Cheddars

Name	Appearance	Description
Cathedral City	A solid light yellow block with a mild oil sheen.	A mild low aged cheddar with little to no crystal development. Lightly salted with a creamy finish.
Generic	A uniform generic square, typically branded as 'cheddar'. Extremely oily to the touch.	A standard supermarket feature for those moments where you just need cheese. Sometimes underseasoned, great in a picnic sandwich!
Aged	Various shades of yellow, sometimes darker depending on the age. Dry to the touch with a crumbly / dusty texture.	Aged cheddar has been left in a dry environment in order for excess whey to leave the cheese. Large salted crystals form within the cheese causing the more crumbly texture, along with a strong salted flavour. Tread carefully!

Blue / Innoculated

These cheeses have been deliberately allowed to mould, either natually or had a mould inserted / coated onto them.

Name	Appearance	Description
Stilton	Pale to dark beige with a large percentage of blue / brown mould streaks.	A strong and salty cheese with a croumbly texture due to the heavy moulding within the crystal structure. Can be overpowering to some.
Roquefort	White curd structure with heavier blue mould streaks towards the centre.	A less intense brother to stilton with a milder creamier curd flavour. The mould streaks however can be extremnely intense with a sharp tang.
Gorgonzola	A dark off white colour with blue moulding. A creamy and soft surface texture with a slight dampness.	A personal favourite for us, this fantastic blue cheese is a touch milder than both stilton and roquefort, with excellent melting properties and an extremely creamy texture!
Brie	A white disc with a beige centre. The surface can be unifrom or bumpy.	This cheese can be found either coated in bacteria from a spray system, or naturally in the air. It creates a thin 'skin' to protect the inner cheese leaving a firmer outside with a gooey middle. A wonderfully creamy cheese paired great with anything sweet.
Camembert	A white disc with a beige centre. The surface can be unifrom or bumpy.	This cheese is extremely similar to brie, however the gooey centre has a stronger, more earthy flavour due to the milk used to produce it. Wonderful melted in the oven in a dish to dip items item it.

Goudas

These are mild milky cheeses with nutty undertones. Fantastic for melting, cheeseboards or an accompanyment when mixed with other cheeses. You will find them normally as whole wheels (big cheese tyres) or slices of them!

Name	Appearance	Description
Generic	A uniform light yellow with a smooth curd. Can come with holes!	There are far too many types of gouda to mention, however most are slightly sweet with heavy nutty flavours
Swiss/ Edam	A uniform light yellow full of air pockets!	A very mild gouda. Wonderful grilled or in a sandwich!
Old Amsterdam	A pale orange sheen with a very slight oily texture.	A strong gouda with a unique earthy flavour. Be warned, in some cases whey is trapped within hidden air pockets in the cheese, which can be unpleasent if unexpected!

Non Aged white curd

These are extremely milky cheeses formed purely from compressed curds. They are not usually aged and should be treated such as cream or milk. I.e once open, use them within a reasonable timeframe!

Name	Appearance	Description
Mozzeralla	A white ball formed of layers of set curd.	A truly wonderful cheese. Creamy with a tang of whey split into layers. Ranges from mild and creamy from cows milk, to strong and tangy with buffalo milk.
Burrata	A white ball with a set skin and creamy filling.	The king of creamy cheeses, burrata is a ball of rich cream which has been encapsulated in a mozzerella coating to protect it. Absolutely sublime.
Riccota / Cottage	A white paste resembling yogurt.	This cheese is simply the curd of cows milk which has been drained of most of its whey, without heavy compression. Salt is mixed in with the curd. A creamy and mild flavour perfect for pastas and sauces.
Mascarpone	A white ball with a set skin and creamy filling.	Very similar to riccota, however with a sweeter flavour with very little curd texture. Wonderful in deserts!
Cream Cheese	A white yogurt like paste.	Again very similar to riccota, however this cheese is sometimes whipped with milk and any curd structure is destroyed creating a perfectly uniform texture.
Feta	A clean white block with a fuzzy outer texture	A more heavily salted form of recotta which has been heavily formed into blocks. More of the whey is left in the cheese allowing for a heavy salty tang! Great on salads or in an adventurous cheese toastie!
halloumi	A rubbery white block submerged in a salty liquid.	An interesting cheese with a 'rubbery' texture. Formed like feta however most whey is compressed out of it, leaving a dry and sometimes crumbly interior. Not normally consumed raw due to the texture, however it will crips beautifully on a barbecue making it one of the most delicious cheeses on this list.

Red Cheeses

These are very similar to cheddar, however the milk and bacteria used cause the cheeses to turn a darker orange colour.

Name	Appearance	Description
Double Gloucester	A light orange colour with an almost shiny outer edge	A wonderful mild cheddar with a distinct creamy flavour. The perfect snacking cheese of the author, and even better if melted over something else.
Red Leicester	A darker orange block with a crumbly texture.	Very similar to the above, but with a stronger flavour and a different texture.

Hard Cheeses

These are long aged dry cheeses with a brittle a crumbly texture. Very umami! Normally formed in large wheels and sealed in a thick wax or cork.

Name	Appearance	Description
Parmesan / Parmigiano-Reggiano	A pale yellow crumbly cheese with a dry / dusty texture	Parmesan is an umbrella term which covers many specific types of dry aged cheeses. Parmigiano-Reggiano is a specifc type of this cheese which struct production regulations. It is dry and salty with a slight nutty undertone.
Grana Padano	A pale yellow crumbly cheese with a dry / dusty texture	Very similar to Parmigiano-Reggiano, however it has much less strict regulations, therefore a cheaper alternative which closely matches is cousin.
Pecorino Romano	A white to pale yellow cheese with a crumbly texture.	This is the equivalent of parmesan however it is made with sheems milk. It is salty and nutty with a tangy finish!