Harlech cheese comes from the Abergavenny Fine Food Co. in Wales. I've read both that (a) it is named after Harlech Castle, built in the 13th century in North Wales and (b) that it is named after the Welsh warriors of the Middle Ages. The symbol of an ancient warrior holding a sword and shield on the bright orange wax coating lends credence to the latter.
It is a mature medium to strong cheddar made from pasteurized cow's milk and vegetarian rennet blended with chopped horseradish and parsley. It has an almost spreadable smoothness, like cheese for spreading on crackers. The taste is so strong that it overwhelms what it is paired with. I grated some into a salad with avocado, lettuce and avocado oil and it dominated the taste so much that I almost didn't eat it. One cheese site recommended eating it with beef as that paired well with the horseradish. It would probably be good on a hamburger as well, where the strong taste would enhance the taste rather than cover it up. I bought the cheese from the Cheese Cave in Claremont, the first time I've ever come across it. It sounded familiar to me, but probably just because of my familiarity with the castle in North Wales.
Good for tasting but not a good salad cheese. It was fun to try it, but I won't be putting it on my Top Ten Cheeses List.
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