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Welcome to Our Little Green Book - Championing British Cheese, featuring all you need to know about British cheeses - where to buy, what to buy, places with great cheeseboards and even how to make British cheese.
FOODLOVERS APPROVED SPECIALIST BRITISH CHEESE SHOPS
Recognised as one the
Visiting cheese-makers regularly is now the mainstay of how Neal's Yard in London select and buy their cheese...
The Cheese Society's shop in Lincoln may be tiny but it is exceptionally well stocked majoring in the best of farmhouse British & Continental cheese...
La Fromagerie is a veritable treasure trove of good food, the sort of shop in which you should spend hours just finding out what is in stock...
Nominate your favourite cheese shop and get them FoodLovers Approved
A SELECTION OF FOODLOVERS APPROVED BRITISH CHEESE MAKERS
On Cranborne Chase, a designated ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’, you will find Manor Farm, in the village of Ashmore, where we make our Cranborne Chase cheeses...
Ludlow Food Centre now make their own cheese, including a rind-washed Croft Gold...
Connage Highland Dairy near Inverness is a family run business producing cheese from their own organic dairy herd...
If goats cheese is your fancy then the Kid Me Not range is very different with mild creamy bases...
For more FoodLovers Approved British cheese makers, browse FoodFinds
EAT BRITISH CHEESE AT FOODLOVERS APPROVED PLACES TO EAT
The Cheeseboard at Allium is well-known for its vast array of British-only cheeses, being awarded Restaurant British Cheeseboard of the year in 2006...
Visit The Cheese Society's shop and “cheese café” in the Cultural Quarter of historic Lincoln...
Serving the very best in modern British food, the National Dining Rooms is committed to supporting small-scale British farmers, growers and cheese-makers wherever possible...
More restaurants with great cheeseboards...
Nobody Inn The Star Inn Torridon House
Check out our FOODLOVERS APPROVED CHEESE TASTING CLASSES and CHEESE-MAKING COURSES if you want to learn how to taste cheese and match it with wine or make it yourself...
Juliet Harbutt runs her Cheese Lover Masterclasses where you can........
One of Neal’s Yard Dairy’s experienced cheesemongers - including Chris George - will be guiding you through different selections of handmade artisanal British cheeses...
La Fromagerie will be celebrating the first day of Autumn with the very best of September cheeses and other seasonal produce...
At a venue of your choice you'll enjoy a talk from owner Ben Axford of The Cheeseworks on the history of cheese and cheesemaking...
More Cheese-Making Courses...
AB Cheesemaking Cheddar Gorge Cheesemakers
The Magdalen Project Hagley Bridge Farm
West Highland Dairy
COOK WITH BRITISH CHEESE
Cheese Wafers Panade of Onions with Gruyere
Smoked Pollack Rarebit Stilton Sables
Stilton Soup Welsh Rarebit
Wild Mushroom & Goats Cheese Frittata
READ MORE ABOUT CHEESE
West Country Cheesemakers by Michael Raffael
BRITISH TERRITORIAL CHEESES
Territorial cheeses are traditionally named after the county they are made in. The British tradition is primarily for hard, hard-pressed or crumbly cheeses - so that's what they're like.
Caerphilly...
Is the most famous Welsh cheese. It was first made 150 years ago for Welsh miners - the saltiness of the cheese replenished the salt they lost during the hard work of mining.
West Country Farmhouse Cheddar has Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status. This means...
- It can only be made from milk from the local herds, rared and milked in Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall.
- No colourings, flavourings or preservatives can be used
- The cheese is made by hand - the process is called 'cheddaring.' The whey is drained off and the curds are repeatedly turned by hand to ensure that all the moisture has drained away.
- The cheese must be made and matured on-farm.
One of the oldest named cheeses, Cheshire can be traced back to the Domesday book. Its unique flavour comes from salt deposits in nearby pasturelands.
Double Gloucester is a large wheel with a thick rind to withstand the annual cheese-rolling competitions, where cheeses were rolled down the Gloucestershire hills to protect grazing rights. Its deep orange colour comes from annatto, a vegetable dye.
Can be traced back to the 13th century. It's uniquely made with curds from two to three days milking - there often wasn't enough milk from one milking to make cheese, so it would be turned into curds and stored until they had accumulated enough.
