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CHEESED OFF
Cathedral City makes major change to cheese shape – and customers are fuming
The cheesemaker has confirmed the change may not be here to stay
CHEDDAR fans are cheesed off after manufacturer Cathedral City changed its slices to square-shaped - meaning they don’t cover all the bread.
The cheese-maker has had a fierce backlash of complaints from fans who miss the former rectangles, which fitted perfectly over a piece of toast.
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The pack weight has not changed at 150g, but slices have become thicker and shorter.
This has led to complaints of fans having to use two pieces of bread instead of one.
Cathedral City said the measure, affecting the original packs of mature slices, was brought in for a temporary period during which its slices would be packed at another site.
No date has yet been set for a reversal.
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Meanwhile, fans have implored the manufacturer to change the slices back.
One said: “Cathedral City really sliced us a raw deal—literally. They went from genius rectangle slices that fit our bread like a glove to basic square slices.
“Now my sandwich has corners of sadness!”
And another called Mary Lynn said: “Don't try and market 'Now square slices' as if this is a good thing.
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"It isn't. Slices of bread are not square. There is now insufficient coverage. Please re-think.”
Another added: “What the hell is this? You’ve made your slices square and now I have to use a slice and a half to make a sandwich! Makes zero sense.”
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More complaints were seen on supermarket websites like Tesco.
One fan fumed: “Who makes 8cm x 8cm sandwiches, and who wants even thicker slices of cheese?
"So, after 20 years I'm swapping to Tesco Gouda slices to give them a try.”
Cathedral City previously said the measure, which began around May, would last around three months but has not said when it will end.
Why are products axed or recipes changed?
ANALYSIS by chief consumer reporter James Flanders.
Food and drinks makers have been known to tweak their recipes or axe items altogether.
They often say that this is down to the changing tastes of customers.
There are several reasons why this could be done.
For example, government regulation, like the "sugar tax," forces firms to change their recipes.
Some manufacturers might choose to tweak ingredients to cut costs.
They may opt for a cheaper alternative, especially when costs are rising to keep prices stable.
For example, Tango Cherry disappeared from shelves in 2018.
It has recently returned after six years away but as a sugar-free version.
Fanta removed sweetener from its sugar-free alternative earlier this year.
Suntory tweaked the flavour of its flagship Lucozade Original and Orange energy drinks.
While the amount of sugar in every bottle remains unchanged, the supplier swapped out the sweetener aspartame for sucralose.
A spokesman told us: “The plan remains for the rectangle shape to return. No date has been set for this. We are seeing that some of our consumers prefer the square shape, whilst some prefer the rectangle.”
Iconic products discontinued
The news is another blow for customers who have noticed a number of changes in their favourite supermarket snacks.
Chicago Town scrapped its Ham & pineapple-flavoured deep dish pizza, in a blow to lovers of the divisive meal.
Food manufacturers can sometimes discontinue items if they are not selling well or if they want to introduce new products.
M&S recently axed its popular Colin the Caterpillar in a jar from shop shelves.
The cake jars landed on the supermarket shelves in 2021 with fans hailing it "a tiny pot of joy".
The treat consisted of layers of chocolate sponge, Belgian chocolate sauce and chocolate ganache topped with a mini white chocolate Colin face in a convenient packaging.
Kellogg's also axed it All Bran Golden Crunch.
The popular breakfast item consisted of crunchy wheat bran and mixed cereals pieces with a caramel flavour.
It is offered as a sweeter alternative to its Original All-Bran, which remains in stock.
Nestle also axed its fan-favourite Yorkie orange bars last year.
However, shoppers were able to pick up bars this year as retailers looked to clear stock.
The limited edition bars were launched in 2021 when orange chocolate was all the rage.
Around the same time, Dairy Milk orange bars were also launched, following Cadbury's orange Twirl in 2019.
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But Yorkie’s flamed-coloured version, along with Dairy Milk’s, have both now been scrapped, with loyal buyers left demanding its return.
Responding to the news on X, one fan who claimed to have bought 500 of them said: "Why on earth has it been discontinued? It’s ten times better than Terry’s chocolate orange!”
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