A simple recipe for world famous Applewood cheese

I’ll be honest, Applewood cheese is a new discovery for me. Of course I’d come across it before but I’d never cooked with it, or indeed bought it for the larder.

I’m always intrigued to learn the history of the cheese and I was curious to see if it would stand the historic test against many of the amazing cheeses we have in Yorkshire.

Created about 40 years ago, Applewood cheese was first produced in Ilchester, deep in the heart of Somerset.

It is made using a traditional hand-turned farmhouse cheddar, with a delicate smoky flavour and a lovely smooth texture, all finished with a dusting of paprika for good measure, making it an ideal ingredient in these Applewood cheese and roasted red pepper palmiers.

Applewood & Red Pepper Palmiers

 Ingredients – Makes 20

  • 500g pack puff pastry
  • 125g Applewood, grated
  • 100g mild piquanté peppers (or roasted) from a jar, drained and roughly chopped
  • Flour for rolling

 Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven 200oC, 180oC fan, gas mark 6.
  2. Roll the pastry out into a large rectangle on a lightly floured surface.
  3. Scatter over the grated Applewood and the chopped peppers.
  4. Roll up one edge of the pastry into the centre, then repeat with the opposite edge so they meat in the middle.
  5. Cut into 20 even slices and place on a greased or lined baking tray.
  6. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden.