A board of proper West Country cheddar with bread, pickle, apple and cider on the side, eaten in Bristol's pubs within sight of the county that gave the cheese its name.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Cheddar cheese takes its name from the Somerset gorge village 45 minutes south of Bristol, where cheesemakers matured wheels in the caves from at least the 1100s. The ploughman's lunch as a pub fixture is a 20th-century invention, but Bristol sits closer to the source than any other big city, and its cheesemongers and micropubs treat cave-aged cheddar with the seriousness other cities save for wine.
Common allergens: Dairy, Gluten
Tip from the editors. Buy a cloth-bound cheddar from a cheesemonger rather than plastic-wrapped block; the crumble and the sharp finish are the whole point.
The Cheese Connection curates South West and British artisan cheese from a Cargo 2 container, Bristol's harbourside cheesemonger with tasting events.
Why locals love it: A one-container cheesemonger tucked among Cargo's louder kitchens, curating South West wheels.
Tip: Order a platter to eat on the wharf; the counter leans hard into Somerset and West Country wheels.
Snuffy Jack's pours gravity-served casks in a Fishponds micropub named after a snuff-mill ghost, east Bristol's destination for proper quiet ale drinking.
Why locals love it: A Fishponds micropub in a former shop, invisible unless you ride the 48 bus and watch for the sign.
Tip: It is a bus ride from the centre and worth it; card behind the bar, cheese board on the counter, no screens anywhere.
The Drapers Arms is Bristol's first micropub, a one-room former draper's shop on Gloucester Road serving cask ale and conversation, nothing else.
Why locals love it: Bristol's first micropub, one converted shopfront on Gloucester Road with no music and no fuss.
Tip: No music, no phones encouraged, no lager: order a cask third and talk to a stranger, that is the point.
More cities are in research. Want cheddar ploughman's covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.