Quicke’s Fix: Southern Pimento with Cheddar that Clicks
✍🏻 Written by: Michelle Webb
Every summer, Duke’s Mayo throws down a challenge to Southern restaurants: make a dish that celebrates the tomato in all its juicy, peak-season glory—and, of course, include a generous helping of Duke’s. It’s called Hot Tomato Summer, and if ever there was a contest tailor-made for us, this is it. Because here at Wedgewood, our tomato loyalties run deep. And so does our mayo.
The “Quicke’s Fix” is our spin on a Southern icon: the tomato sandwich. But this isn’t just your average slice of grocery white with a smear of mayo. It’s a proper remix. Our version layers pimento cheese made with Quicke’s Mature Cheddar—an assertive, complex British cheese that’s savory and grassy, with notes of warm butter and fresh horseradish. We add thick slices of heirloom tomato from Nourishing Acres in Cedar Grove, an extra swipe of Duke’s mayo and two slices of farmhouse white to pull the whole thing together. It’s lush. It’s sharp. It’s nostalgic, but just twisted enough to be ours.
And the cheese? That’s a love story in itself.
The Quicke’s Fix: A love letter to heirloom tomatoes, sharp cheddar, and the great mayonnaise divide
“Our philosophy is to see farming as a great responsibility…Our cheese is the perfect expression of this; it is our crown.”
About Quicke’s Mature
Quicke’s has been making clothbound cheddar on the same farm in Devon for over 500 years. Jane Quicke, the matriarch behind the modern brand, brought a cheesemaker’s sensibility to her family's dairy in the 1980s and turned it into an iconic British cheddar.
Aged for up to 18 months on wooden shelves in traditional caves, and is shaped by the sea air. Their cheese is salty, savory, and deeply rooted in place. The terroir of Devon comes through in every bite, and when mixed into pimento cheese, it brings structure, bite, and just the right amount of oomph.
The Pimento Remix
Our house pimento cheese has been on the menu since we opened. It’s Stevie’s creation—our co-owner and resident Brit. An Englishman who actually fits in quite seamlessly in the South, and will champion anything that tastes well, better. And it’s perfected by our Wilmington-born resident Southerner, Chef Gordon, who’s been slinging pimento since God was a boy. And far too often, pimento cheese gets neutralized with entry-level cheddar. But not here, not at Wedgewood. We like a little grit in our cheese, a little story in our spread.
And the mayo? That’s Duke’s, no question. I grew up in a Hellmann’s household in the Northeast, where the yellow-lidded jar was nowhere to be found. But after my years of Southern living, I’ve fully converted. There’s just something about Duke’s—no sugar, extra egg, its unapologetic Southernness. It’s not just mayonnaise. It’s cultural shorthand. Especially when paired with tomatoes that taste like July.
So yes, we fixed your pimento cheese sandwich. But we didn’t mess with it—we honored it. And we made it click.
Make it at home or come try the real deal—The Quicke’s Fix is on the menu at Wedgewood Cheese Bar for a limited time only, July 17–27, and it’s our official entry for Duke’s Hot Tomato Summer.
What to Drink
Sure, you could pair this sandwich with sweet tea like a good Southerner. But we suggest channeling the British pub spirit—or your favorite Carrboro brewery—and grabbing a cold one.
Try Edmund’s Oast “Something Cold”, a crisp, lightly hoppy blonde ale that’s refreshing enough for tomato season and sturdy enough to stand up to aged cheddar and creamy Duke’s. Or go local with Steel String’s Che Bello, an Italian-style Pilsner brewed right here in Carrboro. It's floral, zippy, and just bitter enough to cut through all that umami-rich pimento goodness.
Now, onto the recipe.
Recipe
The Quicke’s Fix
Pimento Cheese Sandwich with Heirloom Tomatoes and Duke’s Mayo
(makes 4 sandwiches)
Ingredients:
2 slices farmhouse white or sourdough
3 thick slices heirloom tomato (preferably from your favorite local farm)
Duke’s mayonnaise, for spreading
For the Pimento Cheese:
8 oz Quicke’s Mature Cheddar, coarsely grated
3 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons Duke’s mayo
1 roasted red pepper or piquillo peppers, finely chopped
1–2 teaspoons grated onion or onion juice (optional)
Salt and hot sauce to taste
Directions:
In a bowl, combine all pimento cheese ingredients. Stir until just mixed—don’t overwork it. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Toast or grill your bread if you like, but we serve ours untoasted for that classic Southern squish.
Spread a generous layer of pimento cheese on one slice. Top with tomato slices and a light sprinkle of salt.
Spread Duke’s on the other slice of bread and sandwich it all together.
Eat outside if possible. This is a summer sandwich.
