Buyer’s guide · 30 Mar 2026
Reading a cheese label: terms that mean something, and ones that don’t
Eight terms you’ll see on artisan cheese labels and what they actually tell you about what’s in the wax.
Guide
The British cheese guide
Britain quietly makes some of the best cheese in the world — hundreds of named cheeses, from clothbound cheddars to washed-rind newcomers, most of them from small dairies you’ll never see in a supermarket. The hard part isn’t quality; it’s knowing what you’re looking at.
This guide gathers what we’ve written on choosing, tasting and serving British cheese — reading the label, comparing cheddars side by side, and building a board that needs no fuss — plus a way to buy it straight from the people who made it.
Producer story · 15 Apr 2026
Three generations in the Cotswold cheese cellar
A morning with Margot Whitfield, who has run the Cotswold Creamery cellar for 31 years and shows no sign of slowing down.
Food reviews · 19 Apr 2026
We tried eight British cheddars side by side
A blind tasting of eight cheddars priced from £4.50 to £18 per kilogram. The result will not surprise you, but the order will.
In the kitchen · 2 Apr 2026
The cheeseboard, simplified
Three cheeses, one bread, one preserve, one pickle. That’s a cheeseboard. Anything more is decoration.
News & policy · 12 Feb 2026
Why British cheese exports hit a 30-year low
A combination of trade friction, energy costs and a strong pound has put UK artisan cheese exports at their lowest level since 1996. The local market is, paradoxically, the strongest it has ever been.
Put it to use
Buy it from the people who made it.
The best British cheese rarely reaches a supermarket. Find the dairies and cheesemongers near you and order direct.