Abondance
Abondance is an AOP cheese from the Haute-Savoie region of the French Alps, made from the raw milk of Abondance, Tarentaise, and Montbéliarde cattle. Monks at the Abondance Abbey have documented its production since the 14th century, and the wheels are still pressed with a distinctive concave edge.
Flavor Profile
Abondance is a semi-hard cheese with a supple, dense paste and a brushed amber rind. The flavor is nutty and fruity with a pronounced hazelnut character, a light bitterness on the finish, and a persistent grassy alpine quality from mountain pasture. It is more aromatic and less sweet than Gruyère, with a distinctive tang.
How to Serve
Serve at room temperature on a board where its complexity registers. Abondance is the required cheese for berthoud, a Savoyard dish in which it is melted with white wine and garlic. It also performs beautifully in fondue and gratins.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair with a Savoie white such as Roussette, a Jura Vin Jaune, or a light Pinot Noir. Serve with cured ham, walnuts, dried fruit, and rustic bread.
Storage
Wrap in wax paper and store in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Keeps well for three to four weeks.
Appenzeller
Appenzeller is a traditional hard Swiss cheese made from raw cow’s milk in the Appenzell region of northeastern Switzerland. It is one of Switzerland’s oldest cheeses, with a production history spanning over 700 years.
Flavor Profile
What makes Appenzeller unique is its herbal brine wash. During aging, each wheel is regularly bathed in a blend of herbs, spices, wine, and other natural ingredients. The exact recipe is a closely guarded secret, known by fewer than three people at any time. This wash gives the cheese its signature spicy, tangy flavor with fruity undertones.
Appenzeller comes in three varieties: Classic (silver label, 3 months, mildest), Surchoix (gold label, 4-5 months, medium), and Extra (black label, 6+ months, most intense).
How to Use Appenzeller
Appenzeller melts smoothly and evenly, making it an excellent addition to fondue blends with Gruyère and Emmentaler. It is the perfect companion to crisp, sharp fruit such as apples. Serve in omelets with smoked salmon, in potato gratins, savory tarts, or on a salami sandwich.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair with dry Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, or a light Pinot Noir. For beer lovers, a crisp Swiss lager or wheat beer complements its spicy character nicely.
Storage
Wrap in wax paper and store in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving for the fullest flavor expression.
Caerphilly
Caerphilly is a Welsh cow’s milk cheese with a crumbly, moist texture and a clean, lactic tang. Originally made to feed coal miners, its salty character and firm structure made it practical to carry underground, and the thick rind gave workers something to hold while eating with dirty hands.
Flavor Profile
Young Caerphilly is bright, milky, and faintly citrusy, with a fresh acidity that reads almost like yogurt. The texture is crumbly toward the center and softer just under the rind, where a creamy band develops as the cheese matures. Aged versions deepen into buttery, earthy, and mushroomy notes while retaining that signature tang.
How to Serve
Serve at room temperature on a cheese board where its lightness balances richer, denser cheeses. Caerphilly crumbles beautifully over salads and roasted vegetables, and it is the traditional cheese for Welsh rarebit. It also grills well, holding its shape while developing a golden crust.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair with a dry cider, a crisp Sauvignon Blanc, or a light English ale. Serve alongside pickled onions, chutney, apple slices, and crusty bread.
Storage
Wrap in wax paper and store in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Caerphilly is best consumed within two weeks of cutting, as its higher moisture content makes it less stable than harder British cheeses.
Cantal
Cantal is one of the oldest cheeses in France, with a history stretching back nearly 2,000 years. Produced in the Auvergne region of central France from cow’s milk, it carries an AOC designation and is sometimes called France’s answer to Cheddar, though its flavor profile is more nuanced and complex.
Flavor Profile
Cantal comes in three age classifications: Jeune (young, 1-2 months, mild and milky), Entre-Deux (medium, 3-7 months, balanced with developing nuttiness), and Vieux (aged, 8+ months, sharp and tangy with a crumbly texture). The progression from young to aged offers a wide range of flavors and uses.
