5 RECIPES FOR RED LEICESTER CHEESE LOVERS

Most Leicestershire-based people will be familiar with the locally made, Red Leicester cheese which as the name suggests in red/orange in colour and has a unique mild and mellow flavour. Whether you’ve had it in your sandwiches, on a cheeseboard or have never tried it (why not?) then the simple easy to follow recipes in this article are a great way for an introduction to Red Leicester!

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A Little History

Red Leicester is a traditional hard cheese, which is made from unpasteurised milk with a history dating back to the 17^th century when farmers recognised the need to make cheeses, which could set them apart from other areas of the country. In order to differentiate Red Leicester from cheddar, it is often coloured with a vegetable dye called annatto (a food colouring, made from the seeds of achioto tree native to the Americas) and denotes a rich creaminess. The red/orange rind has a powder-like mould on it and the colour of the cheese indicates the milk has a high cream content.

Red Leicester as a whole is a lot crumblier with a milder flavour than cheddar and can be sold as young as two months. Connoisseurs of the cheese would be looking for a firm body, with a flaky texture and although it can be consumed young, to reach its maximum flavour, should be allowed to mature for 6-9 months.

A good Red Leicester tastes a little on the sweet side with an almost caramel flavour, which increases with maturity.

Today, only a couple of farms in Leicestershire makes the cheese using traditional methods and raw milk.

Sparkenhoe Red Leicester

Our personal favourite Red Leicester is from Sparkenhoe Farm run by David & Jo Clarke in Hinkley Leicestershire. I prefer their vintage cheese, which is matured for up to 18 months and has a moist but rich flavour.

This cheese is made with raw cow’s milk and animal rennet and is clothbound with lard. It’s also not suitable for vegetarians as it contains animal products, however, the good news is there is vegetarian versions of Red Leicester where the animal rennet is substituted potato starch, coconut oil or maize starch.

Please note Sparkenhoe Red Leicester is unpasteurised

The cheese can be purchased from many online retailers as well as farm shops, fayres and fetes but we intentionally to buy ours from Leicester Market in LE1 which has many of the counties small business owners and farmers selling local produce. Read more about Leicester Market below…

Related Article: Supporting Local Produce at Leicester Market

If you’re intrigued and have never tried Red Leicester cheese then why not cook up some simple dishes. try and replicate a few of our favourites that we enjoy as a family and bring back nostalgic memories of childhood days. The brilliant part is that a lot of the same ingredients are used in the recipes so wastage is kept to the bare minimum.

All dishes are made with Vintage Red Leicester and suitable for vegetarians. Sparkenhoe Red Leicester is only on the cheese board.

5 Simple Red Leicester Cheese Recipes

#1 Red Leicester Cauliflower Cheese

INGREDIENTS
Large Cauliflower
2 x teaspoons English Mustard (I use Dijon)
50g Plain flour
100g butter
300g Red Leicester cheese grated
500 mls milk
METHOD Steam the cauliflower until al dente and ensure it’s free from water and add to an ovenproof dish The Cheese sauce Melt the butter in a heavy-duty pan, then whist in the mustard and flour and cook over a gentle heat for 5 minutes. Whisk in the milk off the heat and return back to the heat and keep whisking on a low heat until it thickens. Sprinkle in the majority of the cheese and stir off the heat. Pour over the cauliflower and sprinkle with the remainder of the cheese Cook for about 20 minutes on 200°C (gas mark 7) until the cheese has browned.

