Macroom
€3.20 for 125g or €25.60 per kg
Highs: For the sake of full disclosure, Pricewatch should reveal that we have actually visited the cheesemakers behind this product and stood cheek by hairy jowl with the buffalos that product the milk that make the cheese. The visit, several years back, is – quite literally – the only connection we have with the brand. Now, where were we? Oh yes, the highs. This product is quite simply excellent. It is beautifully creamy and salty and – we reckon – could easily go toe to toe with any buffalo mozzarella produced anywhere in the world – even Italy. We also love the fact that it is an Irish-made product and was born out of the vision of one man who decided to raise a herd of buffalo to his farm in Macroom.
Lows: While we love the product and it is clearly the best of the cheeses reviewed this week, there is no escaping the fact that it is the most expensive one tested.
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Verdict: Excellent but…
Star rating: * * * *
Specially Selected from Aldi
€2:19 for 125g €17:52 per kg
Highs: If any cheese lovers out there notice a similarity between this own-brand product from Aldi and the branded product from Macroom it will be because it is effectively the same cheese made with milk from the same herd of buffalo to the same exacting standards. The Cork makers supply the German discounters with cheese which – because of economies of scale – it can afford to sell at a significant discount. The reason we are including two of what is arguably the same product on the page this week is to highlight how far own-brand has come in recent years and how it is possible to get high-end products at comparatively low prices because of the relationships that the German retailers have forged with small producers across the country. If there were ever a product that was worth making a detour to Aldi for then it would be this one.
Lows: You will be able to get it only in Aldi and there may not be one close to you. And even if there is one close to you and you do pop in to get the cheese you will have to run the gauntlet of the middle aisle and could well find yourself coming of the shop with the cheese in one hand and a leaf blower and pop-up jacuzzi in the other.
Verdict: Excellent, no buts.
Star rating: *****
Creamfields Mozzarella
0.59 cent for 125g €4.72 per kg
Highs: If price was all that mattered than this little ball of cheese swimming in salty water would be the hands-down winner every time. It is very, very cheap and if you were looking for something to throw on a pizza or to use in a sandwich where it had a bit part to play, then you’d probably be okay with this. The makers – Tesco, as it happens – promise us a “delicate taste” and when it comes to flavour it is certainly pretty delicate.
Lows: A less kind word than delicate might be tasteless. There main reason this is so cheap is that it is made with cow’s milk and, like all mozzarella cheese made to these specifications, it does not taste anywhere near as good as the real deal. The texture is all wrong too and instead of bursting with creamy goodness when introduced to a knife as you might expect, it cuts like a pretty solid mass. To be fair, the same criticism could be levelled at many other cheeses of this type that sell for a lot more.
Verdict: Not good
Star rating: * *
Castelli Mozzarella di Bufala Campana
€2.49 for 125g €19.92 per kg
Highs: This is the only mozzarella we trialled to actually come from what it arguably the home of the stuff in Italy. It also has the three-lettered acronym to prove it is the real deal. It deserves some credit for having travelled all the way from Italy with a price tag that is less than the locally-produced alternatives. It also tastes grand. Will it blow your socks off – in so far as any fairly runny salty cheese can every blow your socks off? No, it won’t. Will it be out of place in a caprese salad of a hot summers day? No.
Lows: It is not as creamy as its rivals from west Cork and lacks just a little bit when it comes to flavour too.
Verdict: Grand
Star rating: * * *
