GET TO KNOW YOUR CHEESES

FRESH

Any soft, spreadable cheese, made by gently separating the curds from the whey. Fresh cheeses have bright, milky flavours, often with lemony acidity. Some are moussey or creamy, whereas mozzarella is heated and stirred to form strands, and feta is pickled in brine.

How to use it: Dot into salads to add creamy contrast to everything from roasted veg to tomato and herb sauces.

AGED FRESH

These cheeses are matured to develop flavour and texture. These include Loire-style chèvres (goat’s cheeses) and British and Irish cheeses such as tymsboro and st tola. Moulds form a thin, often wrinkly rind, beneath which the soft interior turns creamy.

How to use it: Serve as a fresh cheese or grill in slices.

SOFT WHITE

Camembert and brie (and British cheeses such as tunworth and baron bigod) are the most common, with a bloomy (soft almost fuzzy) whi (also on some goat’s ch caused by a special mo cheese ripens underne a creamy paste.

How to use it: Bake cheese (in its box if it h with garlic and herbs a contained fondue.

HARD AND SEMI-HARD

There are two kinds: u and cooked. In uncook curds are salted, press matured into crumbly such as cheshire or lan or firmer ones such as dar. In cooked cheeses curds are heated and p to make dense cheese parmesan.

How to use it: Grate pasta and risotto, and gratins, rarebits and s

BLUE

Has a sharp, salty flavo and often pungent aro The cheese is injected bacteria which spread fissures to create vein mould. Blues can be ha soft, and made from go sheep’s or cow’s milk.