| Cheshire | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country of origin | England |
| Region | Cheshire |
| Source of milk | Cows |
| Pasteurised | Frequently |
| Texture | hard crumbly |
| Aging time | 4–8 weeks depending on variety |
| Certification | No |
| Named after | Cheshire[*] |
 Related media on Commons | |
Cheshire cheese is a dense and crumblycheese produced in theEnglish county ofCheshire, and four neighbouring counties:Denbighshire andFlintshire inWales, andShropshire andStaffordshire inEngland.
Cheshire cheese is one of the oldest recorded named cheeses in British history: it is first mentioned, along with a Shropshire cheese, byThomas Muffet inHealth's Improvement (c. 1580). There is an unsupported myth that Cheshire cheese is referred to inDomesday Book.[1]
Cheshire was the most popular type of cheese on the market in the late 18th century. In 1758 theRoyal Navy ordered that ships be stocked with Cheshire andGloucester cheeses.[2] By 1823, Cheshire cheese production was estimated at 10,000 tonnes per year;[3] in around 1870, it was estimated as 12,000 tons per year.[4]
Until the late 19th century, the different varieties of Cheshire cheeses were aged to a sufficient level of hardness to withstand the rigours of transport (by horse and cart, and later by boat) to London for sale. Younger, fresher, crumbly cheese that required shorter storage – similar to the Cheshire cheese of today – began to gain popularity towards the end of the 19th century, particularly in the industrial areas in the North and the Midlands. It was a cheaper cheese to make as it required less storage.
Sales of Cheshire cheese peaked at around 40,000 tonnes in 1960,[3] subsequently declining as the range of cheeses available in the UK grew considerably. Cheshire cheese remains the UK's largest-selling crumbly cheese, with sales of around 6,000 tonnes per year.[5]
The county remains an important centre for cheese and cheese making, and until 2021, held theInternational Cheese Awards in Nantwich.
Cheshire cheese is dense and semi-hard, and is defined by its moist, crumbly texture and mild, salty taste. Industrial versions tend to be drier and less crumbly, more like a mildCheddar cheese, as this makes them easier to process than cheese with the traditional texture. The Cheshire family of cheeses is a distinct group that includes other crumbly cheeses from the North of England such asWensleydale andCrumbly Lancashire.
Cheshire cheese comes in three varieties: red, white and blue. The original plain white version accounts for most of the production.
Red Cheshire, coloured withannatto to a shade of deep orange, was developed in the hills of North Wales and sold to travellers on the road toHolyhead. This trade was so successful that the travellers came to believe that all Cheshire cheese was orange, and producers in its home county were obliged to dye their cheese in order to match the expectations of the market.
Blue Cheshire has blue veins likeStilton orShropshire Blue, but is less creamy than Stilton and is not coloured orange as Shropshire Blue is. Historically, it was much favoured in London clubs since the Georgian period. It has a long history, but production ceased in the late 1980s. Recently it has been revived by several manufacturers in England.[6]
