1. Elmhirst, Sharpham Dairy
This luscious triple cream cheese took Gold in the 2024 Great British Food Awards. Mould ripened, and produced using the best Jersey milk and double cream, cheese expert and Great British Food Awards head cheese and dairy judge, Hero Hirsh said Elmhirst was “standout”. “It has a beautiful moussey, fresh core with a gooey and buttery breakdown just under the rind. The rind is delicate and mushroomy, with just enough cling to stop the paste escaping. The use of both Jersey milk and double cream here elevates this cheese to a supremely indulgent experience.” Hero added the maker showed real accomplishment balancing the richness of the cheese with a bright acidity, “so you don’t have to stop after just a few bites”. What to pair with Elmhirst cheese: This is a stunning partner to a yeasty piece of crusty baguette, torn fresh from the oven, and a cool glass of minerally, citrussy white wine.
2. Tunworth, Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses
This cheese oozes character, and is considered by many many cheese lovers, cheesemongers and experts to be the absolute gold standard in English Camembert. Its soft, velvety rind reveals earthy, truffly, bosky flavours, reminiscent of freshly-picked mushrooms. Underneath, the cheese is supple and melting, with a sweet, nutty paste towards the centre. Bring it to room temperature and let it sit for a while, allowing all those layers of taste to unravel as it warms. It’s also a sensational melting cheese baked in the oven French style, studded with cloves of garlic and sprigs of rosemary. What to pair with Tunworth cheese: A cheese of this fine calibre deserves a glass or two of Champagne or English fizz. Truffle honey brings out the best in Tunworth too.
3. Yoredale, Curlew Dairy
Previously known as Old Roan, this is a modern craft Wensleydale, made smack bang in Wensley, in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. Cheesemakers Ben and Sam Spence started on their mission to prove just how good Wensleydale can be in 2019, and it’s become a star of the regional larder, taking pride of place on cheeseboards throughout Yorkshire and beyond. What makes Yoredale special is its savoury, sharp, full-bodied flavour, a pure expression of the Dairy Shorthorn cows which produce Curlew’s milk. It’s creamy, light, and only slightly crumbly. This is a cheese everyone at the table will enjoy. Also look out for their Yoredale Blue, which is stunning. What to pair with Yoredale cheese: As Yorkshire culinary traditions dictate, it HAS to be a slice of fruitcake.
4. Woldsway Mature Goats’ Cheese, St Helen’s Farm
Smooth and creamy, with a clean, tangy flavour and a complex finish, Woldsway is matured for 12 months, and consistently wows judges. What makes this cheese stand out is the absolute quality of milk used. The farm’s herd of Yorkshire Goats (a mixed breed of Alpine, Saanan and Toggenburg) have a happy life getting up to mischief in the open air, enjoy the highest welfare standards, and are fed a natural diet of sileage produced using Yorkshire grass and red clover. The Great British Food Awards cheese and dairy judges gave it a Silver in 2024. What to pair with Woldsway Mature Goats’ Cheese: The toasty notes of oatcake pair well with this cheese, along with a little drizzle of honey.
5. Extra Mature Cheddar, Keen’s
The Keen family put a lot of love into making their Cheddars – and it really shows as you pop a slice into your mouth. Their happy herd of cows roam around 500 acres of farmland, munching on grass. The milk they produce (always raw and unpasteurised) travels only 50 yards to the onsite dairy, and is transformed into cheese within a matter of hours, going through a traditional, handmade process which they believe makes all the difference. That includes painstakingly turning every Cheddar regularly to ensure each one matures and develops in the same way. Keen’s Extra Mature is given an extra six months to ‘grow up’, resulting in a very very distinctive flavour profile, bursting with brothy, savoury, meaty notes, with a touch of onion. This is Cheddar as it’s meant to taste. What to pair with Keen’s Extra Mature Cheddar: This cheese speaks for itself. Serve it alone to taste all the wonderful flavours it unleashes with each bite. But if you did want to pair it, an onion relish or garlic pickle bright out its allium notes, and it is excellent with a dry to medium cider. From Somerset, of course.
