Local cheeses
These notes are designed to give you a starting point in putting together either a quiz or tasting session around the Cheeses that may be local to where you are based.
You can choose three or four cheeses and have a tasting session and compare some of the more local cheeses to the ‘cheddar’ that tends to be our go to when it comes to cheese. Most of the one listed are based on cows milk, [where they are not it is stated], but you may be able to find local dairies that do small quantities of speciality, goat or sheep’s cheese as well.
Alternatively you can ask people to talk about the cheeses that they knew as children, or have discovered during their lives and really like.
Unfortunately not every county in England and Wales has a cheese associated with it, and although all those with access to farmland have small artisan diaries producing small quantities of luxury cheese, two Cambridgeshire and Middlesex do not have any cheeses associated with them. Although Stilton in Huntingdonshire gave its name to the famous cheese it was never made there. In the following pages we give some information about cheeses associated with the various Counties, and would point out that not all are easily available and there are others we have not mentioned.
Locations
BEDFORDSHIRE
There are lots of artisan cheeses made by small family dairies in Bedfordshire, but there is no one cheese associated with the County.
BERKSHIRE
Barkham Blue
Barkham Blue is a semi-soft blue cheese made using pasteurised Guernsey milk and vegetarian rennet. Moulded into a distinctive ammonite-shaped round, it is salted in brine before being pierced to introduce oxygen, a crucial step in its maturation. Over the next 4–5 weeks, this oxygen allows the blue mould cultures to flourish. As a result, Penicillium roqueforti spreads through the pierced “veins”, giving the cheese its signature blue marbling.
The greyish-blue rind develops naturally, creating a delicate balance of earthy, slightly bitter notes on the rind which contrast beautifully with the rich, buttery paste beneath. As the cheese matures, the paste just beneath the rind softens, enhancing the luscious, creamy mouthfeel. The blue veining brings a measured sharpness that doesn’t overwhelm the luxurious, golden paste, allowing a buttery sweetness to shine through.
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
Chiltern Cloud
A hard, Manchego style cheese, made with locally sourced Ewe’s milk with a caramel, nutty and a fruity sweet flavour. This is a dry textured cheese coated in a black traditional finish giving a beautiful contrast with the white sheep’s milk cheese.
CHESHIRE
Cheshire cheese is dense crumbly cheese. Also produced in the neighbouring counties of Denbighshire, Flintshire, Shropshire and Staffordshire. Cheshire cheese is one of the oldest recorded named cheeses in British history: it is first mentioned, along with a Shropshire cheese, by Thomas Muffet in Health's Improvement (c. 1580). There is an unsupported myth that Cheshire cheese is referred to in the Doomsday Book.
CORNWALL
Cornish Yarg is a semi-hard cow's milk cheese made in Cornwall, England. Before being left to mature, the cheese is wrapped in nettle leaves to form an edible, though mouldy, rind. The texture varies from creamy and soft immediately under the nettle coating to a Caerphilly cheese-like crumbly texture in the middle.]
COUNTY DURHAM
County Durham is known for several traditional Dales-style cheeses, most notably Cotherstone, a semi-hard, crumbly, and tangy cheese named after a local village, and Weardale cheese, a firm white cheese with variations such as nettle or smoked versions. Includes options like Nettle Weardale (with added nettles) and Bonny Moor Hen Weardale (smoked with cherry and apple wood). Both cheeses have a long history of production in the region, utilizing local milk and following artisanal methods.
CUMBRIA
Eden Chieftain A creamy, award winning, close textured mature ‘Cheddar style’ cheese made from pasteurised cow’s milk. A clean and well rounded flavour that is perfect for both cooking and on the cheeseboard. (pasteurised cow’s milk, suitable for vegetarians)
DERBYSHIRE
Derby cheese is a mild, semi-firm cow's milk cheese made in Derbyshire with a smooth, mellow texture and a buttery flavour. It has a pale, golden orange interior with a natural or waxed rind and ripens at between one and six months. In many respects Derby is similar to Cheddar in taste and texture, but with a softer body (it doesn't go through the cheddaring process) and slightly higher moisture content. When young it is springy and mild but as it matures subtle sweet flavours develop and the texture becomes firmer. Its claim to fame is that the first creamery in the UK was set up by a group of farmers in the village of Longford, Derbyshire – the farmers having agreed to pool their milk and have the cheese made on a larger scale using techniques that had been developed in the US
DEVON
Devon Oke From Stockbeare Farm in North Devon, this is a full fat hard cheese based on a traditional 17th century recipe. In the original version, sold for many years as Devon Oke, it is matured for 5 months. Vintage Oke takes that up to 14 months for a much bigger, bolder flavour.
