Cheese of the week: Double Gloucester

Name: Double Gloucester & Double Gloucester with Chive

Brand: Amber Valley

Place of Purchase: (Plain) Fareway Grocery in Ames, Iowa & (Chive) Wheatsfield Organic Co-op in Ames, Iowa

Country/Region of Origin: Product of England

Price in Iowa: (Plain) $11.99/lb & (Chive) $12.12/lb

Milk: unpasteurized cow

Processing: double cream milk, extra aging for a stronger flavor

Texture: semi-hard

Color: orange

Rind: natural, with some mold

Aroma: mild, but tangy, dairy

Taste: rich and tangy

Mouth feel: creamy, but firm. Does not "melt in your mouth," but offers a yielding satiny firmness

Notes: I tried a plain and a chive infused double gloucester. The photo is the chive, since the plain was so good that we ate most of it before I remembered to take a photo. The plain was good, like a very fatty Colby or mild Cheddar. Something magical happened with the Chive Double Gloucester, though. The herby spark of the chives blended perfectly with the flavors of the cheese and created something quite extraordinary. There are other varieties of Gloucester, including Huntsman which is a layered cheese with Gloucester and Stilton. That, sounds like a match I'd like to sample.