6. Aldi Specially Selected Mature Blue Stilton, Clawson Farms
The recipient of a Silver in the Great British Food Awards 2024. Stilton is known as the King of Cheese in the UK, and this one absolutely deserves that title. Expert graders selected this make from Clawson Farms, which uses sustainable milk from its 30 partner farms, all based within a 30-mile radius of the dairy. It’s one of just a handful of Blue Stilton cheeses to boast PDO status (ensuring it’s made in a specific way, and within the counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire). The cheese stands out for its fudgy, decadently creamy texture, and full-flavoured, slightly piquant ribbons of blue. It is gorgeous. What to pair with Aldi Extra Mature Blue Stilton: Sourdough crackers are a good match, adding crunch to each bite. To drink, we favour a darker dessert wine such as a black muscat. The chocolatey notes are exquisite with Stilton.
7. Yarlington, King Stone Dairy
Yarlington’s sticky, blushed orange rind is the result of washing it not once, twice or thrice, but four times in a mixture of brine and artisan British cider. The silky cheese, with a smooth, milky taste and meaty, savoury finish, is the result of a brainstorm between King Stone Dairy cheesemaker extraordinaire, David Jowett, cheese expert Sam Wilkin and highly respected cider maker Tom Oliver. We think the match of Friesian and Shorthorn milk in the make, with Yarlington Mill cider is heavenly, and this Reblochon-style cheese is certainly starting to make its mark. What to pair with Yarlington cheese: Obviously cider...preferably made by Oliver’s. It also favours toasted nuts and slivers of ripe pear or apple. A cider jelly is a good match too.
8. The Idle Hour, Alsop & Walker
Cheese expert Hero gave The Idle Hour a firm seal of approval in 2023 with a Gold in the Great British Food Awards. She said it was, “a fantastic semi-hard cheese. It has some real complexity; lemony citrus notes with a hint of bitter almond and hay, all against a backdrop of melted butter. Would be a perfect savoury and moreish treat for a picnic.” It’s just one of a stable of supremely good cheeses from the Sussex maker, including Mayfield, Lord London, and Sussex Brie – another Great British Food Award winner. What to pair with The Idle Hour cheese: Buttery crackers and blanched salted almonds are great with The Idle Hour. To drink, we recommend a glass of English Bacchus – the gooseberry, citrus flavours marry well with this cheese.
9. Beauvale, Cropwell Bishop Creamery
Cropwell Bishop has been making award-winning cheeses for more than 160 years, including a wonderful PDO Stilton. For those who find Blue Stilton a little overpowering, how about Beauvale? It’s crafted using the same milk – from cows grazed in the Peak District National Park by trusted farmers. The cheese is hand ladled and matured for around seven weeks, by which time it’s developed into a soft, creamy, spreadable cheese with a mellow taste of blue, almost like a sweet Italian Gorgonzola Dolce. It’s a very good bridging cheese for those just starting to dip their toes into the world of blues. And a winner many times over in the Great British Food Awards. What to pair with Beauvale cheese: Pears and pear chutney are winners. Drink Riesling, Chenin Blanc or Viognier with this one.
10. Baron Bigod, Fen Farm Dairy
Jonny and Dulcie Crickmore started making this Brie-style cheese as a way to add value to their milk, having found success setting up a dairy vending machine. Wind on more than a decade, and Baron Bigod flies the flag for the craft of modern British cheesemaking, today being shipped across the world to discerning cheese lovers, many of whom claim it rivals even the best French Brie de Meaux. Baron’s goodness starts with the farm’s herd of Montbeliarde cows (usually found in Alpine regions). They’re grazed on Suffolk meadows in the warmer months, and tucked up nice and warm with good sileage in winter, giving milk that ranges from pale cream, to golden-hued. It has everything you expect of a Brie and more. A soft, tactile edible rind with a bloomy, mushroomy twang. Melting cream underneath, expressing vegetal notes. And a dense paste in the middle. Just lovely. What to pair with Baron Bigod cheese: This is another variety that matches well with honey. Or pair with apple jelly or quince paste.
