmet cheeses, including a number of different British and European cheeses, near the deli counter usually towards the front of the store.

sir_eccles

Good post!

It is worth saying (as it is with beer) not all American made cheese is rubbish. There are a lot of very good small cheese makers doing some great cheeses. Some are American varieties (I love a nice Maytag blue) others are versions of European classics.

Step away from the Dairy aisle and look for the proper cheese (then hand over your wallet).