Welcome to another of our Focus on Cheese articles on the Belton Farm Award-winning Cheese Range. This month we are focusing on our famous Cheshire Cheese.

The Cheese

Cheshire Cheese is a local speciality and where it all started for the Beckett family. It is light and crumbly with subtle hints of fresh citrus. The slightly salty taste is distinctive to the area our milk comes from as cows feed on the rich pastures of the Cheshire Plain, with its underlying rock salt deposits. The Cheshire Plain extends from the Mersey Valley in the north to the Shropshire Hills in the south.

The Story

Cheshire is one of the oldest recorded cheese, mentioned as early as 1580, and is now the best selling crumbly cheese in the UK. The first cheese that was made by the Beckett family here at Belton Farm was also a Cheshire – A light, mellow and slightly salty with a subtle hint of fresh citrus.

The Pleasure

Cheshire cheese is a perfect match for classic pale ales; although of course the flavour of these two beers may not suit everyone. As you may have imagined, the Cheshire cheese also pairs well with a whole range of wines including red, white and even champagne! However, you cannot go wrong with pairing a Cheshire cheese with a Chardonnay or Riesling, Zinfandel, Beaujolais or any variety of Bordeaux wine.

We have also created some delicious Cheshire Cheese recipes!

Just don’t forget if you’re having a cheeseboard remove the cheese from the refrigerator 30 to 60 minutes prior to serving to allow the cheese to rest.

 – Chardonnay or Riesling

 – Beaujolais

 – A classic pale ale