Nothing says base level comfort like unapologetically white bread layered with a thick wedge of cheddar cheese. Maybe you’re shoving it under the grill and waiting for gooey perfection. Maybe you’re reliving your sixth-form-packed-lunch days and chasing a hastily fashioned sandwich with a Penguin bar and a stolen cigarette.
Either way, that first bite of cheddar-y goodness provides a zen-like calm none of your mindfulness techniques or yoga headstands can ever come close to matching.
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But it seems that trusty old cheddar, the hard cheese originating from the Somerset village of the same name, may be falling out of favour with British consumers.
Figures released today from market research agency Mintel show that UK purchases of cheddar cheese fell by 5 percent between July 2014 and the following year. Sales have also declined over the past two years, falling from 187 million kilograms in 2013 to an estimated 181 million kilograms in 2015.
While Mintel found that 70 percent of Britons still see cheddar as a versatile ingredient in their favourite dishes (you can’t have cauliflower cheese without … cheese), few would allow it a place on their after-dinner cheese board. Only one in eight of those surveyed said that cheddar was a “good cheese for special occasions.” In comparison, soft continental cheeses like Brie and Camembert were seen by over a third as cheeses suitable for celebrations.
Similarly, Mintel noted that while the past two years have seen sales of cheddar suffer, so-called “recipe cheeses” like feta and other British varieties including Red Leicester had enjoyed a rise in volume sales. Mintel senior food analyst Richard Ford said that this may be down to Brits seeking more unusual ways of getting their dairy fix.
In a statement, he said: “On the whole, the cheese category is expected to see only slight volume growth in 2015, largely due to the largest segment—cheddar’s—lacklustre performance. In contrast, strong sales from recipe and territorial cheeses suggests consumers may be seeking greater variety in their cheese purchases.”
Mintel found that the vast majority of those buying cheddar are aged 65 and over, with 90 percent of this demographic saying that they had bought cheddar in the three months leading to July 2015, compared with 74 percent of those under 35.
This may be down to that very Millennial obsession with food fads and consciously “wacky” dishes (remember Cronut burgers?) Over half of those surveyed by Mintel agreed that they would be interested in seeing recipes that use cheese in “unusual” ways and 31 percent said that they would like block cheddar flavoured with premium ingredients such as truffle. Worryingly, a quarter of people also said that mayonnaise-flavoured cheese would appeal to them.
Ford added: “Across the board, the cheese market is witnessing a period of change. For example, our research indicates that a number of consumers are switching from block cheese to sliced and grated formats. To encourage younger consumers to buy more cheddar, operators need to bring more excitement to the table.”
It’s not all bad news for cheddar. Despite the decline in volume sales, the trusty cheese is still Britain’s most widely brought type of cheese and is estimated to make up 48 percent of UK cheese sales in 2015.
And while that flat orange square may not be “premium” or “exciting” enough for your Instagram account, we’re pretty sure cheddar on toast tastes a lot nicer than anything supposedly truffle flavoured.
