Celebrating 25 Years of Vermont’s Perfect Pair: Apple Pie & Cheddar Cheese

When pie becomes law—add cheese! That’s right, this year marks the 25th anniversary of when apple pie became the official state pie of Vermont, and the Bill explicitly states that when serving apple pie, serve it with cheddar cheese. And who are we to disagree? When pie becomes law—add cheese! That’s right, this year marks the 25th anniversary of when apple pie became the official state pie of Vermont, and the Bill explicitly states that when serving apple pie, serve it with cheddar cheese. And who are we to disagree?

The Bill, passed by both House and Senate to become law 1 V.S.A. § 512, declares the state pie as apple pie and “when serving apple pie in Vermont, a “good faith” effort shall be made to meet one or more of the following conditions: (a) with a glass of cold milk (b) with a slice of cheddar cheese weighing a minimum of ½ ounce ( c) with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream.”

While the combination of cheddar cheese and apple pie may raise some eyebrows, you’ve got to trust us on this one. Even Food & Wine took notice. There’s just something about the sharpness of cheddar cheese against the sweetness of apple pie that creates a match made in pie-heaven, and once you try it you’ll never leave your cheddar behind.

Cabot co-op member Beth Kennett (pictured above with her husband and two of her grandchildren) from Liberty Hill Farm in Rochester VT explained in a recent interview, “Apple pie without cheddar cheese is like a hug without a squeeze,” and she couldn’t be more right. Don’t believe us? Give our Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese a try. And if you immediately become obsessed with this combination (which we trust you will!) we’ve got you covered with more apple-cheddar recipes like Cheddar & Apple Galette and Easy Apple Cheddar Quesadilla Snacks, or you can do a deep dive with our Apple & Cheddar Pairing Guide.

Proud rule follower? We've got a shirt for that. Our Pie Law T-Shirt is as smooth and buttery as the pie itself, featuring a luxuriously soft fabric, and features the Pie Law loud and proud so you can spread the good word: apple pie and cheddar cheese go hand in hand; it's the law.