Hard Cheese
We have a fantastic range of hard cheeses for you to explore below. Our selection includes some of the best-loved varieties from around the world - from classic Yorkshire cheeses to authentic Italian and French varieties, so you're sure to find the perfect one for your taste buds. Whether you're a fan of strong and tangy flavours or mellower notes, we have something to suit everyone's palate. So why not browse our cheese selections and see for yourself? We promise you won't be disappointed!
Looking for an introduction before you buy? Read our hard cheese guide for the main styles, flavours, serving ideas and pairings.
24 Month Comté Cheese
Aged 18 months with a seriously nutty and earthy flavour, stemming from the rich mountain pastures of the Franche-Comte region. This hard mountain cheese is matured to perfection in the silence and darkness of special caves, which is where the cheese gets its unique taste, texture and colour. It is dense, open and smooth - basically everything you want in a hard cheese, coming with beautiful fruity, nutty, salty, savoury, smokey and sweet flavours. The aftertaste is slightly more bitter, insanely moreish and really well rounded.
Admiral Collingwood Cheese
Named after the heroic Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood. This semi-soft cheese is washed in Newcastle Brown Ale to impart a similar strength of flavour, as the Admiral was strong in courage. On tasting, it’s buttery savoury undertones give way to an effusively complex aftertaste. It melts in the mouth leaving a tangy succulent flavour on the tongue.
Affineur Walo Red Wine Farmer Cheese
A full-flavoured, mountain-style cheese, Affineur Walo Red Wine Farmer packs a serious punch. The local red wine-washed rind gives it a distinctive appearance and classic aroma, but washing methods means it does have an overtly pungent smell and sticky texture. Thanks to careful production, it keeps its creamy and typically Swiss flavours. Affineur Walo Red Wine Farmer was a gold medallist in the 2014 Nantwich Cheese Awards.
Botton Summerfields Alpine Cheese
This is a Gruyere style cheese that is sweet, with a supple nuttiness that comes with most Gruyere's and shows similarities to Comte, as it comes with a slight tang. A hard and full flavoured cheese. The flavour base is nutty with cheddar-like notes.
Charcoal Cheddar Mini Cheese
Have you ever tried black cheese? Well, now you can! This mature cheddar is a creamy delicacy with the added intrigue of being completely black. Charcoal Cheese was the winner of the ‘Best New Idea’ at the Farm shop and Deli show in 2014. This truly unique cheese is made with charcoal from the Featherstone mines in Yorkshire, mixed with a wonderfully creamy mature Cheddar. Watch out; This cheese has an inedible black wax-coating!
Charcoal Cheese
The only all black cheddar cheese... Deliciously creamy mature cheddar, blended with Yorkshire charcoal. A great talking point for any dinner party. We only sell these in Minis, so fear not - you can still buy this fantastic cheese, just give it a search in the search bar!
Colston Bassett Stilton Blue Cheese
A decadently rich and creamy blue cheese, with a smooth, lingering complexity. This is a classic stilton. Strong in flavour while remaining smooth and creamy, Colston Bassett is a blue cheese whose veins become more strongly defined as the cheese matures. A cool fact - this is the only cheese to be recognised by HSE to be safe to be had by pregnant women! So if you're pregnant and like blue cheese.. this is your go to. If you are not pregnant and like blue cheese, we still recommend it!
Cornish Kern Cheese
Meet the aged version of the phenomenal Cornish Yarg. The makers of Cornish Yarg have been working on this Gouda style recipe for quite some time and they have succeeded in creating something quite magical. It's flavour is enhanced by alpine cultures giving it a taste similar to that of a Comté or Gruyère and yet it is from right here in the UK! Fun fact: Kern quite literally means "round" in Cornish!
Cornish Yarg with Wild Garlic Cheese
Cornish Yarg is a semi hard, wild garlic wrapped cheese made from grass rich Cornish milk. It is loosely based on a Caerphilly recipe and is tangy under its natural rind and slightly crumbly in the centre.
Dale End Cheddar Hard Cheese
A traditional cloth bound cheddar which is aged for a minimum of six months. It has a tangy and citrus like taste with a long lasting flavour. This is a wonderful cheddar that gets the taste buds at the back of your mouth tingling.
Doddington Cheese
A namesake cheese from Doddington Dairy. It is an incredibly accessible cheese that lies somewhere between a Leicester and a cheddar - and let us tell you, its perfection. It has notably sweet, caramel undertones that are accompanied with nutty characteristics and the classic cheddar texture. This is for cheese lovers and cheese nibblers! What's not to love?
Gallus Cheese
Think creamy, granually, salty and smooth. Gallus is simply stunning. This alpine cheese reminds us exactly why we love (we mean LOVE) Swiss cheese. In 2019, this cheese was listed as the 7th tastiest cheese in the world and we couldn't agree more - it's definitely in our top 10!
About Hard Cheese
What Is Hard Cheese?
Hard cheese is a type of cheese that has been aged for a longer period of time than soft cheese, resulting in a harder texture and stronger flavor. Examples include Italian Parmesan, cheddar, and gouda.
How Is Hard Cheese Made?
Hard cheese is made using a similar process as other types of cheese, but it undergoes a longer aging period. The cheese is first curdled using a combination of rennet and bacteria, then the curds are separated from the whey, pressed, and aged for several months to several years.
How Should I Store Hard Cheese?
Hard cheese should be stored in the refrigerator, wrapped tightly in wax paper or aluminum foil to prevent it from drying out. It can also be stored in a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid.
How Long Does Hard Cheese Last?
The shelf life of hard cheese varies depending on the type of cheese, but it generally lasts longer than soft cheese. Properly stored, hard cheese can last for several months to a year or more.
Can I Freeze Hard Cheese?
Hard cheese can be frozen, but it may change texture and may become crumbly upon thawing. It is best to use frozen hard cheese in cooked dishes where the texture change will not be noticed.