Cheese Care Guide

Farmhouse cheese is handmade and thus varies with each day’s production, changing as it matures. As such it is necessary to take an approach to cheese care which responds to the cheese you have in front of you, as opposed to following rigid guidelines. 

On arrival

It may seem like overstating the obvious, but as soon as you receive your cheese, be sure to unbox it and check it. If any of the paper wrapping has become damaged or loose on route to you, you will want to re-wrap it before storing. If there are any issues, contact us and we'll do our best to put them right straight away. 

Wrapping

We sell our cheese wrapped in waxed paper, which achieves the best possible balance between stopping it from drying out and allowing it to breathe. We are happy to provide some extra cheese paper with your order, which is useful if you are buying large chunks and don't plan on eating it all at once. Watch our guide below to learn how to wrap small pieces of cheese in wax paper.

We recommend avoiding wrapping your cheese in cling film or foil, as it can cause the cheese to sweat which will negatively affect the flavour. Parchment/greaseproof paper is the best substitute for cheese paper.

How to wrap small pieces of cheese from Neal's Yard Dairy on Vimeo.

Storing

Cut pieces of cheese are sold ready to eat. They should be kept in the refrigerator to keep them in this condition and slow the growth of mould on their surfaces. The best option is to keep the cheese wrapped in its waxed paper within a Tupperware box in the fridge. The container will help to prevent the cheese from drying out or from absorbing flavours from other foods in the fridge.

It is intended that cut pieces of cheese are consumed within a week or two of arrival. Cheese sold via our online shop will have a two week best before date from the day of arrival. This is for cheese stored as instructed throughout the whole storage period. If you plan to serve your cheese in multiple sittings, it won't last quite as well. Each time you remove it from the fridge and bring it up to room temperature, all the wonderful live cultures and moulds kick into action, which can then in turn decrease the amount of time it remains in the same condition as we shipped it in.  

If you notice your cheese has developed surface mould or become dry, you can use a knife to scrape off the superficially damaged layer of the cheese or cut a thin slice off - you will find that what is underneath is like new.

Serving

It is important not to serve your cheese when it’s too cold as it can taste bland. As a general rule of thumb, you should bring it out of the fridge a few hours before you plan to serve it. Once the cheese warms up you will notice it carries many more layers of flavour than it did when it was cold.

Keeping your cheese wrapped whilst it is coming up to room temperature helps to avoid any risk of it drying out. If it is especially warm in your house, you should reduce the amount of time the cheese is out of the fridge accordingly. If you know you do not plan on eating all of your cheese at once, it is advisable to cut the amount you wish to serve from a lager piece. You can then rewrap the rest to return to the fridge, keeping it fresh for later.