Several of those names are protected, so the label tells you where a wheel was made.
This page covers what the main UK cheeses are, which names are protected and how to find them in a US store.
UK cheese at a glance
Here is UK cheese at a glance: the cheeses worth knowing, their style and whether the name is legally protected.
| Cheese | Where | Style | Protected name |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Country Farmhouse Cheddar | Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall | Hard, often cloth-wrapped | PDO |
| Stilton (Blue and White) | Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire | Blue, or white without mold | PDO |
| Yorkshire Wensleydale | Yorkshire | Crumbly, mild, moist | PGI |
| Single Gloucester | Gloucestershire | Semi-hard | PDO |
| Cheshire, Lancashire, Red Leicester, Double Gloucester, Caerphilly | England and Wales | Territorials, crumbly to firm | Not covered here |
Plain "cheddar" is not on that list. The word is a style, not a place.
UK cheese tradition
UK cheese tradition is a regional one: for generations, English and Welsh counties each had their own hard cow's milk cheese, and the names still point at places. Cheshire, Lancashire, Red Leicester, Double Gloucester and Caerphilly are the classic territorials, each with its own page here.
What ties them together is texture. Most are pressed, hard to semi-hard and a little crumbly, made to be cut in chunks for a ploughman's plate or melted into Welsh rarebit. The blues and the clothbound cheddars sit at the top of the range.
The long guides cover the detail. The British and Irish cheeses guide goes cheese by cheese, and Yorkshire's cheese heritage covers one county in depth.
Protected UK cheese names
Protected UK cheese names started under the EU scheme and moved to a UK register at the end of 2020. On GOV.UK, each of the entries below is listed as "registered" under the UK scheme from 31 December 2020 at 23:00, as a UK geographical indication from before 2021, with its original EU date kept.
The two labels differ in how much has to happen locally. A PDO ties the whole process to the place, and a PGI needs at least one stage there. The PDO and PGI guide explains both.
West Country Farmhouse Cheddar
West Country Farmhouse Cheddar is a PDO that GOV.UK lists as originally registered with the EU on June 21, 1996. The specification limits it to farms in Somerset, Dorset, Devon and Cornwall. The cheddar guide covers the style.
Stilton
Stilton is an English blue (and a white version without mold) made only in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, and the name has been a PDO since 1996. It cannot be made in the village of Stilton, which sits outside those counties. The Stilton guide has the make, the serving and the port pairing.
Yorkshire Wensleydale
Yorkshire Wensleydale is a PGI, and GOV.UK records its original EU registration as December 21, 2013. It is the youngest of the four names here. The Wensleydale page covers its crumbly texture and the fruit versions.
Single Gloucester
Single Gloucester is a PDO, and GOV.UK gives its original EU registration as June 21, 1996. It is the less famous cousin of Double Gloucester, which has no protected name in this list.
How to find UK cheese in the US
To find UK cheese in the US, start with the cheddar and Stilton at a cheese counter, where English wheels are cut to order and labeled by maker.
For cheddar, look for "farmhouse" or "clothbound" and a stated age; a block of "English cheddar" in a supermarket may be a cheese of any age made anywhere. For blues, only a cheese made in the three counties can be called Stilton. "English blue" or "Stilton-style" is a different cheese.
Wensleydale is often sold with cranberries, apricots or other fruit stirred in, and the plain version is easier to find at specialty shops. Cheshire, Lancashire and Red Leicester turn up at counters with a British section. Because the protected name is an EU and UK rule, it does not automatically follow the cheese to US shelves, so read the label for the maker and the county.
What most UK cheese guides get wrong
Most UK cheese guides get the same thing wrong: they treat British cheese as one thing. The country holds several separate traditions, and English, Welsh and Scottish cheeses differ in milk, texture and rules.
They also treat "cheddar" as protected. Only the West Country Farmhouse version has the PDO, and it is a small share of what a US shopper sees under the word.
A third miss is the post-2020 register. The protected names above now sit on a UK register while keeping their EU dates, so a cheese can be both an EU and a UK protected name.
Questions about UK cheese
These are the most common questions about UK cheese.
What is the most famous UK cheese?
The most famous UK cheese is cheddar, with Stilton the best-known protected name.
Is cheddar a protected UK cheese?
Cheddar is not protected as a word, but West Country Farmhouse Cheddar has had a PDO since 1996.
What is the difference between a PDO and a PGI for UK cheese?
A PDO for UK cheese ties the whole process to the named place, and a PGI needs at least one stage there. Stilton is a PDO and Yorkshire Wensleydale is a PGI.
Can Stilton be made in Stilton?
Stilton can only be made in Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire, and the village of Stilton is outside them.
What UK cheese is good with port?
A good UK cheese for port is Blue Stilton, served at room temperature with walnuts and pears.
Where to start with UK cheese
Start with UK cheese by buying a small wedge of farmhouse cheddar and a wedge of Stilton, and tasting them side by side with apple slices. Then add crumbly Lancashire or Wensleydale. The cheese board guide shows how to lay them out, and the Ireland page covers the neighbors.
Sources
- West Country Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese, GOV.UK, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Yorkshire Wensleydale, GOV.UK, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
- Single Gloucester, GOV.UK, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs