Oaks WMC - Take Home Notes

Great British Selection

A selection of five fantastic cheeses with tasting notes, key details, and fun facts.

#1: Quicke's Extra Mature Cheddar

A heavyweight contender that earns every bit of its age. Aged for at least 18 months, it hits you first with rich, buttery, broth-like depth before settling into a long, snappy lactic bite and a deep horseradish-and-marmite twang. Crumbly, bold, and brilliantly complex.

Fun Fact: The Quicke family has been farming the exact same patch of land in Devon for nearly 500 years (since 1540), long before they started making world-class cheddar!

Origin: Newton St Cyres, Devon, England | Pasteurised: Yes | Vegetarian: No

#2: Harrogate Blue

Striking to look at with its golden-orange hue, peppered with delicate blue veining. The flavour profile is marvelously approachable: dense, ultra-creamy, and fudgy on the tongue, starting sweet and buttery before delivering a sharp, peppery blue kick that warms the throat.

Fun Fact: Its vivid golden-orange color comes from annatto, a natural dye derived from the seeds of the achiote tree.

Origin: Thirsk, North Yorkshire, England | Pasteurised: Yes | Vegetarian: Yes

#3: Baron Bigod

The undisputed heavyweight king of British Brie-style cheeses. Beneath a velvety, white bloomy rind lies a golden center that oozes luxuriously at room temperature. Expect intense warm farmyard aromas alongside rich, silky layers of earthy button mushroom, salted butter, and a lingering nutty finish.

Fun Fact: The cheesemakers brought over a specialized herd of French Montbéliarde cows to Suffolk specifically to make this cheese, because their milk has the perfect fat-to-protein ratio for authentic Brie de Meaux-style cheesemaking!

Origin: Bungay, Suffolk, England | Pasteurised: No (Raw cow's milk) | Vegetarian: No

#4: Rutland Red

The ultimate revival of a traditional Red Leicester. Clothbound and butter-matured for up to six months, it’s firm, flaky, and intensely ruby-hued. Taste-wise, it throws away the rubbery supermarket cheese and delivers a mellow, rounded crunch loaded with burnt caramel, toasted nuts, and a savory, sweet-earthy finish.

Fun Fact: It is currently the only traditional, clothbound, farm-made Red Leicester produced anywhere in the world.

Origin: Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, England | Pasteurised: Yes | Vegetarian: Yes

#5: Kidderton Ash

A dainty goat’s cheese dusted in edible charcoal ash. Cutting through the dusky ash reveals a snow-white interior with a chalky core that softens into a velvety cream-line near the rind. It tastes clean, citrusy, and bright, balanced by a subtle, savory earthiness from the ash coat.

Fun Fact: The charcoal coating isn't just for looks—sprinkling food-grade ash on young goat's cheese lowers the surface acidity, encouraging beneficial molds to grow and softening the cheese from the outside in!

Origin: Inskip, Lancashire, England | Pasteurised: Yes | Vegetarian: Yes