11. Harrogate Blue, Shepherds Purse
The family-run Yorkshire maker has a full trophy cabinet thanks to its range of simply gorgeous cheeses, from Organic Yorkshire Blue to Buffalo Blue. In 2023, Harrogate Blue captured the attention of our lead cheese and dairy judge Hero, who gave it a Gold. She said, “This vibrant-looking cheese had the perfect balance of salt, savoury and cream. Perfectly matured to a creamy texture and with even blueing delivering a piquancy in every bite. So moreish that I kept going back to it, each time discovering a new layer of complexity.” What to pair with Harrogate Blue cheese: We rather like this one on top of a fruit-studded cracker, like Miller’s Toast Plum & Date. The crunch and burst of fruit go so well with a creamy blue.
12. Ogleshield, Montgomery Cheeses
The Montgomery family are best known for their stunning clothbound, carefully matured Somerset Cheddars. But Ogleshield, their homage to a Raclette style, is also very well worth seeking out – and is a favourite for those delis, cheese shops and cafes that sell toasties, because it melts like a dream! The family veered into creating this style when they found, more than a decade ago, that the full-bodied milk from their Jersey herd wasn’t suitable for the typically harder cheeses they’d been making. Raw milk Ogleshield has a salmon pink, sticky rind and delicately pungent aroma, leading to brothy, meaty, savoury flavours underneath, with a pliable, squidgy texture. It is fabulous melted onto anything. What to pair with Ogleshield cheese: This cheese plays nicely with anything from the onion family, and is excellent with a chilled glass of dry farmhouse cider or pale ale.
13. Deluxe Cheddar, Black Cow
The Black Cow brand is synonymous with vodka – its version produced using West Dorset milk during the process for a fine, smooth, creamy mouthfeel. As co-founder Jason Barber is a fifth-generation dairy farmer, it only made sense to launch a cheese at some point along the journey. And that cheese is Black Cow Deluxe Cheddar, judged Silver by Hero in the 2023 Great British Food Awards. Milk is sourced a hop, skip and jump from the distillery, from Jason’s herd, and turned into black waxed truckles which are aged for at least 12 months. The cheese is crumbly and deeply flavoured, with a powerful finish. What to pair with Black Cow Deluxe Cheddar: Go for pickled onions and cornichons, and a pint of IPA.
14. Spenwood, Village Maid Cheese
Anne Wigmore’s cheesemaking journey began more than 40 years ago in 1984 when she ventured into the industry, two years later (after travelling by yacht to Australia with friends) setting up shop in her garden shed. For four decades she’s continued to delight and surprise cheese lovers with her award-winning soft sheep’s and Guernsey cow’s milk varieties, including Barkham Blue, Waterloo and Wigmore. But a standout in the range, and unusual to England when it launched all those years ago, is Spenwood – the name a portmanteau of Spencers Wood in Berkshire, where Village Maid took its tentative first steps. The hard-pressed sheep’s milk cheese is inspired by Anne’s time in Sardinia where she discovered the island’s ubiquitous Pecorino Sardo. Spenwood takes on all those similar salty, sharp notes, with nods to Parmesan and aged Manchego. It’s sweet, savoury and nutty, becoming a little spicy, harder and crumbly as it matures further. What to pair with Spenwood cheese: Grate Spenwood over salads, pizzas and pasta dishes, or serve it carved into shards with fresh pear, crisp apple or even melon. It favours a glass of fruity red. Try Rioja, Tempranillo or a light Sardinian Cannonau or Carignano.
15. Gorwydd Caerphilly, Trethowan Brothers
The Trethowan Brothers, makers of award-winning Pitchfork Cheddar, learnt the art of Caerphilly making from one of the best in the business – Chris Duckett. They took what they learnt back to their Somerset dairy, and named their own make for the Welsh family farm where their cheesemaking story took root. It is one of a small clutch of traditional British territorials made today, and revered by cheesemongers for its fresh, lactic, lemony taste, with a hint of butter and mushroom thanks to the use of raw milk in the make. The cheeses are crafted using a Victorian press, and turned daily to ensure all-round perfection. We promise you you’ve never had Caerphilly like this before. What to pair with Gorwydd Caerphilly cheese: Territorials really should be eaten on their own, so you can appreciate all the nuances coming through from the milk. Gorwydd does, though, like a herbaceous white wine. Chenin Blanc and Sauvignon Blanc or a British Bacchus are a good match, as is a light sparkling, medium-dry cider.
