Trader Joe’s SHEEPISH PESTO CHEESE

17 Aug 2026 Leave a comment

by promacnyc in All Natural, bread, cheese, New, News, Products, Rave, review, seasonal, snacks, spices, Trader Joes, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,


LIMITED TIME (AUGUST)

Trader Joe’s SHEEPISH PESTO

A Spanish cheese made from sheep’s milk and flavored with basil pesto. It’s crafted for Trader Joe’s by a Spanish cheese maker using a sheep milk cheese which is brined and then aged for at least six months. Then they inject the cheese with an herby pesto, thoughout the cheese which you see as streaks of green all over.

“Available in our stores only for the month of August, The Sheepish Pesto makes an eye-catching and appetizing addition to any cheese board, charcuterie platter, or hors d’oeuvres table. It can be enjoyed cubed and skewered with tooth picks, sliced into triangles and savored with wine, or shaved thin and sprinkled over a leafy green salad. And for an easy entrée, try shredding it fine, melting it with butter, diced onions, and garlic, and serving over your favorite pasta with cracked pepper for a one-of-a-kind “Cacio e Pesto.”

It’s pretty bold. At first I thought the pesto had a slight tendency to overpower the cheese itself but this is an interesting cheese and quite tasty, and grew on me as I kept eating it. I can easily see this as something cheeseboard aficionados would like to add to a nice #cheeseboard as this is a bit unusual, and very tasty with lots of herby umami notes. Matches well with grapes and other fruits. Good melted too. They suggest using it for a Cacio and Pepe pasta.

LIMITED TIME (AUGUST) If it sounds like something you want to try, better hurry which it lasts

SHEEPISH PESTO $6.49 (5.3 oz)

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/products/pdp/the-sheepish-pesto-084210

(Label says don’t eat the rind. I ate some before seeing that, but it’s pretty thin so not a biggy)

PRODUCT OF SPAIN

Trader Joe’s IVY’S RESERVE SOMERSET RED CHEESE, reviewed

26 Jul 2026 2 Comments

by promacnyc in All Natural, cheese, condiments, DIY, Dried Fruits and Nuts, fresh, News, Pantry, Prices, Products, Rave, review, snacks, tea, Trader Joes, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


“Serve at room temperature for best flavor. Great addition to a cheeseboard; enjoy with an oaky Chardonnay”

RAVE

PRODUCT OF U.K.

IVY’S RESERVE SOMERSET RED is an award winning cheese, featured by Trader Joe’s sometime back as their “Spotlight Cheese”.

Is it worth buying? Here’s my honest review.

OMG is this cheese good. Just excellent. I enjoyed tasting it so much that I had to stop myself from devouring the package. “I just need one more taste”. If you haven’t tried it already, put this cheese on your list. Especially as it’s TIME LIMITED. Meaning Trader Joe’s won’t have it always, they will have it until it runs out. Hopefully they will get more then.

This is yet one more fantastic super premium Imported cheese you can buy at Trader Joe’s for a decent price. Note that this is one of those products sold under it’s own brand, not as “Trader Joe’s”. That means they really wanted it.

IVY’S RESERVE SOMERSET RED is a mature “aged cheddar” (aged over 12 months). You can see it’s crumbly. It has a mouthwatering edge of sharpness and a lot of umami with a lovely orange red color. While in the cheddar family this is specifically “Red Leicester” which is similar too but more crumbly than cheddar.

“Crafted in the style of a Red Leicester, Ivy’s Red is a special edition among Wyke Farm’s variety of Cheddars. It definitely stands out for its burnt-orange color and nutty & fruity notes, which are delivered with a firm texture that is rich, creamy, a bit tangy”

It’s a farm cheese, produced at Wyke’s Farm in Somerset, England. The label for Ivy’s Reserve Somerset Red describes it as “nutty, mellow & moreish,” More-ish is a British term that means, “having a very pleasant taste and making you want to eat more.”

Well that’s exactly the effect it had on me. I kept wanting just one more taste. When I finished my taste test, I saw a good portion of the package somehow had magically vanished 😉

Lovely deep orange color with the taste of aged authentic British cheddar. A little earthy, a little tangy. Aged over 1 year.

MELTED? Yes please. I had to try it melted, and of course this is fantastic melted. Put it in anything you can think of. I think this might make the best melted cheese sandwich? I would try that as well as an omelet perhaps?

Trader Joe’s has a picture with a cheese board and I am sure this would be a big hit on any #cheeseboard. They picture it with some some chutney, dates, nuts and crackers. Indicating how great this could contrast with the sweet spiciness of say, their MANGO CHUTNEY.

It says “LIMITED” so don’t expect to always find it but if you see it, I highly recommend trying this. At a high end cheese shop I would not be surprised to see this imported farm cheese selling for at least $20 a pound.

Trader Joe’s sell this for $5.49 (for a 7 oz piece)

GOOD WITH A PICKLE OF COURSE

Trader Joe’s QUESO FRESCO, Mexican Style Crumbling Cheese

22 May 2026 1 Comment

by promacnyc in All Natural, cheese, dairy, DIY, fresh, Mexican, Products, Rave, review, Staple, Trader Joes, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , , , ,


“Fresh and creamy, semi-soft cheese with a mild, smooth flavor”

Queso Fresco (literally translated as “fresh cheese”) is a soft, un-aged Mexican cheese made with cow’s milk. It has a bright, mildly milky, and slightly salty-tangy flavor, and is known for its crumbly texture that doesn’t melt when heated.

