British Cheese

British Cheese Varieties

There are over 700 British cheeses available. To give you a taster, here are some of the most popular.

British Brie

Considered to be the 'Queen of Cheeses', Brie is known for its smooth, yet tangy taste and its lovely aroma. It ripens quite quickly and must be eaten quite soon to benefit from the full flavour.

It is great in sandwiches (with grape or apple); delicious in salads; and goes down sumptuously with a Medoc or Cabernet Sauvignon.

British Camembert

With a slightly fuller aroma and flavour than British Brie, this cheese is a real treat. As it ripens, the flavour develops depth and complexity and the texture becomes soft and creamy. British Camembert is delicious with a green salad or deep-fried in breadcrumbs. Alternatively, it goes splendidly with a Rioja.

Buxton Blue

Buxton Blue is a cousin of Blue Stilton. It is lightly veined and has a wonderful deep russet colouring that hints at the very special tang of its flavour. This cheese is perfect with a chilled glass of sweet dessert wine.

Caerphilly

The most famous of Welsh cheeses, Caerphilly is a fresh, white, mild cheese with a delicate, slightly salty and lightly acidic flavour. With a moderately firm, creamy and open texture, it was originally made a century and a half ago and eaten by hard-working Welsh miners. Apparently, the cheese's saltiness replenished the salt lost from their bodies when mining. These days, Caerphilly's distinctive flavour is enjoyed more above ground with a Zinfandel or a white Lambrusco. The process for making Caerphilly is long and complicated - after curdling at 89 0F, the curd is cut into cubes, stirred, and dumped into cheesecloths - but the delicious end product is worth the wait.

Cheddar

Mature Cheddar
Carefully matured under controlled conditions for nine to twelve months, mature cheddar has a firm, silky texture and a wonderfully full flavour. Some think that an interesting companion for this cheese is Guinness. A less unusual accompaniment would be a fine Merlot.

Medium Cheddar
Medium Cheddar is typically matured for more than six months; has a smooth close texture, a lovely rounded flavour and, in common with a milder cheddar, is perfect with fresh English apple juice.

Mild Cheddar
Delicately flavoured Mild Cheddar has a smooth creamy texture and tastes delicious with some fresh English apple juice - making it perfect for younger family members or those who fancy something non-alcoholic. For those who prefer something stronger, a Zinfandel usually does the trick.

Vintage Cheddar
Cheddar, the most English of cheeses, remains a worldwide bestseller.
A long maturing process under controlled conditions produces this premium quality Vintage Cheddar and imbues it with a strong, lingering flavour that goes well with Merlot and also finds a surprising companion in lager.

West County Farmhouse Cheddar
Despite imitation in many other countries, Cheddar will always be explicitly associated with England and more particularly, the West Country. West Country Farmhouse Cheddar is honored with Protected Designation of Origin status, meaning that it can only be made in the four counties of Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.

Cheshire

Cheshire is one of the oldest cheeses around - it even gets a mention in the Domesday book. Its unique flavour derives from salt deposits in nearby pasturelands. This Coloured Cheshire does not differ in flavour from its sister White Cheshire. Both have a slightly crumbly and silky texture and both have a wonderfully full-bodied, fresh flavour. The only difference is the attractive colouring caused by an ancient vegetable dye called Annatto. A Riesling or a Cabernet Sauvignon provides a nice balance to the cheese.

Cornish Yarg

Cornish Yarg is a semi-hard cheese that is deliciously creamy under the rind and slightly crumbly in the core. It has a young, fresh, slightly tangy taste and is made by hand in open round vats. After pressing and brining the cheese is wrapped in nettle leaves. These are picked from the hedgerows and neighbouring farms and are then frozen for use throughout the year. The leaves are carefully brushed onto the cheese in a prescribed pattern and they attract wonderful natural moulds of white, green, grey and blue. These moulds help the cheese to ripen and as it matures these edible nettles impart a delicate, slightly mushroom taste. The end effect is a beautiful lacy pattern of leaves in blue and green. The cheese looks quite different from any other on the counter and tells its own story of dedication and commitment to a product that is quite different and totally special. It finds an unusual but rewarding companion in Boddingtons.

Derby

Derby has a smooth, mellow texture with a quite mild, buttery flavour. It is quite similar in taste and texture to Cheddar and ripens at between one and six months. It is delicious with either fruit juice or a glass or two of Shiraz.

Double Gloucester

Double Gloucester was traditionally made as a large wheel with a thick rind to withstand annual cheese rolling ceremonies - when cheeses were rolled down the hills in Gloucestershire to protect the grazing rights. It was originally coloured with carrot juice or saffron. These days cheese makers use a vegetable dye called annatto. Double Gloucester has a smooth, buttery texture with a clean, creamy, mellow flavour that suits a Rioja or a Riesling. Usually matured for around three or four months, Double Gloucester is pale orange in colour and has a smooth, creamy texture.