16. Eden Valley Brie, Appleby Creamery
The creamery is based on the edge of the Lake District in Cumbria, while all milk is sourced from the herd of Ayrshire cows based at sustainable Crofthead Farm in Dumfries & Galloway. Silver Great British Food Award winner Eden Valley Brie is quite a treat. Under a dimpled, thin, pale white rind is the most luxurious golden creamy paste with an unctuous, luscious texture and super indulgent flavour. What to pair with Eden Valley Brie: Bring it to room temperature and serve quite simply with plain crackers and sweet chilled grapes. Otherwise, you have to melt this one. Into a crusty baguette with fruity relish, or in a dish, with croutons or roasted new potatoes for dunking.
17. Old Winchester, Lyburn Farmhouse Cheesemakers
Once you’ve tried this there’s no going back – you'll be hooked. Those who sample it at the cheese counter rarely walk away without a large wedge tucked in their bag. It’s produced on the edge of the New Forest with milk from the farm’s fully traceable pedigree British Friesians. They’re milked twice a day – the milk going straight to the cheesemaking room, where it’s turned into this exceptional cheese which most liken to an aged Dutch Gouda such as Old Weydeland. Old Winchester has a flaky, dryish nature, freckled with crystals for a pleasing crunch on the palate. The taste is caramelised toasted nuts, with a mouth-filling savouriness and a bit of spice. What to pair with Old Winchester: You need something sweet with this. Dried or fresh fruit, or a darker dessert wine, sweet cider or keeved perry.
18. Driftwood, White Lake Dairy
Third generation farmer, Roger Longman, was part of the exciting new wave of modern British cheesemakers coming through in the early noughties, making a name for White Lake Dairy with goats’ cheeses the likes of which were rarely made or seen in the UK at the time. Driftwood is made using unpasteurised milk from his largely Alpine herd of goats, and is similar in style to a French Saint-Maure de Touraine. It’s light yet creamy, with a velvety texture that spreads beautifully. A coating of ash on the outside imparts earthy, peppery notes. What to pair with Driftwood. You want a wine with some minerality and acidity for this cheese to cut through the richness. Sancerre is a great option.
19. Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheese
The passion and work that goes into producing the world’s last raw milk Lancashire cheese is phenomenal. Graham Kirkham has picked up the mantel from his parents and grandmother, expanding the dairy without wavering from tradition and traceability. The farm’s own Holstein-Friesian herd provide milk for this brilliant territorial cheese, available in Mild & Creamy, Tasty, Mature, Ruby and Smoked expressions, with a couple of flavoured options too. The family’s Tasty Lancashire is probably the best-loved. Aged to three or more months it takes those buttery, lactic Lancashire flavours a step further, delivering a rounded, slightly sharper taste that leaves an impression. It’s a bit crumbly, but slices well - making a cracking cheese on toast. What to pair with Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese: Go full-on traditional here. You need Eccles cakes. All the better if they’re slightly warmed through.
20. Wild Garlic Yarg, Lynher Dairies
The original producer of Cornish Yarg, Allan Gray (Yarg is his name spelled backwards) apparently found the recipe (for a nettle covered cheese) dating to the 17th Century in his loft. Loosely similar in style to Caerphilly, it tasted rather nice and continues to delight cheese fans. The recipe was later sold to Lynher Dairies, spearheaded today by Catherine Mead OBE, using Ayrshire milk from a farm just down the road, as well as from other high welfare farms nearby. The original Yarg is lovely, but we have a bit of a penchant for Wild Garlic Yarg. Matured for around five weeks it has a mushroomy, minerally taste against the rind, with a semi-hard, citrussy, sweet crumbly centre. Wild garlic lends a breath of warmth to the finished cheese, which is a true modern British classic. What to pair with Wild Garlic Yarg: Hawkshead Black Garlic Pickle goes well with Wild Garlic Yarg. And a fresh and fruity cider.