Trader Joe’s version of QUESO FRESCO is very tasty. A little tangy, a little salty, not too firm and not too soft. It crumbled easily between my fingers, which is the best way to prep it.

Queso Fresco is of course terrific with all Mexican foods like enchiladas or tacos but you don’t have to limit yourself to Mexican food. You could use this in many cuisines, kind of like Feta cheese. Use this with eggs which it goes perfectly with, either sprinkled on top or use as an omelet filling. Its fantastic on top of salads. GRILLING: I even cut slices of it and just grilled them. While not as firm as Halloumi I was able to grill up till it was golden brown and not melt.

You could try pairing cubes of this queso with TJ’s GUAVA SPREAD on crackers; a perfect salty sweet combo that would be great on a #cheeseboard

Queso Fresco $3.79 (8 oz)

I would buy this again.

If you want a deep dive into queso, this site has that

https://www.wisconsincheese.com/the-cheese-life/article/136/queso-fresco

Trader Joe’s BACON CHEDDAR cheese

18 Aug 2025 Leave a comment

by promacnyc in cheese, dairy, DIY, fresh, General, New, News, Pantry, pasta, Prices, Products, review, snacks, spices, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, update, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , , , , , , ,


“Smokey and highly satisfying”

I haven’t tried this before but I saw BACON CHEDDAR was a featured item in their Fearless Flyer so I thought I would check it out. It was something as I kept tasting it, I kept saying to myself, OK let me try just one more bite, and a little bit later after some more taste testing, I noticed I ate a good hunk of it! I don’t usually buy processed cheese (like American cheese) but I have to say this tasted good, a little smokey with savory notes from the tiny pieces of applewood bacon in it. Semi soft. This will melt easily so good to cook with. You can slice and add to a grilled cheese sandwich to add a smokey bacon note to it.

Says “while supplies last” which I assume means a limited item.

Trader Joe's Bacon Cheddar

https://www.traderjoes.com/home/ff

Fearless Flyer: When Bacon Met Cheddar

“Trader Joe’s Bacon Cheddar Cheese is handcrafted for us in upstate New York by a master cheesemaker with extensive experience in traditional European Cheddaring techniques and an instinct for blending. Aged for 18 months, the Cheddar is full flavored and mildly sharp with firm, smooth texture….merged with pieces of our very own Trader Joe’s Uncured Applewood Smoked Bacon, which contribute richly savory, sweet-smoky character to every bite. From snacking on while watching a game, to serving as part of a charcuterie board…..baked potatoes, French fries, burgers, broccoli, apple slices, macaroni, biscuits, quiche… ” (from the TJ Fearless Flyer Aug 2025)

CABOT EXTRA SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE Reviewed, A Cheese Lover’s Delight

15 Dec 2020 4 Comments

by promacnyc in All Natural, cheese, dairy, Products, Rave, Recipes, review, snacks, Staple, Trader Joes, Uncategorized, WhatsGoodAtTJ? Tags: , , , , , , , ,


RAVE

My review for TJ’s Unexpected Cheddar seems to have gotten quite some interest, so next up for review in the Trader Joe’s Cheese Department is an absolute classic cheddar which I mentioned in that post. For my money the well known, long established, classic cheddar Cabot Extra Sharp from Vermont is the definition of and gold Standard for an “East Coast” Sharp Cheddar cheese.

Its terrifically convenient that Trader Joe’s carries it under Cabot’s own famous brand name. Cabot is actually a Vermont cooperative farm. Cabot extra sharp cheddar is my personal go-to cheese as far as always wanting to have in the fridge. Its an Extra sharp cheddar, so it has that sharp cheddar tangy taste. “Intense, rich cheddar flavor with an East Coast bite” is how they describe it on the package. I would say that description is spot on.

Cabot cheese is made up in Vermont, and Cabot Creamery is bit unique as its a true Farmer’s Collective or co-operative. Its a group of farmers banding together as a collective. Cabot Creamer dates back to 1919 so it’s been around for about 100 years. This Extra Sharp Cheddar has won many many “best cheddar” awards.

This cheddar is great just eaten sliced however it’s also excellent to cook with. It melts wonderfully well. I think makes one of the most fantastic melted cheese sandwiches you will ever try. Also terrific of course in an omelet. Do I need to say, this cheese melted on top of a burger is good (I grate it first for that and cover it briefly or put under the broiler.

Eaten as is sliced and paired with fruit well that is a perfect, heavenly combination. Especially for me, paired with apples, grapes or a pear. Just put a hunk of of this cheddar in front of me with a good apple (like TJ’s Envy) and I am one happy camper. Ending a dinner with this cheese is divine.

Trader Joe’s sells Cabot cheddar for an excellent price ($6/lb) in a block. If you have never tried this cheese, give it a try. I think you will love it – though the kids may want something a bit tamer and less sharp. If so, give them the New Zealand cheddar, also excellent, or TJ’s sliced cheddar. The adults can enjoy the Cabot Extra Sharp.