What's the best British cheese

A.� Cheddar and Stilton remain the most popular British cheeses, but cheesemakers are reporting a growing export trade to the continent. There are over 400 different types of cheese made in Britain today, and the market once dominated by the Swiss, Dutch and French, is being rivalled by a growing selection of British cheese. Sheep and goat's milk cheeses like Mendip and Golden Cross are making a name for themselves, and older recipes, such as Blue Vinnie and The Nuns of Caen, a 13th Century sheep's cheese, are being resurrected.

�

Q.� How much cheese is produced each year

A.� The UK currently produced 368,000 tonnes of cheese a year, although specialist cheeses still make up a small part of that total. At the moment, Europe produced 6.5 million tonnes of cheese, 1.6 million tonnes of that in France. The UK currently exports most of its cheese to Ireland and the United States, but a recent campaign to raise the profile of British cheeses has opened up the European market.

The Government's campaign poster - a map made of british cheeses - has been translated into French, German, Italian and Spanish.

�

Q.� Which regions produce which cheeses

A.� The discerning cheeseboard should have a selection of cheeses from around the country.

Scotland produced a Tobermory Truckle, from the isle of Mull, which is an individually moulded, clothbound cheddar with a firm body. The country also produces Dunlop, which has a firm slightly dry texture like soft cheddar.

Ireland produces a white Stilton, and Cashel Blue, a tangy cheese when young which ripens to produce a pronounced spicy blue tang.

From Wales, there is Hunting Pink, a sweet yet spicy cheese, which is attractively produced as a wheel with a tin crusty rind.

Celtic Promise is supple and smooth, and traditional Caerphilly has a fresh clean crumbly taste.

The North West produces Duddleswell, which tastes of crushed brazil nuts and fresh hay.

The North East produces a cheese called Ashdown Foresters, which is a hard unpressed cheese.

Cornish Yarg, which comes from the South West, is a fresh, lemony cheese, and is rivalled by its neighbour Ticklemore Goats Cheese, which has a distinct aromatic goats milk flavour.

The South East produces Swaledale, a firm, slightly crumbly cheese, and Spenwood, which has a subtle suggestion of fresh ground nuts and burnt caramel.

�

For more food and drink questions and answers, click here

�

By Katharine MacColl