I have heard nothing but good things about the Applewood Vegan cheese, so I was VERY excited when I managed to find a packet in my local Tesco! Granted, it is the smokey cheese variety, but who am I to say no to potentially cheesy vegan cheese??
Now I was never a fan of hard cheeses – like I would never be the type of person who could chow down on some cheese and crackers. But that being said I have always loved cheese on toast, mac and cheese and – of course – pizza, so naturally I appreciate a very good melty cheese.
Now vegan cheeses have always had the issue of never melting like your regular cheeses do, or if they do melt, they then cool down and harden into some strange rubbery texture. They always taste great, but the texture can be hard to get past. In my experience I find that the pre-shredded cheese alternatives tend to melt way better, but they are also usually more expensive and never last as long as a hard block would.
That being said, this cheese was on the more expensive end (£3 in my store) but it was worth it! This stuff tastes exactly like smokey cheese does and – more importantly – melts like a dream. We used in our mac and cheese recipe and it actually made the cheese sauce have that satisfying stringy effect to it.