# British Cheeses **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [February 1, 2022, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758 "2022-02-01T19:09:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/21 "2022-02-02T01:19:40Z")
I used to be able to get a small waxed round of Wensleydale in the local supermarket. Now, my regular supermarket only carries Wensleydale with cranberries or with honey and lemon peel. I tried the latter and found it disappointing. I like all of the English cheeses that have been named in the thread so far, except that I don’t know what stinking bishop is. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/22 "2022-02-02T01:24:51Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > “Not even Wensleydale?” “What’s wrong with Wensleydale?” > > I’d like to tell 'im, but I’ve never 'ad it. Pickin’s out here on the West coast are pretty slim. (Points to avatar) Beat me to it… Brian ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/23 "2022-02-02T03:59:45Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > The closest they had was a cloth-aged cheddar Those cloth-bound cheddars are really THE BEST. I would have gone straight for that. Neal’s Yard has Montgomery’s and Keen’s cheddar. Absolutely fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/24 "2022-02-02T04:00:59Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I’ve heard tell that stilton can induce bizarre dreams, if it’s a genuine english one made with the traditional process. Something about the particular mold is alleged to do this. Anyone with any personal insight into this? I’ve often partaken of imported English Stilton. I haven’t noticed this. But I must go straight out and get some to experiment with! ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/25 "2022-02-02T04:27:46Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > On a more serious note, I think there’s a good reason cheddar is the most popular cheese in the world. There’s not much call for it 'round here, sir. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/26 "2022-02-02T04:47:09Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I’ve often partaken of imported English Stilton. I haven’t noticed this. Ditto. But my fridge is full of cheese, and I’m the only one who eats it, so no new cheese for me until i get through what i have. Tomorrow I’ll have Brie and Cheshire for lunch. 😋 ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/27 "2022-02-02T05:08:49Z")
I’m quite fond of goat’s milk and sheep’s milk cheeses, which the Brits don’t seem to make – I noticed in Wikipedia that Wensleydale used to be made with sheep’s milk but no more. There’s nothing like that funk that cheese gets when the rams or Billy goats have been hanging around the females too much. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/28 "2022-02-02T05:15:50Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > but annatto is harmless. Not to everyone. It’s rare, but I have a sensitivity to annatto. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/29 "2022-02-02T05:43:57Z")
That must suck. A lot of cheeses have annatto. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/30 "2022-02-02T06:54:38Z")
I stick to white cheeses. Annatto is a coloring agent. It’s only added for aesthetic reasons, it doesn’t affect the taste. But other products can sometimes have annatto even when it’s not obvious at all. I once started feeling ill after eating some dark chocolate, and when I looked at the list of ingredients, it had E160b (annatto) in it for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 9:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/31 "2022-02-02T09:32:48Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I went to my local fancy cheese shop the other day, and I found I had a hankering for Cheshire cheese. But they didn’t have anything. Did the cat eat it? 🤨 ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/32 "2022-02-02T11:25:36Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > I’m quite fond of goat’s milk and sheep’s milk cheeses, which the Brits don’t seem to make We certainly do - I’m struggling to think of a cheese style that some British cheesemaker doesn’t make somewhere ([here’s a snippet from my local cheesemonger who specialises in ones just from my locale](https://www.bristol-cheese.co.uk/shop?category=GOAT+%26+SHEEP)). Perhaps they’re more niche so we just don’t export much of them. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/33 "2022-02-02T11:32:35Z")
Not sure brick cheese is made outside of Wisconsin. Limberger? Yak milk cheese? Brian ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/34 "2022-02-02T13:06:23Z")
@N9IWP Limburger is only made in the US by one cheese factory in Monroe, WIsconsin. Chalet Cheese. [Baumgartner’s](https://www.baumgartnercheese.com/pdf-menu), a local tavern there is known for its limburger and onions sandwich. [Widmer’s of Theresa](https://www.widmerscheese.com/the-story-of-wisconsin-brick-cheese/), WI claims to be the only producer of “genuine” brick cheese in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/35 "2022-02-02T14:08:07Z")
Ok, so a good cheddar is my favourite, however, there has ironically been a “mild cheddarisation” of british cheddar in recent years. “Mild cheddar” used to be my me to describe not really liking something. If you like mild cheddar, you don’t really like cheddar. Barely got any taste. Nowadays in the UK the normal supermarket, what I used to call mild, is mild and medium, and what is mature is what I used to call medium. Indeed, it’s extra mature or bust, which translates as “actually tastes of cheese”. I think there’s been a definite market move to make things milder. There used to be a taco mix which barely tasted of anything. UK made a “mild taco mix” to remove even that tiny taste. Delicatessens and markets probably would be where I should be buying my cheese, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/36 "2022-02-02T14:23:44Z")
> [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](#): > > It’s runnier than I think you’d like it, sir. Oh! Two\_Many\_Cats2’s eaten it… Godminster in Somerset does a lovely line of cheddars - I prefer the oak-smoked cheddar and the black truffle cheddar (which makes an _amazing_ cheese on toast). Their [website](https://www.godminster.com/) appears to only sell in bulk for some reason, but one can get them through other retailers. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats2)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/37 "2022-02-02T15:15:34Z")
> [@Gyrate](#): > > Oh! Two\_Many\_Cats2’s eaten it… Did he? She, sir. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/38 "2022-02-02T16:47:36Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > > [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > > > I’m quite fond of goat’s milk and sheep’s milk cheeses, which the Brits don’t seem to make > > We certainly do - I’m struggling to think of a cheese style that some British cheesemaker doesn’t make somewhere ([here’s a snippet from my local cheesemonger who specialises in ones just from my locale](https://www.bristol-cheese.co.uk/shop?category=GOAT+%26+SHEEP)). Perhaps they’re more niche so we just don’t export much of them. Yeah, I concur. They tend to be made by small operations - specialist stuff, rather than industrial scale, so not cheap. Not particularly hard to find, though. When you’re passing through South East England (hah!) check out the street markets in places like Lewes and Shoreham. [Here’s a fairly well known local producer](https://www.highwealddairy.co.uk/). j ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/39 "2022-02-02T17:10:12Z")
It’s a shame, I think, that when people think "British’ cheese, they go to cheddar, because that seems so mass market and global that most of it is fairly innocuous. However, I’ve recently discovered the most incredible cheddar called [Pitchfork](https://trethowanbrothers.com/products/pitchfork-cheddar) - it’s like no cheddar I’ve ever tasted, nutty, aromatic, dense, just YUM. I’ve no idea how far they sell it though, it might be quite niche. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2022, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758/40 "2022-02-02T19:07:32Z")
> [@GreenWyvern](#): > > It’s rare, but I have a sensitivity to annatto. I have some sensitivity, but seems to be not as bad as yours. But I tend to avoid cheeses with coloring. But I can’t say no to [Shropshire Blue](https://www.murrayscheese.com/shropshire-blue), which my husband considers crack. We only buy it in small quantities, as my husband can’t stop eating it, and it’ll disturb his digestion as well. [Rachel](https://www.thecheesesociety.co.uk/product/rachel-goats-milk-cheese/) is my favorite British goat cheese. Favorite cheddars are Montgomery and Isle of Mull. And the other favorite is [Cornish Yarg](https://lynherdairies.co.uk/shop/cornish-yarg/). I need to order cheese. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/british-cheeses/958758.md?page=3)