How to Use Cantal
Young Cantal melts well and works in cooking and sandwiches. Aged Cantal is excellent for grating, cheese boards, and eating with bread and wine. Cantal is a key ingredient in aligot, the famous Auvergne dish of mashed potatoes and melted cheese.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair with a robust red from the Rhône or Languedoc, a dry cider, or a malty beer. Serve with dark bread, cornichons, and charcuterie.
Cheddar – England
English Cheddar is the original, the cheese from which every Cheddar in the world descends. It takes its name from the village of Cheddar in Somerset, where the caves of Cheddar Gorge provided the cool, humid conditions needed to mature the wheels. The cheddaring process itself, in which cut curds are stacked and repeatedly turned to expel whey, was developed here and is now used worldwide.
Flavor Profile
Young English Cheddar is supple and slightly rubbery with a mild, milky sweetness. With age it transforms completely, turning crumbly and dry with a sharp, tangy bite and deep savory, nutty undertones. Traditional cloth-bound wheels develop earthy, almost mushroomy notes from the natural rind that block-aged Cheddar never achieves. Well-matured examples carry crystalline tyrosine deposits that crunch between the teeth.
How to Use
English Cheddar is an outstanding snacking cheese and the anchor of a traditional ploughman’s lunch. It grates cleanly for macaroni and cheese, cauliflower cheese, and savory scones, and it is the correct cheese for a proper Welsh rarebit. Serve it at room temperature on a board so the full range of flavor comes through.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair with a Pale Ale, a whiskey, or a Cabernet Sauvignon. Serve with crisp apples, Branston-style pickle, pickled onions, chutney, and crusty bread.
Storage
Wrap in wax paper, then loosely in plastic wrap, and store in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Aged English Cheddar keeps for a month or more. Trim any surface mold with half an inch of clearance; the interior remains perfectly good.
Cheddar – Ireland
Serve with crackers, walnuts, strawberries.
Cheddar, Aged
Aged Cheddar is a firm, full-flavored cheese with roots in the English countryside, produced using the traditional cheddaring technique where curds are stacked and turned to expel moisture and develop the characteristic dense, crumbly texture. Imported aged Cheddar from England and Ireland offers a sharper, more complex experience than most domestic versions.
Flavor Profile
Well-aged imported Cheddar has a sharp, tangy flavor with complex nutty and earthy undertones. The texture is firm and slightly crumbly, with small crystalline deposits that develop during extended aging. The finish is long and lingering, with a pleasant sharpness that builds on the palate. This is a more nuanced and characterful cheese than standard supermarket Cheddar.
How to Use Aged Cheddar
Serve on cheese boards with chutney, pickles, and crusty bread. Grate into cooking for mac and cheese, gratins, and savory pies. Aged Cheddar also pairs wonderfully with fresh apples and is a traditional match for a traditional ploughman’s lunch.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair with a dry cider, a malty English ale, Port, or a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon. Serve with apple slices, chutney, pickled onions, and crusty bread.
Cheddar, Aged
Aged Cheddar is Cheddar that has been matured well beyond the young, mild stage, developing the firm texture, concentrated flavor, and crystalline bite that define the style at its best. Aging transforms Cheddar from a simple table cheese into something with real depth and character.
Flavor Profile
Aged Cheddar is sharp and tangy with pronounced nutty and savory undertones. The texture becomes firm and slightly crumbly, and small crystalline deposits form as proteins break down during maturation, giving a satisfying crunch. The finish is long, with a lingering sharpness that builds on the palate rather than hitting all at once.
How to Use
Aged Cheddar is a cheese board staple, but it also excels in cooking. Grate it into macaroni and cheese, gratins, savory scones, and cheese sauces where its concentrated flavor carries the dish. It pairs classically with apples and is central to a traditional ploughman’s lunch.
Pairing Suggestions
Pair with a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon, a dry cider, a malty English ale, or Port. Serve with crisp apple slices, chutney, pickled onions, and crusty bread.
Storage
Wrap in wax paper, then loosely in plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator crisper drawer. Aged Cheddar keeps for several weeks due to its low moisture content. Trim any surface mold with half an inch of clearance.
Cheddar, Aged – Australia
Creamy versatile cheese. Good for melting in dips or casseroles. Pair with Chardonnay or Pale Ale.
