Baaaattle of the sheep’s cheese: Manchego vs. Ossau Iraty

Two types of sheep’s cheese—one Spanish, one French. Which would ewe choose?

Manchego is the most popular sheep’s cheese, and with good reason. It originates from the La Mancha region of Spain, south-east of Madrid, where dutiful Manchego sheep produce thick milk, which explains the uniquely rich flavour characteristic of this semi-hard cheese.

Taste the Difference Manchego

I tried Sainsbury’s Spanish Manchego, Taste the Difference; I could certainly taste the difference! Nutty, smooth and seriously moreish— the Ferrero Rocher of cheese—I could have easily eaten the entire block, slice by delicious slice.

I felt compelled to make a strange sort of risotto with this gorgeous Spanish specimen. (Even the recipe I adapted has risotto in inverted commas).

Olive, edamame bean, cabbage and Manchego 'risotto'

Odd as it looks atop garish purple cabbage, the Manchego rose to the occasion, adding a welcome creaminess. And in my view, any dish that involves lashings of butter and wine can never go far wrong. Man, I love Manchego 5/5.

It’s a tough act to follow, and Ossau Iraty is no pushover. Produced in the south-western part of France in Aquitaine, it’s one of only a handful of sheep’s cheeses to boast the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC), the highest possible protection of origin. Plus, it’s a two-time winner of the best cheese in the world title at the World Cheese Awards.

Ossau Iraty 

With such an impressive CV, Ossau has every reason to be revered. It’s slightly firmer and paler than Manchego, yet the flavour is stronger, less nutty, and the texture is smoother. I ate it melted on toast with some fruity chutney, and it was perfectly palatable. That being said, I didn’t feel a desire to scoff the whole wedge, as I had experienced with the Manchego. Ossau alrighty 3/5.

About thyme

I’m not great at baking. When I recently attempted some fairly innocuous sundried tomato biscuits, I burnt them so badly I put them into a vase on a mantelpiece and mourned them (slight exaggeration, and I don't have a mantelpiece but you get the idea).

Happily, a few weeks ago, I tried a different (cheesy) recipe and the result was edible. In fact, it was crunchy, creamy, thyme flavours emerged, garlic was subtle. It tasted good! Admittedly, the stakes were higher this time as I had guests round, so a disaster would have been a lil embarrassing.

You might ask, what was this miraculous baking achievement? A tomato, thyme and goat’s cheese tart no less, inspired by The Guardian’s marvellous list of 10 best goat’s cheese recipes. As one of my favourite cheeses, this list is a real gem.

Tomato, thyme and goat’s cheese tart

The recipe uses ready-rolled puff pastry, so most of the hard work is already done. And if a baking novice like me can master this, then it must surely be foolproof.  I’d just caution that the tart would suit a maximum of four people rather than six for a main course, as it’s very light.

As for the other nine recipes on the list, I may well surf the wave of goat’s cheese baking success and attempt the rest. Watch this goat, I mean space.