Ask an American to name a British cheese, and the two most likely answers would be, "cheddar", or "I haven't a clue". However, there is far more to English cheese than cheddar. In fact, the British Cheese Board states that there are more than 700 native cheeses available in the UK! That's a lot of cheese...
Cheddar is the most popular cheese produced in the UK, and accounts for over half of the nation's cheese market. The cheese originated - quite unsurprisingly - in the Somerset village of Cheddar, and traditionally, had to be produced within 30 miles of Wells Cathedral in order to be called "cheddar". While that no longer applies, and there are numerous varieties produced worldwide, I must state that the soft, orange stuff we are usually fed in the United States is far removed from what the real thing should be. True cheddar is a hard cheese, a little crumbly, and is a pale yellow colour.
Other well-known hard cheeses are Caerphilly (from South Wales), Cheshire, Lancashire, and Red Leicester.
Notable semi-hard cheeses include Gloucester, Wensleydale, Sage Derby, and the fabulously-named Cornish Yarg! Produced in the county of Cornwall, this cheese is wrapped in nettle leaves to mature, and this forms a mouldy, though edible, rind. Sage Derby is one of the nicest to look at, with the herb sage creating a wonderful mottled green colour.
What may surprise you is that there are many varieties of British blue cheese. Dorset Blue Vinney is a hard and crumbly cheese, and is produced near Sturminster Newton in the county of Dorset. Blue Stilton (and the less familiar white Stilton) are made only in the counties of Leicestershire, Derbyshire, and Nottinghamshire. Cheese from outside this area cannot be called "Stilton".
A number of soft cheeses are available, but I must give a special mention to Stinking Bishop! This cheese originated as recently as 1972, but has gained much fame in recent years, largely as a result of mention in the animated classic, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. The cheese is immersed in perry (an alcoholic drink made from pears) derived from the "Stinking Bishop" pear. There is just one producer of this cheese, in Dymock, Gloucestershire.
There are a number of other varieties, many with fascinating names, such as Farleigh Wallop, Gallybagger, Katy's White Lavender, and Lord of the Hundreds. Before I sign off, I must mention a personal favourite of mine; Huntsman. Simply a combination of Double Gloucester and Stilton, it is definitely one you should look out for.
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