Versatile cheese in tangy bites

There are three distinct varieties of Lancashire cheese, known as creamy, crumbly and tasty. For centuries, farmers’ wives from the county would make cheese from surplus cows’ milk, but on small farms there was often not enough at the end of the day to make a whole cheese. The milk was therefore left to curdle and added to over several days until enough had accumulated. The cheese’s distinctive flavour is a result of this blend of curds with varying maturity. Ideal for toasting, creamy Lancashire cheese, with its fluffy texture and mild flavour, is made in this traditional method and matured for 4-12 weeks. Tasty Lancashire is made in the same way, but matured for up to 24 months and has a nutty flavour. The crumbly high-acid type appeared in the 1950s and is made from a single day’s milk. Resembling Cheshire and Wensleydale, it is matured for just 6-8 weeks.