DORSET
Dorset Blue Vinney (frequently spelled vinny) is a traditional blue cheese made near Sturminster Newton in Dorset, England, from cows' milk. It is a hard, crumbly cheese. It was formerly made of skimmed milk. Vinney may be the Dorset form of the archaic word vinny ("moldy") or perhaps a corruption of veiny, referring to its blue veins.
Blue Vinney is often made from unpasteurised milk. It has a strong taste and smell. The cheese is said to go well with Dorset knobs, another traditional product from Dorset. Dorset Blue Cheese has been awarded Protected Geographical Status, ensuring only cheese originating from Dorset may use the name.[2]
ESSEX
Cheeses from Essex include soft, spreadable types like Bure's Cheese, Essex Soft Cheese, and Essex Herb Cheese made by Bradfields Farm Dairy, alongside the unique Essex Feta and Essex Comté imported by Essex St. Cheese. While less common, some sources also mention varieties like Essex Blue and Colchester Cheddar, highlighting the region's diverse cheesemaking tradition
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Gloucester is a traditional, semi-hard cheese which has been made in Gloucestershire, since the 16th century. There are two varieties of the cheese, Single and Double; both are traditionally made from milk from Gloucester cattle. Both types have a natural rind and a hard texture, but Single Gloucester is more crumbly, lighter in texture and lower in fat. Double Gloucester is allowed to age for longer periods than Single, and it has a stronger and more savoury flavour. It is also slightly firmer. The wild flower Galium verum, known colloquially as lady's bedstraw, was originally responsible for the distinctively yellow colour of Double Gloucester cheese.[1]
HAMPSHIRE
Tunworth is an English Camembert good enough to make a Frenchman weep: vegetal, porcini-flavoured and intense. Winslade is a modern creation – a cross between Vacherin and Camembert, encircled by a spruce strip. Soft, gooey, with floral, piney notes.
HEREFORDSHIRE
Hereford Hop is a firm cheese, that has a rind of toasted hops. It has been produced since 1990 by Charles Martell.
HERTFORDSHIRE
Wobbly Bottom Goat’s Cheese From the Hertfordshire countryside comes a gourmet range of soft and hard goat’s cheeses made in small batches from milk produced fresh on the farm. Wobbly Bottom Farm, located just outside the historic market town of Hitchin, has carved itself a reputation for high-quality artisan cheeses, produced by a small but perfectly formed dairy herd.
KENT
Ashmore Farmhouse
Award-winning naturally rinded cheddar-style cheese made from British Friesian cow’s milk and matured for at least six months. A deep, rich, strong taste that lingers long in the mouth. Good with fruity chutneys.
LANCASHIRE
Lancashire is an English cow's-milk cheese from the county of Lancashire. There are three distinct varieties of Lancashire cheese. Young Creamy Lancashire and mature Tasty Lancashire are produced by a traditional method, whereas Crumbly Lancashire (more commonly known as Lancashire Crumbly within Lancashire) is a more recent creation suitable for mass production.
It is traditionally paired with Eccles cakes and Chorley cakes.
Creamy Lancashire -For centuries, Lancashire dairy farmers' wives made cheese from surplus milk. On small farms there was insufficient milk from a single day to make a cheese, and so each day's milk was curdled and accumulated for several days until there was enough curd to make a cheese. Uniquely amongst all British cheeses, two or three days' curd of varying maturity are blended together, giving Lancashire cheese a distinctive character. The traditional method was standardised in the 1890s by Joseph Gornall of Garstang and Pilling, a county council employee, who visited many Lancashire farms to establish a method and recipe that is still used today – the "Gornall method". His "Gornall Patent Cheesemaker" was sold between 1892 and 1919. Creamy Lancashire cheese is made by this traditional method and matured for a period of four to twelve weeks. It has a fluffy texture and creamy flavour, and is good for toasting, as it does not become stringy when melted.
