Cornish Yarg with Grape - 8.5/10

Ingredients:

Fresh baked Farmhouse Multiseeded loaf hand cut into think slices

Cornish Yarg

Sliced Red Grapes

Spinach, Rocket & Watercress Salad

Scores:

Cheese : 8.5/10 – A unique cheese. Soft and creamy on the outside to crumbly in the centre with a slightly tangy mouldy flavour from the nettle leaf rind. A first for me and one I'll be repeating!

Cheese/Bread : 8.5/10 – The bread gave a wonderful base to the delicate flavour of the cheese

Cheese/Condiment : 8.5/10 – The soft creamy areas of the Yarg make me think of a firm Brie and the grapes/ mixed leaves complimented this perfectly

Build Quality : 8.5/10

Overall Flavour : 8.5/10 – A really well balanced sandwich with a lovely interplay of flavours

Final Score : 8.5/10

Real Yorkshire Wensleydale with Apple & Fig Chutney - 8.3/10

Ingredients:

Fresh baked Farmhouse Multiseeded loaf hand cut into think slices

Real Yorkshire Wensleydale

Baxters Granny Smith Apple, Fig & Cider Chutney

Scores:

Cheese : 8/10 – Not quite as crumbly in texture or tangy in flavour as I was expecting but a delicious cheese with a delicate flavour nonetheless

Cheese/Bread : 8.5/10 – The bread gave a wonderful base to the delicate flavour of the cheese

Cheese/Condiment : 8.5/10 – Wensleydale and apple is a classic adding the fig takes it to a whole new level. A great combination

Build Quality : 8.5/10 – Wensleydale is one of the hardest cheeses to keep in a sandwich! Thankfully thick slices and a soft texture kept the sandwich together despite its crumbly texture

Overall Flavour : 8/10 – A nicely balanced sandwich with a lovely interplay of flavours

Final Score : 8.3/10

Shropshire Blue & Branston Pickle - 8.8/10

Ingredients:

Fresh baked Farmhouse Multiseeded loaf hand cut into think slices

Shropshire Blue

Branston Pickle (Small Chunk)

Spinach, Rocket & Watercress Salad

Scores:

Cheese : 9.5/10 – Seriously good blue cheese similar to Stilton but coloured with Annatto and with a creamier texture. One of my personal favourites

Cheese/Bread : 8.5/10 – A hearty Granary style bread combining with a creamy yet tangy cheese will always be a winner in my book!

Cheese/Condiment : 9.5/10 – Blue cheese and Branston Pickle will always have a Ploughmans feel to it. This combination is very hard to beat

Build Quality : 8.5/10 - Thick slices and a soft texture kept the sandwich together

Overall Flavour : 8/10 – A fantastic sandwich marred only by the over enthusiastic use of the salad leaves. Whilst the peppery watercress added a welcome highlight there were simply too many leaves in this sandwich and it clearly suffered as a result. The classic blue cheese/pickle combination kept the score high nonetheless

Final Score : 8.8/10

Vintage Mature Cheddar & Branston Pickle on Farmhouse White - 6.5/10

Ingredients:

Fresh baked Farmhouse White loaf hand cut into think slices

Pilgrim's Choice Vintage Mature Cheddar – Grated

Branston Pickle

Lurpak Spreadable

Scores:

Cheese : 8.5/10 - Strong cheese with a firm 'just crumbly' texture that melts in the mouth forming a lovely creamy paste. As this happens the 'bite' appears which is sharp and powerful but not overpowering

Cheese/Bread : 1/10 - Nothing there! The cheese completely overpowered the bread which just became a sticky glutinous mush. A substantial Granary would have been much better

Cheese/Condiment : 9.5/10 - A classic that is hard to beat. Only the small chunk version which gives a more consistent flavour per bite could have scored more

Build Quality : 8.5/10 - Thanks to thick slices and a softer texture the bread held up well helping to keep the filling from falling out

Overall Flavour : 5/10 - Would have scored much higher if the bread had factored more in the flavour and the Lurpak wasn't used

Final Score : 6.5/10

Tasting notes:

I'm of the opinion that adding fat to a sandwich ie. butter or margarine lessens your ability to actually taste the cheese and generally it should not be used at all

This was clearly the case here and the sandwich became a rather bland affair which was only broken by the use of the pickle

Whilst from a personal taste preference it lessened my enjoyment of the sandwich the fat was used here in order to help create a known benchmark that many readers will have experienced.

From this and other benchmarks to follow, a better understanding of the scoring system can be achieved and therefore future, more adventurous, sandwiches can be judged more effectively

Scoring System

I've realised that if I'm to find the perfect cheese sarnie I need a quantifiable means of comparing them
After much thought a system has been developed that should thoroughly cover the relevant areas
There are to be five areas where points can be awarded.
Each area is scored out of 10 giving a total score of 50 which will then be reduced by a factor of 5 to give a final mark out of 10

The criteria are:
Overall Flavour - The final balance of flavours is what distinguishes a great sandwich from a sub-standard one
Cheese - It's the star of the show and as such deserves it's own special mention
Cheese/Bread Compatabilty - Soft White or Hearty Granary? Sometimes a cheese needs a particular type of bread to really bring out the flavour
Cheese/Condiment Compatibilty - Sharp or Sweet? Does it over power the cheese or help cut through a cloying variety?
Build Quality - If a sandwich falls apart so you end up eating everything separately it's no longer a sandwich but bread and cheese

I'll be revisiting my earlier examples in order to give them a fair appraisal with this new scheme
I'll also be introducing tasting notes and some benchmark sandwiches such as Cheese Salad and Cheese & Pickle etc

Recipe submissions are always welcome as long as they don't involve Marmite as I believe it to be the culinary extension of the Darkside and it should not be allowed in the food chain!
For those of you who are not aware of Marmite's origins it is the waste product from beer production
As we all know Beer = Good so by default since it is a waste product Marmite must equal Bad! Simples!
And I don't want any arguments from any deranged fans of this foul smelling dark matter either. It's my Blog, I make the rules!

Also there will be no meat in any of my sandwiches since I am a Vegetarian. Actually I'd describe myself as a Vegan with a cheese addiction but that's another story...

Gorgonzola & Beetroot Pickle on Onion Bread

Ingredients:

Onion Bread
Gorgonzola
Beetroot Pickle
Mixed Leaves

Lightly toast the bread then adding the Gorgonzola grill until warm & soft but not properly melted
Spread with the Beetroot Pickle and add the mixed leaves

Enjoy!

Halloumi & Sundried Tomato Ciabatta

Ingredients:

Ciabatta
Halloumi
Sundried Tomato's
Rocket
Pesto
Balsamic Dressing

Lightly toast the Ciabatta and grill the Halloumi
Chop the Sundried Tomato
Spread the Pesto on the now warm Ciabatta
Build the sandwich with the Halloumi, Rocket & Sundried Tomato
And finally drizzle with Balsamic Dressing

Enjoy!