Cheese

Cheese is made from the milk of cows, goats, sheep or water buffalo that has been curdled using rennet (or a substitute) and acidification. Most cheeses are acidified by bacteria, which also play an important role in defining the flavour and texture. There are a vast number of different cheeses available, with variations caused by the type of milk, the different species of bacteria or moulds, the levels of milk fat, the length of aging, the processing treatment and the addition of any flavouring agents.

Cheese can be used for toppings, sandwich fillings, appetisers, entrees and desserts, or as an ingredient for numerous food dishes. It should ideally be kept in a cool larder, rather than in a refrigerator; however, if you do store cheese in the fridge, you must make sure that it is loosely wrapped in greaseproof paper and then foil and kept in a large container in the bottom of the refrigerator. It should then be removed an hour before you eat it in order to give it time to recover from the chill.

Cheeses may be divided into categories based on their consistency, including hard, semi-hard, semi-soft, and soft cheeses, as well as their composition or type, including fresh and blue cheeses. In this section, we review the wide range of cheeses available from each of these categories.