Beacon Fell Traditional Lancashire Cheese -is a Protected Designation of Origin name. The name can be used only for cheese made with milk from an area north of the River Ribble including the Fylde, Preston, and Blackpool and made in the same area by a designated method. The verbatim PDO-registered name is "Beacon Fell Traditional Lancashire Cheese". It is named after Beacon Fell within the designated area.
Tasty Lancashire -Tasty Lancashire cheese is made by the same traditional method as Creamy Lancashire, but is matured for longer, from 12 weeks to 24 months. It has a mature nutty taste. Leigh Cheese was a version of Lancashire Cheese that ceased production in the 19th century.
Crumbly Lancashire -In the 1950s, Crumbly Lancashire cheese was created. Unlike the other Lancashire varieties, this is made from a single day's milk and resembles other crumbly cheeses such as Cheshire and Wensleydale. It is the only Lancashire cheese that is produced outside the county of Lancashire. It tends to be matured for only 6–8 weeks, resulting in a crumbly, fresh, high-acid cheese.
LEICESTERSHIRE
Red Leicester is similar to Cheddar cheese, but crumbly in texture. It is typically aged 6 to 12 months. The rind is reddish-orange with a powdery mould on it. Since the 18th century, it has been coloured orange by the addition of annatto extract during manufacture. It is a cow's milk cheese, and is named after the city of Leicester, or the ceremonial county it is located in, Leicestershire. Traditionally made wheels are fairly firm and dry, with a friable texture and a slightly sweet, mellow flavour that becomes stronger as the cheese matures. Block-made cheeses are moister, and they have a slightly sweet aftertaste and a creamy texture. The cheese has a slightly nutty taste. Versions sold in supermarkets are typically coloured with annatto, although it is possible to obtain Red Leicester without it. Red Leicester is aged anywhere from four to nine months. "Young" Leicesters, at the beginning of that range, will be very mild; it is usually after six months that a Leicester begins to develop enough of a tang to be classified as "old". The modern industrial method for ageing is with vacuum packing. Smaller "farmhouse" makers usually still use the traditional way of maturing it in cloth, for a better flavour development.
LINCOLNSHIRE
Lincolnshire Poacher is a hard unpasteurised cow's milk cheese that is generally of a cylindrical shape with a rind resembling granite in appearance. It is made at Ulceby Grange Farm in Alford, Lincolnshire, by craft cheesemaker Richard Tagg. The cheese is matured for between 14 and 24 months, depending on when the milk was collected.
NORFOLK
Norfolk Dapple: A smooth, nutty classic Made from the milk of pedigree Holstein Friesian cows grazing the meadows of Binham, this cheddar-like cheese features a dappled rind and a deliciously balanced flavour.
Binham Blue cheese is made at Copy's Green Farm in Wighton, Norfolk, England, by Dr. Catherine Temple and her team, who produce the cheese from the milk of their own herd of cows. The cows graze on pastures near Wells-Next-The-Sea, which contributes to the cheese's distinctive creamy texture and mellow, salty flavour
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE
Daventry Blue cheese is a creamy red coloured blue cheese that is aged for 8-10 weeks to develop a stronger blue flavour and a distinct red paste.
Gary Bradshaw started making cheese professionally in 2013, producing the delicious ‘Cobblers Nibble’. His range has now increased to include ‘Northamptonshire Blue’, ‘Little Bertie’ and more. The county’s first commercial cheesemaker for as long as most people can remember. Hamm Tun cheeses are made by hand in traditional open vats using pasteurised cows’ milk from a Northamptonshire Friesian herd.
Northamptonshire Blue is a semi-soft blue cheese with citrus notes, made with unpasteurised jersey cow’s milk.
NORTHUMBERLAND
Berwick Edge is Northumberland’s version of aged Gouda. It is made by hand by the Maxwell family, following traditional Dutch methodology, using fresh raw milk from their own herd of cows. Aged for a full year, Berwick Edge develops a strong, sharp flavour, offset by a caramel sweetness and crystalline texture.
NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
Colwick Cheese is a fresh cheese invented around the 17th Century in the village of Colwick, south of Nottingham on the River Trent. The cheese has recently been revived using traditional methods and milk from the rare Red Poll Cattle. Colwick is a soft, curdy cheese.
OXFORD
Oxford Blue is a variety and brand of blue cheese produced in Burford, Oxfordshire, England in 1995 by French baron Robert Pouget in the tradition of Stilton cheese (it was produced in a Stilton dairy) but with a creamier consistency especially when the cheese was allowed to mature. It is a soft and creamy cheese that has tangy, aromatic and spicy qualities. By 2013, around five tonnes were produced monthly.
RUTLAND
Rutland Red Cheese. Made using a traditional recipe, Rutland Red is buttered, cloth-bound and matured for six months to produce a flaky, open texture cheese with a slightly sweet, caramelised flavour and rich golden orange colour. It is the only pasteurised Red Leicester produced in the county of Leicestershire.
SHROPSHIRE
Shropshire Blue is a cow's milk cheese made in the United Kingdom.
The cheese was first made in the 1970s at the Castle Stuart dairy in Inverness, Scotland by Andy Williamson, a cheesemaker who had trained in the making of Stilton cheese in Nottinghamshire. The cheese was first known as 'Inverness-shire Blue' or 'Blue Stuart', but was eventually marketed as 'Shropshire Blue', a name chosen to help increase its popularity, despite it having no link to the county of Shropshire. An alternative claim to the first production of the cheese, from the Shropshire-based company Westry Roberts, suggests that the cheese originated in the county that it bears the name of in the 1970s; an archived article from 1977 would appear to back up this claim.
A variant, called Ludlow Blue, is now also being made in the county of Shropshire in a small artisan dairy. Ludlow Blue uses carotene as a colouring agent rather than annatto, which makes the colour more yellow.
SOMERSET
Cheddar Somerset is home to the world-famous rich and sharp cheddar cheese. This traditional cheese originated in Somerset centuries ago due to the county's rich pastures and creamy milk the dairy herds produced. Cheddar cheese is a natural cheese that is relatively hard, off-white, and sometimes sharp-tasting. It originates from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, South West England. Cheddar is produced all over the world, and cheddar cheese has no Protected Designation of Origin.
STAFFORDSHIRE
Staffordshire Cheese is made from milk from cows kept on Staffordshire farms. It has a smooth, slightly crumbly texture which can be hard or semi-hard depending on the age of maturity, a pale cream colour and is creamy, fresh and lactic in flavour. It has a fat content ranging from 30-35% with the fat in dry matter making up between 48- 51%. The cheese is cylindrical in shape, weighs 8-10kg and is sold cloth-bound.
SUFFOLK
Suffolk Gold cheese is a semi-soft cheese prepared from the pasteurised cow's milk of Guernsey cattle.[1][2] Suffolk Farmhouse Cheeses, a family-operated company located in Creeting St Mary, Suffolk, England, produces the cheese. The dairy was established in 2004. The cheese is aged for ten to twelve weeks, and has a buttery flavour and creamy texture. Suffolk Gold is produced in rounds that weigh 3 kilograms (6.5 pounds)
SURREY
Norbury Blue cheese is produced at Norbury Park Farm, Surrey, with milk from a closed herd of Friesian cows, fed on GM-free fodder. It is entirely handmade and the only blue cheese made in the South A Roquefort type culture P. roqueforti is used to create the blue marbled effect. It is left to mature three weeks, giving the blue mould time to grow. It is completely natural and contains no artificial colourings. Norbury Blue has a moist, creamy texture with a pleasantly musty aroma. It is tangy like Roquefort with the creaminess of rich Brie. The blue veins have a smoky, earthy flavour. It has a dark, bark-like rind and a delicately marbled, white interior. The cheese is made with vegetarian rennet and unpasteurised cows' milk.