21. Pevensey Blue, Pevensey Cheese Company
Fast becoming a rising star in British cheese, Pevensey Blue is a collaboration between cheesemakers Martin (formerly of Neal’s Yard Dairy) and Hazel Tkalez, and organic farmers Marian and David Harding, based at Court Lodge Farm in Sussex. The cows graze along the Pevensey Levels, used by the Wildlife Trust to manage the habitat of the National Nature Reserve through grazing. The biodiversity of their natural diet results in a tremendous-tasting cheese, aged to around 12 weeks. It’s creamy and dreamy with pockets of blue, rather than the threading and veining you’d see in the likes of Stilton. The taste is sweet, nutty and salty. Definitely one to add to your blue cheese bucket list. What to pair with Pevensey Blue cheese: Caramelised nuts. Dates. Dried figs.
22. Renegade Monk, Feltham’s Farm
A wrinkly, cream-coloured cheese, bathed in ale. There’s nothing else quite like Renegade Monk. This organic award-winner straddles three different categories, being washed-rind, soft, and blue! Feltham’s Farm founders Penny and Marcus are hugely passionate about the organic movement, sourcing fresh organic locally, and farming their own land to Soil Association regulations. They’re sustainable too, using mostly renewable energy. What to pair with Renegade Monk cheese: A rich Trappiste style beer, Porter or ruby beer will work a treat with Renegade Monk.
23. Young Buck, Mike’s Fancy Cheese
Irish cheesemonger Mike knows a thing or too about good cheese, and his own blue is just a triumph. Full-bodied, definitively blue, piquant with almost syrupy pockets of goodness. It exemplifies just how good Irish cheese can be (check out his website to discover loads more from Ireland and Northern Ireland). This is a true artisan product, being hand ladled and crafted with raw milk. A must try for all blue cheese fans. What to pair with Young Buck cheese: A bold, dark dessert wine like Elysium will showcase this cheese beautifully. Or how about an eiswein?
24. Witheridge in Hay, Nettlebed Creamery
Nettlebed was the first cheesemaker in the UK to age cheese in hay – and it’s become an award winner. The farm is completely organic, with a great commitment to animal welfare and sustainability, and the quality of the milk shines through in Witheridge. It has clean grassy, sweet notes from the hay, finishing with a Cheddary, mature, umami edge. What to pair with Witheridge in Hay: A tumble of roasted nuts, chilled white grapes, and even a touch of floral honey go well with this cheese.
25. Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, Leicestershire Handmade Cheese Co
Nothing, we mean nothing, you get in the supermarket (unless it’s of the artisan variety) compares to this Red Leicester. It is robust, buttery, rounded in flavour and so rich, with a bit of flake to the texture, and deeper maturity at the edges, which have been bound in cloth. The Clarke family have done an amazing job reviving farmhouse Red Leicester. This is a territorial to cherish and celebrate, making it the centrepiece of a British cheeseboard. What to pair with Sparkenhoe Red Leicester cheese: Eat this one on its own.
26. Golden Cenarth, Caws Cenarth
Carwyn’s family has been making cheese for generations, going all the way back to his great great grandmothers, right up to his own parents. All the brand’s cheeses are made on the family farm in a lush, verdant valley in West Wales, using organic milk from trusted local farmers. And it’s the oldest maker of PGI Welsh Farmhouse Caerffili. That you should also try, but we think you need to give Golden Cenarth a go. Washed in cider, it’s a semi-soft variety that intensifies with flavour as it matures, being savoury, nutty and bold, with a ripeness about it. It’s sensational baked. What to pair with Golden Cenarth cheese: Welsh cider, or a glass of Welsh wine such as Anchre Hill Estates Chardonnay.
27. Ailsa Craig, Dunlop Dairy
Cheesemaker Ann Dorward has done an incredible job building this dairy up since the late 80s, and is one of the only known makers of traditional Ayrshire Dunlop (one of the oldest cheeses in Scotland). You really should try Dunlop, but also turn your attention to Ailsa Craig – especially if you’re a goats’ cheese fan. Wrapped up in a little parcel and finished with twine, it looks like a dainty Christmas pudding, but unravel the paper and you’ll discover the fromage within, named for a famous rock in the Firth of Clyde. Ailsa Craig is supremely light and ethereal in texture – some would say like a cloud. It gives just a hint of ‘goat’, and melts in the mouth. What to pair with Ailsa Craig cheese: Squidge it onto soft white, bouncy bread. The cheese also loves honey or a teensy bit of fine cut marmalade. Serve it as a sweet/savoury dessert with ripe strawberries in summer, or with some cranberry relish in winter.
