Nutcrafter Creamery Cheese Review, by The Gourmet Vegan

Just nuts about Nutcrafter

My personal wish would be that all cheeses were plant based because, and with honesty, I used to enjoy cheese to a point I couldn’t get enough of it. When I first became vegan I lived in Spain. Vegan cheese alternatives were not available and the kind of stuff you tried to make at home never resembled cheese in either taste or texture. I totally get why so many vegans struggle with the whole cheese thing!

These days, and now living back in the UK, many companies manufacture vegan cheese alternatives and there is a wide range of choice. However, the most important thing you need to know as I start this review is that these products are not cheese alternatives at all. These are plant based cheeses that are handcrafted and fermented using acidophilus cultures in a similar process to the manufacturing of dairy cheeses, and therefore the results are the most amazing textured cheeses that taste fantastic.

Just before I get too carried away with the review and forget to mention it, you’ll be blown away by the packaging. The soft cheeses are wrapped in greaseproof paper and are housed in their own metallic boxes which immediately show you that you have a product of true quality. The mozzarella comes in a strong plastic container to hold the liquid in which it has been brined. It is clear that Nutcrafter Creamery take pride in the entire process of bringing us their cheeses, down to the finest points of making the packaging speak positively of its contents.

I tried 3 of the cheeses available from the range. The Rebellious – Aged Roasted Garlic, The Decadent – Aged Scottish Dulse and The Irresistible – Fresh Italian Mozzarella Style. I have to start by saying that all three of these cheeses definitely do hit the spot when it comes to taste.

The Rebellious – Aged Roasted Garlic has the most incredible taste and texture. This is a strong cheese, creamy but not too soft, which is interspersed with small chunks of gooey organic roasted garlic. I had trouble stopping myself from eating the whole wheel. This is a cashew nut cheese which provides the most sensational nutty and smoky aftertaste that leaves you wanting to go back for more. That’s a sign of true quality and an understanding of how to balance the flavours during manufacture.

The Decadent – Aged Scottish Dulse is truly something special. The amazing depth of flavour is provided by the dulce which also gives this cheese a wonderful umami punch. When it comes to taste, the cheese is delicate and far from overpowering. This is matched with the enjoyable mouth-feel of the cheese, and this is truly where you start to appreciate that these are artisan cheeses, carefully crafted to ensure you have the very best you can find in the non-dairy cheese market.

The Irresistible – Fresh Italian Mozzarella Style is quite simply genius. Visit their site and you are told “Our Irresistible is a fresh, soft, semi-elastic textured meltable cashew cheese. This is the only product that, like its milk counterpart, is slow heated to a point where it can be stretched and formed into various shapes (“pasta filata”). This gives the snowy white fresh no-buffalo mozzarella a mild yet slightly sour taste. The texture is soft and moist.” And they are not exaggerating, not at all. If you thought enjoying mozzarella was a thing of the past, then think again. This tastes incredible. They haven’t called it irresistible by chance. As I said, truly genius.

I tested the cheeses smoothed onto salted and non-salted crackers. I also tried them with celery and grapes (a classic pairing) and to be frank, you’ll find it hard to tell the difference from these and a traditional soft dairy cheese. In fact, if you’re anything like my partner who is not vegan, you’ll find these even better. Believe me, if my partner tells me that these taste better than dairy cheeses then that is a biggie! For me, when it comes to cultured nut cheeses, I don’t think I’ve tasted better!

I also did some quick cooking tests that would normally call for the use of traditional dairy cheeses. I would say that these cheeses can work well in mostly all recipes that called for traditional cheeses. I have experimented a little and I have developed some new recipes using these cheeses. Keep an eye out for these to be on the site in the very near future.

Finally, it goes without saying, that from the packaging to the product, these cheeses are a winner and should take pride of place in every vegan household.