Kitchen Dictionary: Cheshire cheese

A rich cow's milk cheese that comes in three varieties: white(pale yellow), red (apricot-colored) and blue. Cheshire is one of the oldest cheeses in Britain. Its unique flavor derives from sodium deposits in nearby grazing pastures. Colored Cheshire does not differ in flavor from white Cheshire. They all have a slightly crumbly and silky texture and a full-bodied, fresh flavor; differing mainly in the fact that the red variety has been dyed with annatto. Cheshire is a young cheese, having an average age of 8 weeks, with a semi-firm texture and a mild, tangy, cheddarlike flavor. Farmhouse Cheshire is rarely exported and has a richer fuller flavor. Blue Cheshire, has a golden interior veined with blue, just as rich as Stilton, but a milder flavor.

Ethnicity: English Ingredient

Season: available year-round

Matches well with: Riesling,Cabernet Sauvignon