Milk

Although goats’ and ewes’ milk cheeses are common in some regions — and in Italy the milk of water buffaloes is used for cheesemaking – most of the world’s cheeses are made from cows’ milk. It may be whole, skimmed, semi-skimmed or cream-enriched and this determines the fat content of the cheese and helps shape its character. Whether the milk comes from a morning or evening milking (many cheeses are a mixture) is also significant. So is the grazing: hay, young spring grass or – best of all – rich summer grass.