We are in the middle of the 2023 FreeFrom Food Awards* judging season and Thursday was the day for dairy free/vegan cheese. I was not present at the judging so I have no idea what the judges thought of the entries. But I did find a whole stack of remains in my fridge after everyone had gone home.
Without wishing to bore you with my recollections, when I first got involved with freefrom food back in the last century, a block of dairy free cheese bore a much closer resemblance to a chunk of polystyrene than it did to a hunk of cheddar. But over the years, matters have improved dramatically – thanks to intrepid manufacturers like Bute Island who have continued to worry at the problem.
By around 2020 cream cheese, still mainly soya based and strongly flavoured, was pretty acceptable and cheese slices (usually again soya based) were getting pretty close to a standard Kraft slice. This might not have been very appealing to a cheese lover but it was hugely important for families with milk sensitive kids. As long as they were not also soya sensitive (as around 30% are) it meant that they could have a cheeese burger or cheese on toast which pretty closely resembled that of their mates.
At that point coconut oil and cashew nuts appeared on the scene; the coconut oil for the run of the mill block ‘cheddars’, the cashew nut for the more artisan cheese. The coconut oil had the advantage not only that milk sensitives who were also soya sensitive could eat it, but that the ‘cheeses’ lost that underlying soya flavour that was so difficult to eradicate. Although the early cashew nut cheeses had interesting flavours, in texture they really had not got a lot to do with conventional cheese.
So roll on 2023 and the vegan revolution…. This was the haul I collected from the fridge. I think it was most of those that were entered although I might have missed a few.
To be honest, they all compared pretty well with their equivalent dairy cheese. The slices were possibly a little dryer and denser than a dairy slice – but inside a sandwich, roll or wrap that would have been unnoticable. The same applied to both the Sainsbury FreeFrom block and the Wicked Kitchen with caramelised onion.
The Sainsbury FreeFrom Greek Style feta was really excellent. I am not a great feta lover but I would defy anyone eating that in a salad to identify it as non dairy. Likewise the Cathedral City block which is certainly the closest I have tasted to a ‘real’ farmhouse cheese. A real crumbly cheese texture and that touch of acidity that you would associate with a Lancashire or Wensleydale.
As for the two cashew cheeses – they were very impressive. However their makers have done it they have found a way to pulverise their cashews into a totally smooth paste so that you get a texture as silky smooth as you would with a rich cream-based soft cheese. The chive and garlic cream cheese had lovely fresh herbs, the Brie was gentle rather than in your face (as Brie can be) but very enjoyable.
The toasting test….
The acid test, as every mother knows, is how did they toast – both for pizza topping purposes and just on toast. I am afraid that I did not do the pizza test but I did grill four of them – clockwise from top left: Sainsbury’s FreeFrom, Applewood vegan slices, Cathedral City, Wicked Kitchen cheddar with caramelised onion.
What did I think?
- Sainsbury’s FreeFrom. It melted well and was pleasant melted if a little bland.
- Applewood vegan slices. Melted well (rather quicker than the others hence the slight incineration). Perfectly pleasant without a massive amount of flavour.
- Cathedral City. Slow to melt and didn’t look that great melted, but – was very tasty.
- Wicked Kitchen Cheddar with caramelised onion. Melted easily and well and looked great. Good flavour.
What did I think overall? Amazing. The boost that has been given to milk free cheese making by the drive for plant based, vegan foods has certainly paid off. For a cheese lover, going milk/dairy free either because of an allergy/sensitivity or for environmental reasons is definitely not the life sentence that it was a mere two or three years ago.
That said, of course these cheeses are not perfect for those living with allergies. To achieve their ‘cheesey’ flavour and texture many include maize (corn) starch, oat fibre, tapioca starch, potato starch, lentil protein or nuts – all of which are allergens in their own right. Ah well, nothing is perfect….
* The Free From Food Awards are the UK’s ONLY awards dedicated to free from food and drink – gluten free, milk free, nut free or free of any of the other 14 major allergens recognised by food authorities across Europe. Since their launch in 2008, thousands of free from products have been blind tasted by specialist judging panels. Feedback from these panels has proved instrumental in encouraging development and innovation in the free from market.
The awards are entirely independent, supported by sponsorship and entry fees only.
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