Tasted all the apples at the 2014 All About Fruit show, and was surpised to find two varietties that had a cheddar cheese flavor. Two other people agreed with me that both Hicks and Quillans (or Quillams, couldn't tell if it was an n or an m) had a cheddar cheese flavor.
Any other recommendations for naturally cheddar flavored apple or pear varieties?
All my internet search yeilded was a varity named Cheddar Cross (Allington Pippin x Star of Devon; selected 1946. Raised 1916; intro: 1949), sounds like a decent apple, don't know if it has cheddar flavor though.
Tasting them all was an impressive feat. I guess it is a little easier this year due to the lower than normal turnout.
I didn't notice a cheddar cheese flavor in any of the apples I tasted. I did notice that some apples had an unusual flavor that I believe must have come from the scented chlorine bleach used to clean the fruit.
Some don't get rinsed as well as others.
In my tasting notes, I have detected cheesy flavors in a few heritage varieties: Belle de Boskoop, Chestnut Crab, and Yarwood Crab. The first was more cheddary, while the crabs more like mozzarella, according to my own palate. I don't know if anyone else would pick up these same sensations, but the point is, yeah, I've tasted cheesy flavors at times with certain varieties, especially crabapples for some reason.
I have grown Belle de Boskoop for many years. It is one of my favorite apples. I haven't noticed a cheese flavor. I'm probably not the most sensitive guy out there. When I drink wine (usually out of a box) I rarely say, "I detect a hint of asparagus, with subtle hints of walnuts." Maybe I can enjoy the flavors, but I can't quite find a way to describe them. I am also growing chestnut crab, but it hasn't fruited yet. I tasted it, but I don't remember a cheese flavor. Perhaps now I'll look for the other crab. I'm always interested in different edible crabs. They have more nutrition and I think on average, stronger flavors, which I am usually interested in.
John S
PDX OR
I probably get my critical sense of taste from being a Certified BJCP beer and cider judge. (And that ain't entry level, either. 
) I'm trained to notice and describe things very specifically, and it spreads to everything I taste. Is "cheddar" flavor in an apple a bit of an exaggeration? Yes, I think it probably is. Is it wrong or inappropriate? You be the judge. 
Yeah, I thought it was pretty unusual. I also tasted nearly all the apples at the 2012 All About Fruit Show and didn't notice any with cheddar flavor. There were a lot more varieties there in 2012, so my taste buds gave out before I could try them all. Didn't make it there in 2013.
I grow Belle de Boskoop, but have never noticed it having cheddar flavor.
I have noticed that there can be considerable differences in flavor even amoung fruits on the same branch picked at the same time. Unique "sports" are also possible. So perhaps I would not notice cheddar flavor in those varieties again.
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