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Cheese Curds in NH, Sunapee area preferably

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I'm going to be in NH and would love to find somewhere to find fresh and/or fried cheese curds. I went to college in Wisconsin and cheese curds were a staple!

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  1. oh dear ... you might have better luck stopping in Manchester (if you are traveling I93 north to I89) at Chez Vachon for poutine.

    1. The cheese curds you are looking for don't exist in this part of the country as far as I can tell. I went to high school in Iowa and had visited Wisconsin, so I know what you're asking for. I've not seen it offered around here at all. Odd as that seems.

      4 Replies
      1. re: Morganna

        There's a Portsmouth NH shop called Corks and Curds. I know I've occasionally seen cheese curds in the supermarket but not sure which, maybe Hannaford or Shaw's, and not all the time. Of course, I don't know where they came from. It sounds like the OP is looking for some local cheese curds. Wonder if some place like Food Coop in Lebanon might have some.

        1. re: dfrostnh

          The OP is talking about a very specific product that you find all across Wisconsin that I have yet to see even slightly hinted at here in New England. I could be wrong and would love to be corrected, but you just can't get the same sort of fresh cheese curds (and certainly not the fried cheese curds) that they have in Wisconsin here. They're not for sale in any store or food coop. I don't know WHY the curds you can get in shops here are so different, but they are.

          1. re: Morganna

            OK, since I'm not familiar with Wisconsin cheese curds, I thought the ones I've seen sometimes in stores were the same. What's the difference? What I've seen come in round plastic deli containers. Is it a different kind of cheese/flavor?

            1. re: dfrostnh

              For one thing, Wisconsin cheese is yellow, not white. It also has some differences in consistency (I have no idea why). The curds that the OP is probably looking for are fresh, like made TODAY or at latest yesterday fresh. When they're that fresh, they squeak when you bite into them. They're also...oh... softer? maybe? Less firm, probably because they're so fresh.

              The other thing is, there are stands around Wisconsin where they've got fresh curds that they've battered and deep fried. It's just brilliant. It's not the same as breaded and fried aged cheddar (which is fantastic, as well). I think it's a combination of yellow, consistency, mouthfeel, freshness, and possibly the vagaries of local fauna that the cows consume that makes the cheese curds different.

      2. I actually had a great cheese curds app at Robert's in Kittery,ME (just over the border). The shellfish should be pretty good this time of year too!

        1. Surprisingly, cheese curds are not easy to find in New England, even though it's dairy country. There is a dairy farm that make their own cheeses - including cheese curds - not too far from Sunapee. Taylor Farm in Meriden, NH (just south of Lebanon). If you ever travel up to Quebec, cheese curds are sold in everywhere!