Good Evening Cheesy1’s,
Every once in a while I like to pick up a random cheese for the site and this time I picked up two Camembert to do a Cheesy1 VS challenge. This is a new concept and will continue on forward with the aim to perhaps build up to a bigger spectacle. I recently visited our local Bookers Wholesale and I was intrigued by how much their cheese selection has grown from individual cheeses to 1 kg+ pieces to cut & wrap for shops. While I was there I picked up these two camemberts the first being a Trevarrian Cornish Camembert and the second a Royal Ermitage Petit Camembert. Having tried the brie’s from these two creameries before I thought I would level up to camembert.
Trevarrian Cornish Camembert
Appearance: This is the thicker of the two with a cleaner & fluffier white mould. It is more golden in its central paste with a generally more appetising look. It’s not as rustic looking as the French and doesn’t develop an oozing paste more a slight bulge.
Taste: When put into your mouth it feels light & creamy which soon fills the mouth with a buttery & rich paste. Not to earthy or dirty on the rind and complements the overall flavour with a mild button mushroom taste. The milk used is fresh as it makes you salivate for another bite. This tastes far nicer than the Royal Camembert and is cleaner, creamier & more rounded flavour.
Texture: It has a slight bite and isn’t as soft or developed into paste. It stills has some further ripening to achieve that but overall it’s a very pleasant melt in the mouth camembert. I quite enjoy having the slightly chalky edge in the centre because with a smooth paste towards rind which is creamy & the chalky centre which is sharper complements & balances well together.
Aroma: The mould on the rind has a clean & not to pungent aroma with the cheese itself having a very subtle & hardly noticeable aroma. I can barely pick up the hint of butter/milk and blindfolded you would be hard pressed to tell.
Overall Score: 7/10
I enjoyed this cheese but it has some way to go to beat Butler’s Button Mill. I would have no problems serving this at a dinner party baked or on board. It is a very pleasant, well-rounded camembert and is my winner of the challenge. The French has a very unpleasant back note which raises questions in my mind about production, whereas I can taste the quality of milk in the Cornish and has a creamy desirable aftertaste.
Royal Ermitage Petit Camembert
Appearance: This cheese is rustic looking and doesn’t have a clean coverage of white mould. The centre has an oozing paste which looks appetising but the colour is paler and a more washed out golden colour.
Taste: Unfortunately this cheese really falls down here as I find the taste extremely unpleasant. It has a combination of a nutty note & coffee with no redeeming creaminess. There is a sharp & bitter almost metallic note on the taste which makes me question its production method. I wouldn’t buy this again or feel happy to give this to guests as it just isn’t a pleasant cheese. Having researched this cheese online I can’t help but think that maybe the particular batch I tried isn’t good or something happened during transportation.
Texture: It has the typical texture you would expect a running oozy paste which in the mouth melts down nicely. It has a good mouth feel which helps make it a better cheese but can’t make it taste any better unfortunately.
Aroma: This has the strongest & most pungent aroma of the two but fills the room with the strong earthy smell. It isn’t unpleasant and is the characteristic that you desire in a good camembert. It certainly walks all over the Cornish in terms of aroma.
Overall Score: 4/10
I have given this a very low score but that is down to its taste which was beyond disappointing. It just didn’t taste good and I couldn’t go back for more whereas the Cornish Camembert had me going back for a 2nd & 3rd piece while writing. In this taste test I just couldn’t rate the Royal Ermitage Camembert.
The Winner is the Trevarrian Cornish Camembert!
There you have it Cheesy1’s we have a winner and if you would like to purchase some then check out their website to find a stockist. Thats all for now and look out for the next Cheesy1 VS challenge in the coming months!
The Cheesy1
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