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.
Pecorino Romano PDO Cheese
This is one big flavoured cheese with loads to get excited about. Due to its long ageing process you can expect a whole different taste from most variations of pecorino. Its maturation process allows for a more caramel and rich palette not dissimilar to a parmesan. It is a sheep's cheese with a nutty, full-bodied flavour with playful touches of sweetness and grass.
Raypenaer Cheese
An insane Gouda, that has been aged for 24 months near Utrecht, Holland. It comes with stunning flavours of caramel, and it has a texture of dreams.
Ribblesdale Mature Goats
Here is a cheese that will demand second helpings - and with good reason! It's sweet and grassy aroma combined with a superb crumbly texture giving a perfect combination. This is a goat's cheese that is subtle on the goat. Ribblesdale Mature provides nutty, fruity flavours with a slight caramel hint that compliment each other in unison to create a well-rounded and balanced cheese that becomes slightly more 'goat-y' as it gets to the rind.
Ribblesdale Superior Goats Cheese
Another award winning cheese from Ribblesdale dairy. This goat's cheese is semi-firm, incredibly light and easy on the goat-y flavour. It is strikingly white, impeccably smooth in texture and comes with a subtle nuttiness associated with good goat's cheese. It is unusually yet wonderfully mild and has a delicious sweetness that calls for a second taste.
Shropshire Blue
The UK's only raw milk Shropshire Blue! Sparkenhoe's Blue is made using similar methods to how they make their Red Leicester. They add annatto to the milk, giving the cheese its glorious colour.
Smoked Northumberland Cheese
This is a strong place to start on a journey into artisan smoked cheese. It has won multiple awards and for good reason! It is cold-smoked over wood chippings for 12 hours, to develop a bronzed outer core and a beautifully smoky taste. Smoked Northumberland cheese is the real deal; once the cheese has been smoked for 12 hours, it is then matured for 3 months to deepen the flavour.
Smoked Westcombe Cheese
Who doesn’t love smoked cheese? With a deep, complex, mellow base flavour, this smoked Cheddar has a richly aromatic and deeply smokey flavour. An interplay of tangy and woody flavours in a creamy paste. Enjoy on it’s own or use it to cook with to infuse some brilliant campfire richness.
Snowdonia Black Bomber Cheese
A top notch, extra matured cheddar that is loved for its creamy texture and deep flavour. Black Bomber is the flagship cheese of Snowdonia Cheese Company and with good reason. This incredible cheese has won multiple awards and while it is a classic cheddar, it comes with incredibly rich flavours, a smooth texture and mouth-watering length that will leave you wanting more.
Snowdonia Black Bomber Mini Cheese
A top notch, extra matured cheddar that is loved for its creamy texture and deep flavour.… In mini form! Black Bomber is the flagship cheese of Snowdonia Cheese Company and with good reason. This incredible cheese has won multiple awards and while it is a classic cheddar, it comes with incredibly rich flavours, a smooth texture and mouth-watering length that will leave you wanting more.
Snowdonia Red Storm Hard Cheese
A vintage Red Leicester, aged to perfection. This wonderful cheese from Snowdonia has gorgeous crystalline crunches and a surprisingly intense flavour profile. It comes with a slight sweetness, with lovely caramel undertones. Its texture is wonderfully refined due to its 18-month ageing process. We cannot get enough. If your cheese board needs a bit of colour, look no further!
Snowdonia Red Storm Mini
A vintage Red Leicester, aged to perfection. In mini form! This wonderful cheese from Snowdonia has gorgeous crystalline crunches and a surprisingly intense flavour profile. It comes with a slight sweetness, with lovely caramel undertones. Its texture is wonderfully refined due to its 18-month ageing process. We cannot get enough. If your cheese board needs a bit of colour, look no further!
Snowdonia Ruby Mist Mini
A mature cheddar with a festive twist. Enjoy a silky smooth cheddar wrapped in a wonderful Port and Brandy flavour that is ideal to tuck into on a winter evening. Enclosed in a stunning burgundy wax, Snowdonia Cheese Company has done it once again by creating another superb cheddar with a twist. If you’re looking for something that little bit extra, this is the cheddar for you!
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.