There are many reasons to visit another country, be that to experience the landscape, the culture, the language, the weather or… cheese!

Cheddar

France has wonderful wine, Italy has a plethora of pasta, Scandinavia has Smørrebrød and the United Kingdom has Cheddar, not just the name of a cheese but also the process for making its crumbly texture.

Cheddar is a wonderful village in England’s county of Somerset and the site of a magnificent gorge on the edge of the Mendip Hills. The village gave its name to the cheese originally produced there but, for many years, although the name Cheddar was known the world over, the cheese itself was not made there commercially. Now, however, anyone with a taste for it can book to visit and see fresh cheddar being made in the village. 

Magnificent Cheddar Gorge in Somerset

Double Gloucester

Not far from Somerset is the county of Gloucestershire, which gave origin to a slightly orange cheese called Double Gloucester. Many people do not know that historically there was also a Single Gloucester cheese. This was a lighter cheese made from slightly skimmed milk compared to its double cousin, which traditionally was made using fuller fat milk from local cattle. For many years, you would only find Double Gloucester in shops, but thankfully a revival in local food and online shopping has made it possible to buy both Gloucesters again.

The elegant cloisters at Gloucester Cathedral

The city of Gloucester, after which the cheese is named, is a popular tourist destination in its own right and is well worth a visit if only to witness its splendid cathedral. With its soaring medieval architecture, stunning stained glass and the tomb of King Edward II, the cathedral is a treasure of national heritage. Spend time wandering through the medieval cloisters, which famously featured in the Harry Potter films!

Red Leicester

Another orangey cheese is Red Leicester which has a natural colouring added to give it a rich appearance. This cheese has also undergone a little renaissance recently with a number of farmers now producing high quality single herd cheeses which celebrate this magnificent cheese.

Red Leicester cheese

Leicester is a bustling cosmopolitan city in the East Midlands where the remains of King Richard III were famously discovered under a car park in 2015 and now form the centrepiece of an award-winning visitor attraction. Leicester is home to the UK’s National Space Centre and the Jewry Wall in the city is the tallest surviving section of Roman masonry in Britain.

Stilton

Some of the Red Leicester cheeses contain natural blue mould and that brings us on nicely to the King of British cheeses – Stilton. This blue, soft creamy cheese was described by Daniel Defoe in the 1700s as the ‘English Parmesan’ but no doubt the cheese he would have sampled was very different to the pasteurised cheese we know today.

Stilton – the king of British cheeses

By law, Stilton can only be made in Leicestershire, Derbyshire or Nottinghamshire. And Daniel Defoe was centuries ahead of his time as Parmesan too can only be made in certain regions of Italy. Stilton is a firm favourite to eat at Christmas time with naturally crisp crackers and a glass of port but is versatile enough to feature in many recipes. The Stilton Cheesemakers’ Association have a handy selection on their website. 

Chatsworth House in Derbyshire - one of England’s finest stately homes

Derbyshire is the location of one of England’s finest stately homes, Chatsworth House. The pretty Derbyshire spa town of Buxton is worth a visit and the Derwent Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to a series of ground-breaking 18th and 19th century cotton mills. Nottinghamshire is famous as the home of the legendary outlaw Robin Hood – visit Sherwood Forest where he is said to have lived, and explore fascinating Nottingham Castle to find out more about the folk hero.

Robin Hood statue at Nottingham Castle

Wensleydale

Heading north to Yorkshire, Britain’s largest county, we come to Wensleydale. Famously associated with the animated icons Wallace and Gromit, Wensleydale cheese is a creamy, crumbly cheese with a mild flavour, which is manufactured in commercial creameries all over the UK, However, Yorkshire Wensleydale can only be made in Wensleydale itself. At Christmas in Yorkshire and north east England, Wensleydale is traditionally eaten with fruit cake or Christmas cake.

Wensleydale is in the heart of the glorious Yorkshire Dales National Park, known for its iconic drystone walls, its dramatic limestone landscapes and charming stone villages. It’s the ideal place for walking and cycling, as well as exploring spectacular scenery. The Yorkshire Wensleydale Cheese Experience at the Wensleydale Creamery is a fun way to find out more about the history of this popular cheese.

 Wensleydale Creamery in the heart of Yorkshire

Cheshire

We finish our tour with a trip to beautiful Cheshire in the north west of England, on the border with Wales. Cheshire cheese is the oldest recorded English cheese, reputedly dating back to Roman times and mentioned in William the Conqueror’s Domesday Book of 1086. By the late 18th century, this dense, crumbly cheese was the most popular on the market, shifting over 12,000 tons a year.

Walk the complete circuit of Chester city walls © England Originals

Cheshire is a lovely rural county, boasting lots of pretty villages, stately homes and lush landscaped gardens. The city of Chester has Roman roots and it is home to the largest Roman amphitheatre in Britain, as well as some of the best-preserved city walls.

Charles Dickens mentions Cheshire cheese in his classic novel The Pickwick Papers, and for visitors beginning or ending their tour in London, a visit to Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese Pub is a must. First built in 1538, this atmospheric pub was a popular hangout for literary types, including Dickens, Mark Twain, P.G. Wodehouse and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

There are, of course, many, many other cheeses to be found across the British Isles and it would be a life’s work to visit and sample them all – do you fancy a challenge?

If you are in the UK, as well as visiting some wonderful parts of the country on one of our tailor-made tours, there are a number of creameries which welcome visitors, so why not talk to us about putting together a wonderfully tasty – and cheesy – itinerary!