A guide to Double Gloucester — England's smooth, mellow orange cheese, famous for cheese rolling. Its history, flavor, and how to use it.
Double Gloucester is a classic English cheese — smooth, mellow, and buttery, with a rich orange color and a long, colorful history. Best known beyond England for its starring role in a chaotic hillside cheese-rolling race, it's a satisfying, versatile cheese well worth knowing.
What Double Gloucester Is
Double Gloucester is a firm cow's-milk cheese from Gloucestershire, in southwest England, where it has been made for centuries. It was traditionally made from the milk of Gloucester cows, a local breed. The "double" in its name has a few explanations: it may refer to the cheese being made from two milkings (richer evening and morning milk), to its tall double-height wheel, or to its full-fat richness compared to the leaner "Single Gloucester."
Single vs. Double Gloucester
There are two Gloucester cheeses. Single Gloucester is made with lower-fat milk, is lighter and crumblier, and holds Protected Designation of Origin status when made traditionally in the county. Double Gloucester is richer and fuller, made with full-cream milk, giving it a smoother, denser texture and a deeper flavor. Double Gloucester is by far the more common and widely exported of the two.
Flavor and Texture
Double Gloucester is firm, smooth, and close-textured, with a mellow, buttery, savory flavor and a clean, nutty finish. It's typically colored orange with annatto, like cheddar and Red Leicester. Milder and creamier than a sharp cheddar but with more body than Red Leicester, it strikes a pleasant middle ground — rich and satisfying without being overpowering.
The Cheese-Rolling Tradition
Double Gloucester is famous for the annual cheese-rolling event at Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire, where competitors chase a wheel of Double Gloucester down a steep slope. The cheese can reach high speeds, and the first person to the bottom wins the wheel. This delightfully eccentric tradition has made the cheese internationally famous, even among people who've never tasted it.
How to Use Double Gloucester
Double Gloucester is a versatile eating and cooking cheese. It's lovely on a cheese board with chutney, apples, and crusty bread, and it melts smoothly for cheese on toast, toasties, gratins, and sauces. It's also the base for "Cotswold," a popular version blended with chives and onions. Its mellow flavor and good melt make it an easy all-rounder.
Pairings
Double Gloucester pairs with chutney, pickles, apples, and crusty bread, and with cider, ale, and medium-bodied red and white wines. Its buttery, nutty flavor is easy to match with a wide range of accompaniments.
Buying and Storing
Double Gloucester is widely available in blocks, plain or flavored. Store it wrapped in wax paper in the fridge and use within a couple of weeks. As with other firm cheeses, slice or grate it fresh for the best flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between Single and Double Gloucester?
Single Gloucester is lighter, lower in fat, and crumblier; Double Gloucester is richer, smoother, and made with full-cream milk.
Why is Double Gloucester orange?
Like cheddar and Red Leicester, it's colored with annatto, a natural plant-based dye that adds color but little flavor.
What is the cheese-rolling event?
An annual race at Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire where competitors chase a wheel of Double Gloucester down a steep slope.