The Best Of British Artisan Cheeses For Autumn

Only 60 wheels of this were made in 2015, so it is a rare find and unusual in the fact it is made in Yorkshire but to a German Alpine cheese recipe for Berg Kase. Head cheese-maker, Alastair Pearson farmed over there for some time before returning to the UK. Similar in style to cheeses like Comté, but made with full-fat milk, it is nutty supple and has a buttery, butterscotch note.

This cheese came about by accident when blue-cheese maker Michael Thomson forgot to pierce some of his cheeses (the ones that normally go onto become Young Buck). Without the blue mould, the Stilton-style cheese continued to mature its yeast rind but retained its fresh-lactic interior, which gives a boozy finish to this otherwise fresh and crumbly cheese.

Sheep’s milk was once in abundance in the UK, but has only recently become established again for cheese making. Martin Gott and his partner Nicola Robinson make this unusual little cheese in south Cumbria. Made using milk from their own 110 sheep out at pasture, they wash the rind, which gives rise to savoury meaty flavours in the cheese that counteract the sweetness of their sheep’s milk with a pungent smell. 40% of people aren’t keen on it. But blimey, those that do like it … well, they love it!

Gillian only has seven goats so this unusual take on a goats’ cheese is hard to find. But seek it out if you can. Made to a French style, Gillian still milks her goats by hand and uses the Anglo Nubian breed which give a rich intense milk to give the finished cheese a fantastic flavour and a true taste of the Yorkshire Pennines.

Made in a copper vat imported from Switzerland, Bill Oglethorpe spent some time over there perfecting Swiss cheese-making techniques, before bringing his expertise back to the UK. Only made in very small quantities, Bermondsey Hard Pressed has the grassy nuttiness of a good Gruyère.