Calling all vegans, Cathedral City has launched its first plant-based cheese

The vegan cheddar is available in block, grated and sliced forms

Top off your pizzas or fill your sandwiches with the new launch (The Independent)

Vegans, rejoice: one of the nation’s favourite cheese companies, Cathedral City, has finally launched plant-based cheddar – and we couldn’t be more pleased.

Hitting shop shelves in block, grated and sliced form, the new range is the brand’s first foray into vegan products. Cathedral City has concocted the formula using a combination of coconut oil and potato starch, with the flavour said to be based on the brand’s classic creamy cheddar cheese.

“Demand for free-from alternatives is soaring but for some shoppers, such as flexitarians, there hasn’t been an offering which is good enough to encourage them to purchase regularly,” said Cathedral City head of marketing Neil Stewart in The Grocer. He added that the range has “a delicious and unrivalled flavour and texture.”

With the plant-based cheese market worth £40.2 million and such products bought by nearly seven per cent of UK households, it’s no surprise Cathedral City has decided to meet the growing demand.

From topping off your pizzas with gratings to adding some cheesy goodness to your sandwiches with the pre-sliced packet, veganism has never sounded so good. Available now in Tesco stores across the UK, here’s your debrief on the plant-based Cathedral City cheddar cheese.

Cathedral City plant-based cheddar: £3.60, Tesco.com – in store now

(Cathedral City)

Riffing off the leading cheese brand’s classic cheddar cheese, Cathedral City’s plant-based block is said to have the same delicious mature-cheddar taste. Touted to be creamy, smooth and full of flavour, it includes a combination of coconut oil and potato starch. Just like Cathedral City’s bestselling cheddars, the plant-based cheese is also available in grated (£2.30) and sliced forms (£2.30).

The vegan range is yet to be made available online but you can shop the products at Tesco stores across the country – so be sure to add a block to this week’s shopping list.

Available in store now

If you’re shopping online, there are plenty of other tempting options in our round-up of best vegan cheeses.

Nettle macadamia white, 150g: £12.50, Abelandcole.co.uk

(IndyBest)

Earning the top spot in our vegan cheese round-up, our tester said the cheese is “luxuriously creamy” and “transported them back to their pre-vegan days.” Made from a cashew and macadamia nut blend, the “rich, soft cheese is perfect for spreading on crusty seeded bread.” The best bit? The cubes are studded with “delicious” tangy black peppercorns.

Buy now

Ilchester vegan melting mature, 200g: £2, Sainsburys.co.uk

(IndyBest)

Our favourite cheddar alternative came courtesy of Ilchester, thanks to the formula’s ability to melt and its familiar cheddar twang. “We used this block shredded in a bechamel sauce for macaroni cheese, and although grating was not that straightforward because it tended to crumble quite easily, the flavour was spot on,” our tester said.

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Nush natural almond cream cheese style spread, 150g: £2.50, Ocado.com

(IndyBest)

If your preference is for a soft cheese, Nush’s almond and live culture cream cheese impressed our tester. “The absence of coconut milk is welcome, because Nush’s almond and live culture cream cheese is milder in taste, lighter and more closely resembles the traditional dairy product,” they said, before concluding it’s a “moreish delight.”

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Honestly Tasty the full collection: £31.50, Honestlytasty.co.uk

(IndyBest)

Those looking to seriously indulge, Honestly Tasty’s cheese board is perfect for your next plant-based dinner party. “There is no scrimping on choice here – included are imposter-camembert sham, gorgonzola-style blue, smooth herbi and spreadable mature-cheddar-alternative ‘ched spread’,” our tester said. The flavours are “sublime” and our reviewer challenged anyone in a blind taste test to detect the difference between herbi and Boursin. “We think it would be impossible,” they said.

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Looking for more plant-based inspiration? We’ve rounded up all the best vegan products