Made in a large cartwheel shape, Leicester is dyed with annatto and matured for between three to four months.
Has PDO status and can only be made in Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to a specified recipe.
Can be traced back to the 11th century when the Cistercian monks brought it over when they accompanied William the Conqueror.
UNPASTEURISED CHEESE - IS IT SAFE?
Many of the finest cheeses are made with unpasteurised or raw milk. Most aficionados agree that if the milk is subjected to the high temperatures involved in the pasteurisation process it will kill off the inherent flavour and characteristics of that milk. The cheese is less likely to develop its full depth and complexity and the resulting flavour will probably be far more bland.
In spite of what some would have you believe, semi-soft and hard cheeses made with unpasteurised milk are not necessarily a health hazard. As The British Cheeseboard says:
"The advice from the Department of Health remains that certain groups of people should avoid eating soft cheeses made from unpasteurised milk. Most of these soft cheeses sold in the UK are imported and will be clearly labelled as being made from unpasteurised milk. The groups at risk include young children, the elderly, pregnant women or those whose immune system is challenged. Pregnant women are actually advised not to eat any soft cheese at all.
There is nothing intrinsically harmful about such cheeses. However, they can easily be contaminated by unwrapped raw foods commonly found in domestic fridges or in the cool counter of a food store. Such soft cheeses have high moisture levels and low acidity and this is a friendly environment for dangerous bacteria that can easily be lurking in or on other foods. These other foods pose no threat to human health when cooked properly as the cooking process will destroy any harmful bacteria. Eaten raw, they may cause problems. Examples include raw meat or vegetables. Accidental cross contamination may occur and every care should be taken to follow the guidelines given in the storage and handling of such foods."
Cheese Marvellous Cheese
As well as being extremely nutritious, cheese is one of the most convenient and versatile foods around. The amount of vitamins and minerals cheese contains varies, but at all ages and stages, from toddlers to teens and beyond, cheese can make an important contribution to nutrient needs and can be part of a healthy, balanced diet.
Toddlers
It's important that under-fives get lots of nutrients and energy from their food because they are growing and developing quickly. Small appetites can't usually cope with big meals. This means that the foods they eat have to provide energy and nutrients in a compact form; cheese fits the bill perfectly!
School Children
Cheese provides a wide range of nutrients children need to have in their diets in one tasty package that includes calcium and protein. And of course cheese doesn’t need to be cooked, so it’s a versatile snack.
Teenagers
Cheese can make an important contribution to teenagers’ nutrient needs, including boosting intake of some of the vitamins and minerals which are often in short supply in teenage diets - vitamin A, riboflavin, calcium and zinc.
Adults
The nutrients in cheese aren’t just important for children, adults can benefit from them too.
Older People
As people get older, they often eat less but their requirements for protein, vitamins and minerals remain the same or even increase. Cheese is ideal as it can make an important contribution to the diet. Even a small, matchbox-sized, piece of cheese supplies valuable amounts of protein, calcium, phosphorus and vitamin B12.
Did you know?
If you are lactose intolerant you can still enjoy cheese. Hard cheeses, such as Cheddar, contain virtually no lactose - it’s removed in the cheese making process.
The nutrients in cheese have positive benefits for dental health, and cheese doesn’t cause tooth decay.
Visit www.milk.co.uk to download a free copy of Say Cheese!: a practical guide to cheese; including nutrients, health benefits, and healthy recipes and suggestions on how to incorporate cheese into your diet.
Related Cheese Sites
Cheese on Wikipedia
Find out everything you wanted to know about cheese and a few things you didn't!
Stilton Cheese
The online home of stilton cheese.
Cheese Board
The British Cheese Board is the voice of British cheese and is dedicated to educating the UK public about the nutritional benefits of cheese.
Vegetarian Society Cheese
Useful information for vegetarians regarding cheese and rennet from the trusted Vegetarian Society.
How To Make Cheese Video
A YouTube video showing you exactly how to make cheese!
Great British Cheese Festival 2009
One of the largest cheese celebrations in the country
Think Food & Farming
Think Food and Farming promotes healthy living by offering young people direct experience of the countryside, farming and food through growing and cooking activities, and visits to farms.