Tesco toasts Christmas with ‘adventurous’ cheeses range

Migraine sufferers beware, Tesco is launching your worst nightmare – Cheddar cheese with chocolate chips.

The product, which is available this week from Tesco delicatessen counters, is just one of a range of “speciality cheeses” the store is introducing. Others include mature Cheddar sandwiched together with fruitcake, Stilton with cherries, and pineapple and orange-flavoured cheese.

Although intended as a Christmas line, Tesco says that if the range proves successful it will become available all year round.

A spokeswoman adds: “We always like to be innovative and it really doesn’t taste as bad as I thought it would.”

Tesco will be gauging consumer reaction with a sampling campaign at the BBC Good Food Show this month.

The UK cheese market is worth 1bn and is dominated by traditional favourite Cheddar, which has a market share of 58 per cent by value, according to a recent St Ivel cheese report.