SUSSEX
Sussex Slipcote is a fresh cheese made from ewe's milk by the High Weald Dairy in West Sussex, England. The cheese is usually round in shape with a very soft texture. There are two different explanations given for the meaning of "slipcote". High Weald Dairy explains that "‘Slipcote’ is an old English word meaning little (slip) piece of cottage (cote) cheese. Another explanation is that "slipcote" describes the cheese's tendency to slip out of its rind while maturing. Sussex Slipcote has been made in England since the Middle Ages, as described in Law's Grocers' Manual.
WALES
Black Bomber a Cheddar style cheese from the Snowdonian region. A luxury cheese that is affordable.
Caerphilly is a hard, crumbly white cheese that originated in the area around the town of Caerphilly, Wales. It is thought to have been created to provide food for the local coal miners. The Caerphilly of that period had a greater moisture content, and was made in local farms. At the start of the 20th century, competition for milk in the local area saw production decline, and Caerphilly production was gradually relocated to England.
During the Second World War, production was stopped and diverted to Cheddar in English factories. After the war, those factories began to produce Caerphilly as it was quicker to make than Cheddar, and therefore more profitable. The majority of Caerphilly is now produced in Somerset and Wiltshire. Artisan cheesemakers still make Caerphilly in the pre-war style, and these have been successful at the British Cheese Awards.
Pantysgawn, also known as Pant-Ysgawn, is a brand of goat cheese produced in Blaenavon, Wales. It was the first cheese produced by Pam and Tony Craske at Pant-Ys-Gawn Farm in Wales, and its success resulted in the couple founding the Abergavenny Fine Foods Company. It is now produced in Blaenavon by the Craske family from locally produced goat's curd from Soil Association certified farms. Pantysgawn has been served at NATO receptions, at St. David's Day celebrations at 10 Downing Street and to Queen Elizabeth on her visit to Cardiff in 2015.
Tintern is a blended cow's milk Cheddar cheese, utilising Vegetarian rennet it is suitable for lacto-vegetarians. As a blended cheese, it is flavoured with fresh chives and shallots, the recipe was originally developed by Abergavenny Fine Foods in the mid to late 1980s. It takes its name from the village of Tintern on the River Wye, in Monmouthshire, Wales. The monks of Tintern Abbey managed a dozen or so monastic granges in the area, its agricultural hinterland. A grange (from the Latin granum meaning 'grain') was a medieval farm or small estate directly run by a Cistercian abbey with a workforce of lay brothers, or conversi.
Y Fenni (Welsh pronunciation: [əˈvɛni]) is a variety of Welsh cheese, consisting of Cheddar cheese blended with mustard seed and ale. It takes its name from the Welsh language name of Abergavenny, a market town in Monmouthshire, South East Wales. Y Fenni, when coated in red wax, is also known as Red Dragon, a name derived from the dragon on the Flag of Wales.
WARWICKSHIRE
Berkswell is a hard cheese made at Ram Hall Farm near Berkswell, West Midlands, England. It is made using unpasteurised ewe milk and animal rennet. The moulds of cheeses are left in plastic kitchen colanders which give the cheese its distinctive shape. Berkswell may be compared to a mature pecorino.
WILTSHIRE
Chippenham's cheese market opened in 1850, reported in the London Illustrated News and the market soon became famous. Wiltshire Cheese was renowned from the 18th century and became highly sought after. The Wiltshire Loaf is a semi-hard cheese, smooth and creamy on the outside and crumbly in the centre.
WORCESTERSHIRE
Worcestershire is more well known for its sauce and horticulture than its cheeses but in recent years the county has started to produce some very fine cheese indeed. The three main cheese producers are Gorsehill Abbey, near Broadway in the North Cotswolds, Anstey's of Worcester and Lightwood of Lower Broadheath. For example Bishops Tump which is ewe’s milk cheese, made in a Manchego style.
YORKSHIRE
Perhaps the best known cheese from this county is Wensleydale. A style of cheese originally produced in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire, but now mostly made in large commercial creameries throughout the United Kingdom. The term "Yorkshire Wensleydale" can only be used for cheese that is made in Wensleydale.
Made from 100% Yorkshire cow’s milk, Yorkshire Blue is a mild, soft, creamy, blue veined cheese. The traditional recipe has been developed to give the cheese a unique buttery/sweet flavour with no sharp bite, making it a popular alternative to Stilton.