#2 Red Leicester & Spring Onion Mash With Garlic & Chive Butter

INGREDIENTS Serves 2 as a side
500g potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
75g Red Leicester cheese grated
4 Spring onions, trimmed and chopped
3 tablespoons milk
Large knob of chive and garlic butter (recipe included at the end)
METHOD Steam the potatoes until they are soft Add butter to a pan and fry the spring onions for a minute, add milk and potatoes. Warm through and take off the heat and mash. Stir in the cheese Serve sprinkled with a handful of spring onions and cheese if desired

#3 Red Leicester & Chive Scones

INGREDIENTS Makes 18-22 scones
500g Strong white flour (all-purpose plain flour)
6 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon dried English Mustard + 1 teaspoon salt
150ml whole milk
2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped
80g cold diced butter
250g Red Leicester cheese grated (plus 25g for sprinkling on the top of the scones)
1 beaten egg yolk or 1 tablespoon milk for glazing the scones
METHOD Grease and line two large baking trays Put flour, baking powder, salt, mustard powder in a large bowl and rub in the butter until it looks like breadcrumbs. Add cheese and chives and lightly stir with hands. Poor in most of the milk and start mixing by hand until the dough is soft and moist. If the dough is dry add the remainder of the milk. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and pat down to about 1 inch on the surface and cut out rounds using a large cutter. Repeat this until you are out of dough by repeating the process, remembering not to over-work the dough. Don’t knead the dough each time just put it together with your hands. Place the scones on a baking tray and brush with the egg yok and top each one with a handful of cheese Bake for around 15 minutes until the tops are beautifully brown Leave to stand to cool for a while and serve either with garlic and chive butter (recipe below) or a caramelised red onion chutney works well too.

#4 Red Leicester & Onion Chutney Bites

INGREDIENTS Makes 28-30
320g Puff Pastry (I used jusrol)
100g Sparkenhoe Red Leicester grated
4 tablespoons red onion chutney
3 tablespoons finely chopped chives
METHOD Unroll the pastry and cut into 5cm (2 inch squares) Add each pastry square onto a greased/non-stick small muffin tin Add ¼ teaspoon onion chutney to each pastry square Place a 1 teaspoon grated cheese on top of the marmalade Sprinkle with some chopped chives Bake for 10-12 minutes at 200°C or gas mark 7

#5 Red Leicester Cheese Board

This isn’t technically a recipe but it still takes a little time to assemble

INGREDIENTS
Sparkenhoe Red Leicester
Red Leicester with Chiptotle and Peppercorn
Caramelised Red Onion Chutney
Crackers (preferably something nice and herby)
Chive and Garlic Butter
Red Leicester favours a full bodied white wine
METHOD Arrange beautifully on a cheese board and consume! Cheers!

Read on to learn how we made the simple garlic butter…

How To Make The Garlic Butter

INGREDIENTS
250g butter
1 clove of garlic, peeled and chopped finely
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
METHOD  Allow the butter to soften at room temperature Combine the ingredients and mix well Put the mixture onto parchment paper and roll into a cylindrical shape Twist the ends, wrap in clingfilm and put in fridge (Use the butter within 3 weeks or freeze for a couple of months)

Other Ways of Eating Red Leicester Cheese

Apart from these simple recipes you can enjoy Red Leicester cheese in so many ways. Here are some suggestions:

• Cheese on toast topped with tomatoes
• A cheesy omelette
• Cheese and pineapple sticks for party snacks
• Cheese and pickled onion sticks
• Cheese and potato pie
• A slice topped on a urger with caramelised onions
• Pizza topping
• Baked potato filling
• Smother over nachos and melt
• Mac and Cheese with a dash of mustard.

Red Leicester Cheese Recipes FAQS

Red Leicester Cheese Recipes Round-Up

We hope you’ve learnt a little more about Red Leicester, it’s origins as well as have an insight into some pretty simple recipes you can make with it. It’s unique yet mild flavour is perfect for melting on toast, adding to mash, a tart or simply enjoying it with some crackers and a good glass of wine. It’s pretty versatile and is great for party snacks like cheese and pineapple sticks, which everyone loves! If you’re doing food preparation for veegtarians or are a vegetarian yourself, remember to check that it doesn’t contain any animal rennet. How ever you choose to have your Red Leicester, enjoy!

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• A Local’s Historic Guide to Leicester
• The Ultimate Local’s Guide to Leicester
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• The best independent places for brunch in Leicester City Centre

À bientôt

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