Pilgrims Choice Cheddar Cheese review and recipes

I received some free vouchers to purchase 2 blocks of Pilgrims Choice cheese. This is a brand that I have previously blogged about their Cheese Crumbles and Pick n Mix.

They also emailed me a very interesting sounding recipe for an apple pie with Pilgrims Choice cheese in the pastry. I have always made sweet pastry for fruit pies, but decided to give this variant a try. You may see the original recipe online  here. I have adapted it slightly.

Cheesy Apple Pie

Cheesy Apple Pie

Ingredients (serves 6)

For the pastry:
225g plain flour – sieved
50g margarine
75g dripping
75g Pilgrims Choice Mature Cheddar
3 tbsp cold water

For the filling:
700g Bramley apples
200g Spartan apples
50g granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon

20ml milk

Method

Preheat fan oven to 200 deg C.
Soften the dripping at room temperature.
Grate the Pilgrims Choice cheese.
Put the flour, margarine and dripping into a mixing bowl.
Rub the fat into the flour with your fingertips until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Add the grated Pilgrims Choice cheese and enough water to make a soft dough.
Knead it for a minute or so.
Then cover bowl and put in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.
Roll out half the pastry to approx 30cm in diameter to line the base and sides of a 23cm diameter pie dish.
Trim the edges and keep the trimmings for decorating the pie top.
Roll out the remaining pastry.
Peel, quarter and core the apples.
Slice the apple quarters and pile them into the pie.
Sprinkle with the sugar and cinnamon.
Brush the rim of the pastry base with a little of the milk.
Carefully put the lid on the top of the filled base.
Press the edges together to get a good seal all round, then trim using a knife.
Knead the trimmings back together and roll out and cut into leaf shapes.
Make a small hole in the centre of the pastry lid with a skewer (this is to let the steam escape).
Brush the top of the pie with milk.
Then arrange the leaves on top and brush leaves with milk too.
Place on a baking tray and bake in the centre of the oven for 10 minutes.
Then reduce the fan oven temperature to 170 deg C and cook for approx 40 minutes until golden brown.
Serve either hot with custard or cold with cream.
Enjoy.

We all loved this apple pie. I will make this again. And here are some other dishes I made using Pilgrims Choice Mature Cheddar Cheese

Chicken pasta pie

Chicken pasta pie
Ingredients (makes 9 slices)

250g pasta (macaroni or penne)
100g Pilgrims Choice Mature Cheddar Cheese
4 eggs
50g cooked chicken
50g frozen sweetcorn
150 ml milk
salt and pepper

Method

Preheat fan oven to 180 deg C.
Grease a 20cm square baking dish.
Cook pasta according to packet instructions and drain.
Shred the chicken.
Whisk together the eggs and milk.
Season with salt and pepper.
Grate and add the Pilgrims Choice cheese.
Stir in the pasta, chicken and sweetcorn and transfer to baking dish.
Cook covered for 35-40 mins until set and brown on top.
Cut into 9 squares.
Serve either hot or cold and enjoy.

You may use other vegetables like grated courgette in this dish. It works really nicely with bacon and tomato as an alternative variant too. It is a bit like a pasta filled quiche without the pastry.

Tuna, cheese & sweetcorn quiche

Tuna, Cheese & Sweetcorn Quiche

Ingredients (serves 4-6)

1 pastry case
60g tinned tuna
50g Pilgrims Choice Mature Cheddar Cheese (grated)
50g frozen sweetcorn
4 eggs
10g pumpkin seeds
salt and pepper

Method

Preheat fan oven to 180 deg C.
Grate the Pilgrims Choice cheese.
Mix tuna and sweetcorn together and put in base of pastry case.
Cover with grated Pilgrims Choice cheese.
Crack the eggs into a jug and beat with a fork.
Season egg mixture with salt and pepper.
Pour egg mixture into the pastry case.
Decorate with pumpkin seeds.
Cook in centre of preheated oven for 20-30 minutes until well-set.
Serve either hot or cold.
Enjoy.

I used a shop-bought pastry case, but if you prefer to make your own pastry, you will need to bake it blind first.

Nachos

Nachos

Ingredients (serves 2 adults and 2 children)

225g bag of tortilla chips
325g jar of salsa
100g Pilgrims Choice Mature Cheddar Cheese

Method

Preheat fan oven to 180 deg C.
Grate the Pilgrims Choice cheese.
Tip the tortilla chips onto a baking tray.
Cover with salsa.
Cover with grated cheese.
Bake for 5-7 minutes until the cheese is nicely melted.
Serve and enjoy.

I make Nachos fairly frequently as it is one of son1’s favourite dishes.

Pilgrims Choice currently retails at most major supermarkets but does vary widely in price according to MySupermarket, from £2 to £5 for a 350g pack, due to special offers. The packs reseal for freshness. I thought it was a great cheese for using in my cooking and it grates well without crumbling. But I won’t be able to use Pilgrims Choice to make sandwiches for the boys as they only like mild cheese uncooked and there isn’t a mild block in this range.

Here are the links to my previous posts using Pilgrims Choice products.
Asparagus Frittata
Pilgrims Choice Crumbles review and meals
Pilgrims Choice Pick N Mix

Disclosure.  This post is a review of products I received for free.  All opinions are my own.