Dovedale

Dovedale is a sumptuous, creamy soft, mild blue cheese. Most British cheeses are dry salted, however Dovedale is brine dipped to add the salt giving it a distinctive continental appearance and flavour.

Gruyere

Originally made in the Swiss town of the same name, Gruyere is quite similar to Emmental, but has smaller and fewer holes. This Gruyere is made in Cheshire. It has a firm, chewy texture and a slightly tangy flavour that adds a delicious zest when used in cooking.

Lancashire

Farmhouse Creamy Lancashire
A creamy, open-textured cheese with a mild flavour. Usually matured for 2-3 months. Creamy white in colour.

• Flavour Strength: Mild.
• Usage: Farmhouse Creamy Lancashire is wonderful for breakfasts, lunches, sandwiches and snacks. A superb cheese for children.

Farmhouse Crumbly Lancashire
A bright crumbly young cheese with a slightly acidic flavour, matured for 6-8 weeks. Bright white in colour.

• Flavour Strength: Mild.
• Usage: Farmhouse Crumbly Lancashire is brilliant for crumbling into sandwiches and salads.

Farmhouse Tasty Lancashire
A delicious, strong, tangy flavoured cheese with a slightly open, creamy texture. Usually matured for 6+ months. Tasty Lancashire is the connoisseurs' choice.

• Flavour Strength: Strong.
• Usage: Ideal for Cheeseboards and great served with full bodied red wine. Brilliant for cooking - the Lancashire simply melts staying soft and not rubbery. Mature cheese such as Tasty Lancashire is economical to use for cooking as a little cheese gives a lot of flavour.

Parmesan

The UK offers its own version of this traditional Italian delicacy. A pale, straw-coloured cheese, it has a strong, sharp flavour and a dry gritty texture. It is an excellent cooking cheese and is usually grated and used as a seasoning or topping for pasta dishes.

Red Leicester

Traditionally made in a large cartwheel shape, Red Leicester is a rich, russet coloured cheese whose flaky and slightly open texture plays host to a distinctive mellow flavour. Its lush colour was largely responsible for the cheese's popularity - especially in the Victorian period - and is caused by the use of Annatto, an age-old, tasteless vegetable dye extracted from a plant in South America. With a firm body and a close flaky texture, it takes around three to four months to mature and is great when eaten with fruit. It also makes a good partner for beer.

Sage Derby

This is a green-veined, semi-hard cheese with a delightful, mild sage flavour. The custom of adding sage to Derby cheese began in the seventeenth century, when the herb was widely believed to possess health-giving properties, and gives the cheese another subtle level of flavour. Originally, Sage Derby was only made for festive occasions such as Harvest and Christmas, but today it is available all year round.

Shropshire Blue

This cheese has a slightly misleading name as it has nothing to do with the county of Shropshire. In fact, it originated in Scotland in the 1970s before its production was transferred to Leicestershire. Made in a similar way to Stilton, it is a soft cheese with a sharp, strong flavour that takes between six and eight weeks to mature. Orange in colour with blue veining, it enjoys a slightly tangy aroma. A delicious accompaniment to Shropshire Blue worth trying is a simple cup of tea - making it ideal for an afternoon or early evening snack.

Stilton

Rightfully known as the 'King of English Cheeses', Stilton takes its name from a village just south of Peterborough. It was never actually made there, originating near Melton Mowbray at the beginning of the eighteenth century. Stilton is honoured with a certification trademark and Protected Designation of Origin status, meaning it can only be made in the counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, and Leicestershire to a specified recipe. It is smooth and creamy with complex, slightly acidic flavour. It makes an excellent dessert cheese and is traditionally served with Port at Christmas. However, it can be enjoyed all year round and is worth trying with a dark cream sherry or a sweet dessert wine. It is also very versatile and can be used in hot or cold recipes.

Wensleydale

A cheese with history, the recipe for Wensleydale can be traced back to the Cistercian monks who came over to England with William the Conqueror in the 11th century. Eaten comparatively young - usually between one month and three months of age.

Wensleydale tastes delicious when complimented by a nice slice of apple pie for an alternative dessert or afternoon snack. Wensleydale is a moist, crumbly and flaky textured cheese with a mild and slightly sweet flavour.

White Stilton

White Stilton has a certification trademark and Protected Designation of Origin status, meaning that it can only be made in the three counties of Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire to a specified recipe. A mild, crumbly cheese with a delicious tangy flavour, White Stilton is younger than its blue cousin and also comes blended with apricots or cranberries. Recent opinions have suggested that all of these White Stiltons are delicious with most white wines and the cranberry variant goes especially well with Champagne.

This guide is provided courtesy of the British Cheese Board. For more information, visit www.cheeseboard.co.uk