A $20 piece of cheese

Wensleydale Cheese is Delicious

I made a truly shocking discovery this weekend. There exists in the world cheese that costs $20 per pound, and I like it! I mean I really like it although it’s wildly impractical. Wensleydale cheese with cranberries is one of the tastiest things I have tried since I discovered the almond croissants at Trader Joes, and I am mad about a few things — that it took me this long to discover it, the price is ridiculous, and I really want to buy some despite the ridiculous price.

The Fresh Market is Slick

I love the Fresh Market. I love everything about the place. The variety and quality of foods, the classical music that is usually playing in the background, and I especially love the free samples that they were giving out over the weekend. I was just there a couple of days ago for red velvet cupcakes when I saw that they were having a sampling event over the weekend with specials on some of the featured products – not a bad way to pass part of the afternoon.

Hooked by a Sample of $20 Cheese

There I was happily trying out the pasta salad, the Cajun crab dip and the bread and olive oil when I strolled past the cheese counter. Eh, I can take it or leave cheese so I was not all that pressed to sample any of it. There was some Manchego set out on a tray and it was nothing special. Then I noticed that the cheese person (or whatever you call the person who slices and displays the cheese) was wrapping some cheese that had fruit in it. It looked good, but this special cheese was not available on the sample tray. Undaunted by it not being one of the advertised freebies, a friend asked the cheeseman for a sample, and we were both rationed two small cubes of cheese that were truly delicious.

I cannot describe how good that cheese was! It was a soft and creamy, and the cranberries added a bit of sweetness and texture. That cheese was pure happiness in dairy form. That cheese was the edible equivalent for finding a cute pair of shoes in your size on clearance with an additional percentage being taken off that reduced price. I had to know the name of this fabulous cheese and was ready to buy some to take home. Then cheeseman said that it was Wensleydale Cheese with cranberries, and nonchalantly mentioned that it cost $19.99 per pound. The very small wedge that I picked up was $9.60 and was smaller than a deck of cards. Now I am no bumpkin– I realize that some of these fancy joints charge exorbitant amounts for even the smallest things, but $20 per pound for cheese was shocking.

I could not wrap my head around that price, so I checked online and learned that this cheese is imported from Yorkshire England and was first made by Cistercian Monks in 1150. For all that, if I am paying $20 per pound for cheese, it needs to grate itself, boil the macaroni, pre-heat the oven, make the cheese sauce and bake itself at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Hours later, I was still thinking about that cheese and how much it cost. Do you know what you can get for $20?

• 1/3 of a tank of gas
• 1 pound of crab legs
• 1 Pack of 16″ Wet & Wavy Human Hair
• Three pairs of Jockey underwear (the combo pack)
• A tube of Mac Tinted Lipglass
• 1 Bottle of Jose Cuervo

Unlike the cheese, half those things are necessities that will last more than a few minutes. The cheeseman offered to cut a smaller piece for me to make the price more reasonable, but it still would have been $20 per pound, and that I cannot do. I can always  start a campaign on gofundme if I really just have to try that cheese again. Either that or take out a small home equity loan for that and a tank of gas.