Made WITH love

Whether as an ingredient, snack or main event, a well-crafted cheese is the stuff of obsession. From the new generation of homegrown heroes to the iconic cheeses of Europe and beyond, we celebrate the world’s best, and salute the passion they inspire

- JENNY LINFORD AND SARAH BARRELL

We may not eat as much of it as many of our European neighbours, but the UK’s affinity with cheese is about more than just our daily consumption. The country has a proud history of cheesemaking that stretches back millennia, with our cool, wet climate and lush pastures having helped create one of the world’s richest dairy traditions.

This year, our relationship with cheese evolved, with the food proving a true essential during difficult times. According to figures from Kantar, supermarket customers spent 23% more on cheese during the first 12 weeks of lockdown than in the same period last year, with both British and Continental varieties seeing a surge in popularity. The wider picture, however, is more complex, as the producers of many of the country’s most celebrated artisan cheeses were hit hard by a collapse in restaurant orders. By summer, the scene looked bleak, but the industry rallied, with fromageries, farmers, cheesemakers and regular customers all playing a part in keeping things afloat.

Both history and landscape are wrapped up in the identity of the UK’s cheeses. Cheddar, the nation’s favourite, has its origins in the Somerset town of the same name and in nearby Cheddar Gorge, where it was traditionally matured in caves. Blue-veined stilton, meanwhile, is named after the eponymous Cambridgeshire village. That sense of place is similarly tangible in the names of our ‘territorial’ cheeses, including cheshire, lancashire and wensleydale — historic, singularly British products, made in a manner tailored to suit the realities of our climate and reflecting the dampness of these islands.