Cheshire

Britain’s oldest cheese, mentioned in 1086 in the Domesday Book, Cheshire may even have been known to the Romans. It is a crumbly loose-textured cheese with a mild tangy flavor and a subde saltiness derived from the unique soil of the Cheshire plain, which covers huge salt deposits. Made using pasteurized cows’ milk, it is naturally creamy white, but is often colored with annatto to an apricot shade (called “red”). It is generally aged between four and eight weeks, but is occasionally matured for over a year — giving a mellower flavor. There is some farmhouse production of the rare blue Cheshire which has a rich full flavor. All Cheshires are lovely eating cheeses; red and white also cook well. (247, 253, 258)