View source for Cheshire cheese

{{short description|Cheese from Cheshire, England}}
{{About|the British variety of cheese}}
{{pp-move}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox Cheese
| name = Cheshire
| image = [[Image:Cheshire Cheese.jpg|250px|Cheshire Cheese]]
| othernames = 
| country = [[England]]
| region = [[Cheshire]]
| source = [[Cow]]s
| pasteurised = Frequently
| texture = hard crumbly
| fat = 
| protein = 
| dimensions = 
| weight = 
| aging = 4–8 weeks depending on variety
| certification = No
}}

'''Cheshire cheese''' is a dense and crumbly [[cheese]] produced in the [[Counties of England|English county]] of [[Cheshire]], and four neighbouring counties: [[Denbighshire]] and [[Flintshire]] in [[Wales]], and [[Shropshire]] and [[Staffordshire]] in [[England]].

==History==
Cheshire cheese is one of the oldest recorded named cheeses in British history: it is first mentioned, along with a Shropshire cheese, by [[Thomas Muffet]] in ''Health's Improvement'' (c. 1580). There is an unsupported myth that Cheshire cheese is referred to in [[Domesday Book]].<ref>[[Andrew Dalby]], ''[[Cheese: a global history]]'' (2009) pp. 23-25, 35</ref>

Cheshire was the most popular type of cheese on the market in the late 18th century. In 1758 the [[Royal Navy]] ordered that ships be stocked with Cheshire and [[Gloucester cheese]]s.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.hms.org.uk/nelsonsnavycheese.htm | publisher= The Historical Maritime Society | title= Nelson and His Navy — Cheese and the Navy | access-date= 6 April 2010 | url-status= dead | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100413065348/http://www.hms.org.uk/nelsonsnavycheese.htm | archive-date= 13 April 2010 }}</ref> By 1823, Cheshire cheese production was estimated at 10,000&nbsp;tonnes per year;<ref name="britishcheese">{{cite web|url=http://www.britishcheese.com/cheshire/history_of_cheshire_cheese-14 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621165019/http://www.britishcheese.com/cheshire/history_of_cheshire_cheese-14|archive-date=2016-06-21|access-date=6 April 2017|url-status=dead|title=History Of Cheshire Cheese}}</ref> in around 1870, it was estimated as 12,000&nbsp;tons per year.<ref>Wilson JM. ''Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales'' (A. Fullarton and Co.; 1870–72) (from [http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/gaztext_page.jsp?u_id=10193850&c_id= A Vision of Britain through Time: Gazetteer entries for Cheshire]{{Dead link|date=November 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}; accessed 4 June 2010)</ref>

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&nbsp;tonnes in 1960,<ref name="britishcheese" /> 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&nbsp;tonnes per year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britishcheese.com/userfiles/image/cheese/Cheshire%20Cheese%20information%20leaflet.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229203144/http://www.britishcheese.com/userfiles/image/cheese/Cheshire%20Cheese%20information%20leaflet.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 December 2010 |access-date=6 April 2017|title=Cheshire Cheese information leaflet}}</ref>

The county remains an important centre for cheese and cheese making, and until 2021, held the [[International Cheese Awards]] in Nantwich.

==Form==
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 mild [[Cheddar 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 as [[Wensleydale (cheese)|Wensleydale]] and [[Lancashire cheese#Crumbly Lancashire|Crumbly Lancashire]].

Cheshire cheese comes in three varieties: red, white and blue. The original plain white version accounts for most of the production.

===Red===
Red Cheshire, coloured with [[annatto]] to a shade of deep orange, was developed in the hills of North Wales and sold to travellers on the road to [[Holyhead]]. 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===
Blue Cheshire has blue veins like [[Stilton (cheese)|Stilton]] or [[Shropshire 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britishcheese.com/cheshire/blue_cheshire-50 |title=British Cheese Board — Blue Cheshire |publisher=www.britishcheese.com |access-date=2011-03-23 |archive-date=26 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726112425/http://www.britishcheese.com/cheshire/blue_cheshire-50 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==See also==
{{portal|Cheshire}}
* [[Nantwich Museum]], including an exhibition on Cheshire cheese.
* [[History of agriculture in Cheshire]]
* [[Lucy Appleby]] of [[Hawkstone Abbey Farm]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat}}
*[http://www.cheeseboard.co.uk/cheshire Cheshire cheese at the British Cheese Board] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512075322/http://www.cheeseboard.co.uk/cheshire |date=12 May 2013 }}

{{British cheeses}}

[[Category:English cheeses]]
[[Category:Culture in Cheshire]]
[[Category:Economy of Cheshire]]
[[Category:History of Cheshire]]
[[Category:Cow's-milk cheeses]]