Cheddar Cheese — The Complete Guide

Cheddar: The World's Most Famous Cheese

Cheddar is the most widely produced cheese in the world — and the most misunderstood. The name has been borrowed by every dairy-producing nation on earth to describe anything vaguely hard and yellow. But genuine Cheddar, made in its home territory of Somerset and the surrounding counties, is a world apart from the pale imitation that borrowed its name.

The Cheddaring Process

The word "Cheddar" derives from the unique production technique used to make it. After the curds are formed and the whey drained, the curds are cut into large blocks and stacked on top of each other — then turned, stacked again, and turned repeatedly. This process, called cheddaring, expels whey, aligns the protein structure, and develops the dense, layered texture no other cheese achieves quite the same way.

The blocks are then milled into small pieces, salted, and pressed into moulds. True Cheddar — cloth-bound farmhouse Cheddar — is then wrapped in muslin cloth and coated with lard before aging in cool cellars or caves.

The Cheddar Spectrum

Cheddar comes in distinct age profiles, each with a different character:

Mild (3–6 months)

Smooth, creamy, buttery. The sharpness hasn't developed yet. Good for children, cooking, and everyday eating. No crystals at this stage.

Mature (6–12 months)

The all-rounder. Tangy, savoury, rounded. The point at which most supermarket "mature Cheddar" lives — though artisan versions at this age are dramatically more complex.

Extra Mature (12–18 months)

Sharp and complex. The first amino acid crystals begin to appear — those satisfying crunchy flecks that indicate the protein is breaking down. Intense flavour.

Vintage / Clothbound (18–24+ months)

The pinnacle. Deeply savoury, almost brothy. Pronounced crystals. Complex, long finish. This is what Cheddar was always capable of being. Montgomery's Cheddar aged 18 months falls in this category.

West Country Farmhouse Cheddar PDO

Protected Designation of Origin status means that West Country Farmhouse Cheddar must be:

• Made in Somerset, Dorset, Devon, or Cornwall
• Produced using milk sourced from those counties
• Made by the traditional cheddaring method
• Cloth-bound during aging

Only a small number of producers hold this PDO designation. The vast majority of cheese labelled "Cheddar" worldwide — including most supermarket Cheddar in the UK — does not qualify and cannot carry the PDO mark.

The Great Cheddar Makers

Montgomery's Cheddar — The Benchmark

Made by Jamie Montgomery at Manor Farm, North Cadbury, Somerset. Raw milk, traditional "pint starters" (unique bacterial cultures maintained at the farm for decades), hand-milled, cloth-bound, and aged 12–18 months. Widely considered the finest Cheddar produced anywhere.

Flavour profile: Sharp tang, deep savoury umami, toasted hazelnuts, crystalline crunch, very long finish.

Keen's Cheddar

George Keen's family farm in Wincanton has been making Cheddar for over 100 years. Raw milk, traditional methods. Tangier and more acidic than Montgomery's, with a bold, assertive character.

Pitchfork Cheddar

Made by Todd Trethowan at Trethowan's Dairy in Somerset. Named after the tool used to turn the curds. Raw milk, cloth-bound, bright and complex.

Quicke's Traditional Cheddar

From Newton St Cyres in Devon. Mary Quicke's cloth-bound Cheddar is an excellent mid-price option for those who want the real thing without the premium price of the top-tier farmhouse makers. Their oak-smoked version is outstanding.

Davidstow Cheddar

Made in Cornwall, this is the best commercially-produced Cheddar regularly available in supermarkets — properly made with Cornish milk and genuine aged character. The mature and extra mature versions are very good value.

How to Taste Cheddar

Look: The paste should be deep ivory to pale gold for young Cheddar, deepening to amber for very aged wheels. White crystals visible in aged Cheddar are tyrosine — a sign of quality.

Smell: Young: milky, fresh, grassy. Aged: brothy, caramelised, complex. Very aged: almost meaty, umami-forward.

Taste: Start young, work your way up the age range. Notice how the sharpness, complexity, and crystal content increase. The finish — how long the flavour lingers — is the mark of a great wheel.

Perfect Pairings

For the cheese board:

• Quince paste (membrillo) — classic
• Pickled walnuts — underrated but exceptional with aged Cheddar
• Branston Pickle or a good chutney
• Celery sticks and apple slices

Wine: Full-bodied red (Cabernet, Shiraz) for aged Cheddar. White Burgundy for younger styles.

Beer: IPA or a good English bitter — the classic pub pairing.

Occasions: Ploughman's lunch, cheese board anchor, Welsh Rarebit, cauliflower cheese, toasties.

Storing Cheddar

Hard Cheddar lasts well — properly wrapped in wax or cheese paper, a good piece will keep for 3–4 weeks in the fridge. The fridge's vegetable drawer (slightly warmer and more humid than the main shelf) is ideal. Never store in cling film — it suffocates the cheese and develops off-flavours.

Cheddar is the cheese that built Britain’s dairy industry — and in its finest forms, it remains one of the great cheeses of the world. Start with a proper cloth-bound farmhouse wheel. Everything else will seem different afterwards.