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Seasonal British Cheeses to Enjoy This Winter

Seasonal British Cheeses to Enjoy This Winter
Seasonal British Cheeses to Enjoy This Winter

Seasonal British Cheeses to Enjoy This Winter

Seasonal foods are an essential part of every culinary tradition, and we are used to seeing different fruits and vegetables appear in the shops at different seasons.

In the British Isles, we enjoy sweet Spring lamb at Easter, strawberries in the Summer, and delicious apple and berry crumbles during the Autumn harvest.

Although we enjoy cheese all year round, it is, in fact, a seasonal product, too. Most cheeses are at their peak in flavour and popularity at different times of the year, and many come into their own in Winter.

Let's look at the best cheeses to enjoy during the winter months.

What makes a seasonal cheese?

The weather and season affect the taste and consistency of cow's milk cheese, as the elements influence the taste of the grass dairy cows feed on.

Spring is the time of fresh grass and bountiful milk. In springtime, artisan cheese producers often have a glut of milk as dairy cows feed on the new growth and start producing milk again. This season is for fresh, creamy, soft young cheese with a light and subtle flavour.

Goat and sheep cheese makers experience the same surge in milk production.

However, as the year progresses, the consistency of British dairy milk begins to change. The milk yield drops, but the cows start producing milk with a higher fat content, giving the cheese a fuller, buttery flavour.

The texture of cheese made with late milk is also different. As the grass becomes less plentiful, farmers often supplement their cows' diets with hay, which results in cheese with a drier consistency.

Stilton: The classic British Christmas cheese

For many people, British Stilton is as much part of their Christmas food tradition as the turkey or Christmas pudding, and sales of this pungent blue cheese soar during the festive season.

Traditionally, artisan farmers would make Stilton with milk produced in September. The Stilton would age for six months to achieve its peak flavour and be ready for mid-to-late Winter, just in time for Christmas.

Cheddar: The king of winter cheeses

The mighty Cheddar is one of our favourite cheeses.

Its full, mature flavour, lick of salt, and firm texture make it popular all year round, but the full flavour of aged Cheddar makes it the perfect comfort food for the dark winter months.

Cheddar is a mainstay of cheese boards and a favourite for winter recipes. It is often grated over warming soups and stews.

British soft cheeses that are delicious in the Winter

Soft cheese is not only for summer and spring salads. Many soft cheeses are at their best during the winter months.

Brie, camembert and Vacherin Mont d'Or are French soft cheeses famed for their lush, rich flavours.

However, British cheese makers are now combining the best of British milk with French techniques to produce delicious homegrown soft cheeses that are perfect cold-weather treats.

For example, Baron Bigod is produced in a Brie de Meaux style but made in Suffolk.

British makers use the camembert cheese-making method to produce richly flavoured soft cheese like Tunworth.

Winslade cheese is another soft cheese produced in the UK that reflects the Vacherin Mont d'Or cheese-making tradition. Like the Fresh Mont d'Or, this English cheese is matured in a spruce collar to give a unique flavour.

Accompaniments for winter cheeses

Fresh and sharp flavours complemented the fuller flavour of the aged cheeses served in Winter.

Strong cheddars can compete with the spiciest chutneys, pickles, or fruit jams. Nuts and seasonal fruits are also classic accompaniments.

Crackers are a perfect vehicle for most cheeses, but colder weather may call for more robust oatcakes or hunks of French bread liberally spread with soft cheese or a hunk of Cheddar and pickle.

More about our range of artisan cheese

We stock a wide range of exciting cheese and accompaniments.

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