A short guide to farmhouse cheese

Farmhouse cheese is made in small batches, often from the milk of a single herd, so no two wheels are ever quite identical. That variety is a joy — and, at the cheese counter, occasionally bewildering. Here is a short, practical map of the main families, how to choose between them, and how to serve them so they taste their best.

What makes farmhouse cheese different from supermarket cheese?

Most block cheese is made at industrial scale from pooled, standardised milk, with the goal of tasting exactly the same every time. Farmhouse cheese is the opposite: it reflects a specific herd, a specific pasture and a specific maker's hand, so it changes subtly with the season and the batch. That is not a flaw to be ironed out — it is the reason it tastes of somewhere. Many are made with raw (unpasteurised) milk, which keeps more of the complex flavour that heavy pasteurisation strips away.

Fresh cheeses

These are eaten young — within days — and prize milkiness over intensity. Burrata, mozzarella, stracciatella, ricotta and brined cheeses like brynza and feta all belong here. Because they are delicate, serve them simply: good olive oil, ripe tomatoes, a little salt, some bread. Do not over-chill them, and eat them soon after they arrive — freshness is the entire appeal.

Soft and bloomy-rind cheeses

Brie- and Camembert-style cheeses ripen from the outside in, developing a soft, sometimes runny interior and a mushroomy edge. They are at their best when just ripe — gently yielding to the touch — and, like all cheese, taste far better at room temperature than straight from the fridge.

Hard and matured cheeses

Cheddar, alpine styles like Comté and Gruyère, and aged goudas are matured for months or years. Time concentrates their flavour and often produces the little crunchy crystals that mark a well-aged cheese. These are the most forgiving to store and the most rewarding to bring up to room temperature before eating — cold hides half of what you paid for.

Blue and washed-rind cheeses

The bold end of the counter. Blues are veined with edible mould for a sharp, savoury bite; washed-rind cheeses — the pungent, orange-rinded ones — are the strongest-smelling of all, though often milder in taste than their aroma suggests. Both reward a slower approach: a slice of bread, a spoonful of honey or a little fruit, and a glass of something with body.

How do you build a simple cheese board?

You do not need many. A good rule is three to five cheeses that contrast rather than repeat:

• One fresh or soft — mozzarella, or a young goat's cheese.
• One hard and aged — a mature cheddar or an alpine.
• One bold — a blue or a washed-rind.

Take them all out of the fridge 30 to 60 minutes before serving, give each its own knife, and add bread, fruit and something sweet. That is a board that does justice to what the makers put in.

How should you store and serve it?

Wrap cheese in wax or greaseproof paper rather than cling film so it can breathe, keep it in the least-cold part of the fridge, and always let it warm up before eating. There is more detail in our guide to storing fresh farm food.

Every cheese on GetEats comes from a named creamery you can look up before you buy — part of the case for knowing your makers. Explore the cheese counter and find your next favourite.