At $11.99 a pound, Trader Joe’s Sticky Toffee Cheddar is a seasonal cheese that Tasting Table says has drawn high marks on TikTok. In a piece by Autumn Swiers dated November 10, 2026, the outlet said the creator @braxtonsunfiltered rated the cheese “10 out of 10” and another creator, @trishdottrishh, praised its balance. Tasting Table’s report on the seasonal cheese describes it as an aged cheddar from a master cheesemaker in southern England.
What Is in the Cheddar
According to Tasting Table, the cheese is dotted with bits of dates and raisins, and the standout is the crunchy, buttery toffee flecks. The outlet described the base as an aged cheddar that is sharp, deep, rich and creamy, and said shoppers are buzzing over its surprisingly dimensional, elevated taste. The outlet calls it a fall product and notes that Trader Joe’s lists it as a seasonal item.
The flavor idea borrows from an English dessert, sticky toffee pudding, which Wikipedia says is widely served in the Lake District, where it is a culinary symbol. The same page describes it as a moist sponge cake with finely chopped dates, covered in toffee sauce, and says it was popularized in the 1970s at the Sharrow Bay Country House hotel in England’s Lake District. The cheese swaps the sponge for cheddar but keeps the dates and the toffee. A take-home version of the pudding was developed in 1989 by the owners of the Village Shop in Cartmel, the page adds, and by the late 1990s it was sold in supermarkets across the United Kingdom. For holiday desserts closer to home, craftingyourhome.com has a post titled 9 Pies That Show Up on Thanksgiving Tables Across America.
@braxtonsunfiltered Calls It 10 Out of 10
Tasting Table reported that @braxtonsunfiltered gave the cheese a “10 out of 10” in a TikTok review, specifically praising the way sweet toffee meets sharp cheddar. The outlet noted the pairing seems like it should not work at first glance, and that the creator found it works. Frenz Hub has a post titled Free Up the Oven This Thanksgiving: COSORI vs Ninja Air Fryer vs Ninja Flip Toaster Oven.
The video dates to late October 2026, within the past few weeks. Tasting Table did not report view or like counts for it, so none are cited here. The outlet’s report ran on November 10, 2026.
Cheddar itself has a long English pedigree. Wikipedia says the cheese originates from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, where the caves of Cheddar Gorge provided humidity and a steady temperature for maturing it. Wikipedia lists the aging time as 3 to 24 months depending on variety, and says the 19th-century Somerset dairyman Joseph Harding was central to modernizing and standardizing how it is made. Traditionally, the page notes, cheddar had to be made within 30 miles of Wells Cathedral. Tasting Table places this cheese’s cheesemaker in southern England and does not name a village. Frenz Hub has a post titled 12 Laws And Rules About Food In Other Countries.
@trishdottrishh Points to the Balance
A second TikTok, from @trishdottrishh, echoed the praise, according to Tasting Table. The outlet said the creator mentioned creamy, sweet flavors that arrive “caramelized” and “a little salty,” and that the video shows a generous scattering of visible toffee and date bits in every piece of cheese.
That video also dates to late October 2026. Tasting Table did not report view or like counts for it either. The sister site craftingyourhome.com has a post titled 10 Apple Varieties Bakers Reach for in the Fall.
The 2015 Version Got a Cooler Reception
The name is not new at Trader Joe’s. Tasting Table pointed out that a product called Sticky Toffee Cheddar Cheese was reviewed in December 2015 on the blog What’s Good at Trader Joe’s, where the reviewer criticized an overly soft texture and a lack of sharpness. The blog post, dated December 2, 2015, compared the texture to a brie and said the raisin-and-date molasses sweetness overwhelmed any cheddar taste.
Just over a decade later, Tasting Table said, the Trader Joe’s team appears to have reworked the concept into a better, harder-hitting product. That is the outlet’s judgment, based on its own reading of the new cheese and the TikTok reviews, and the 2015 and 2026 products are not confirmed to be the same recipe.
For context on the chain, Wikipedia says Trader Joe’s began as Pronto Markets in 1958 in Pasadena, California, and took the Trader Joe’s name in 1967.
Pairings Tasting Table Suggests
Tasting Table called the cheese a standout snacking cheese for autumn charcuterie boards. Its suggested companions were Trader Joe’s Roasted & Salted Rosemary Marcona Almonds, Simple Mills Rosemary & Sea Salt Almond Flour Crackers, and tart green apple slices or Anjou pear for a fresh counterpoint.
The outlet also suggested one of nine Trader Joe’s wines worth picking up for fall and said the cheese could be a crowd-pleaser, or at least a conversation starter, at holiday parties and cozy gatherings. Frenz Hub has a post titled 14 Strange Thanksgiving Traditions That Everyone Pretends Aren’t Weird.
Tasting Table lists the cheese as seasonal and does not say how long it will stay on shelves. The $11.99 price is per pound, so the cost of any one wedge depends on its weight.
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: CNEcija12345 – CC BY-SA 4.0/Wikimedia Commons
