Moar cheese: Three vegan cashew dairy alternatives reviewed and rated

A new day, a new vegan cheese. Could I be happier? Dear reader, I could not.

Not long ago, I posted a round up of a few vegan cheeses I'd tried, and because I love vegan cheese, I need very little excuse to do the same again. Stay with me, dear reader, for a journey through three vegan cheeses that were new to me, and whether they merit running to your nearest vegan shop shouting 'take my money' or exile to vegan cheese Narnia.

First up, Kinda Co's Faux Lox and Dill Cream Cheese. Aside from the sheer childish joy I get from saying 'faux lox', Kinda Co's salmon replacement is a slam dunk. I've previously never tried a vegan cream cheese that I loved (sorry Daiya fans, I just can't get on board) but this is stupendous. Here it is on top of a bagel that made my neighbour made and shared with me. Damn, I have good neighbours:

Frugality warning: this lovely faux lox is not cheap - but that doesn't mean it isn't value for money. It's delicious and the pot goes a surprisingly long way. The sweet, heady dill and carrot chunks are fab on crackers, toast, in sandwiches, and with pretty much anything. I went and bought a new pot straight after I finished the old one, that's how good it is.

You can get your own supply via the Kinda Co website, or they do seem to pop up at a few vegan markets. They're also stocked in a few vegan shops in London, and if you're down this way, you can order and pick it up from their shop in Angel if you order by email. They sell lots of other cheesy goodies, including a feta alternative and a nacho dip, in case you're feeling spendy.

I like vegan cheese, I like booze, so it stands to reason I like vegan cheese with booze in it. If you think such a thing sounds like an impossible vegan utopia, then fear not - I'm here to tell you it's very, very real. 

Vegan nut cheese brand Mouse's Favourite sells a vegan cheddar with a cider washed rind. When you open the packet, the smell of cider is deliciously strong and promises good things to come. The cheese itself is a chunky quarter-circle of compacted cashew, the sort of colour that would be called 'wallpaper paste' on one of those paint colour cards that holds ten different permutations of slightly off white.

Sadly, the cider smell doesn't translate into an apple-booze taste: the cheese has the standard flavour you'd hope for from a rind of vegan nut-cheddar. It's a solid cheese, but when the smell promised so much, I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

More from Mouse's Favourite for my third cheese: this time, a pot of Smoky Creamy Cashew.

This cheese was a bit like one of those albums you download, listen to once and think 'I don't like this' and it doesn't get a second play. Then, a shuffle randomly brings it back to your attention one day, and you realise the album was actually brilliant and you were completely not thinking straight the first time around. 

I tried a bit of the Smoky Creamy Cashew and wasn't convinced of its genius. It was too strong, too smoky, too acrid. I ignored it in the fridge for a while until having run out of sandwich fillings, I decided to give it another go. And it was delicious - rich and smooth, and with a perfect smoky tang. I finished the pot in short order. It's particularly good on wholemeal toast.