A to Z of artisan cheese: Wensleydale

Wensleydale

Milk: Cow’s
Variety: Hard, crumbly, both pasteurised and unpasteurised
Colour: Pale, white and milky, to gently creamy
Average Size: Around 4-5kg
Country of Origin: England

What is Wensleydale Cheese?

Loved by cheesemongers and aficionados for its gentleness, subtlety and honesty as one of the purest expressions of milk in cheese form, Wensleydale has a history of highs and lows. From being revered as one of the finest products made in England, to suffering a weakened reputation during the industrialisation of territorial cheeses, a number of stars have aligned to secure its place as a firm British favourite today. For starters, modern Wensleydale cheesemaking is in the hands of a small, but incredibly passionate collective of producers such as Curlew Dairy, Stonebeck Cheese and Wensleydale Creamery, who make quality their absolute priority. Then, of course, there’s the Wallace & Gromit effect, which boosts sales time and time again as Aardman Animation’s beloved films do the rounds on TV during the festive season and bank holidays. Makers of Wensleydale are hoping the next installment (Vengeance Most Foul, being televised by the BBC on Christmas Day before landing on Netflix on January 3, 2025) will work its magic, inspiring families across the world to invest in a wedge of Wallace’s favourite fromage while snuggled up on the sofa.

Only Wensleydale cheese made within a specific area of the Yorkshire Dales can carry PGI status, and be labelled as Yorkshire Wensleydale says Sandra Bell of Wensleydale Creamery. “It has an enormous amount of heritage and provenance going all the way back to 1150 when the Cistercian monks first settled in the area and started making cheese,” she says. “Then we had the dissolution of the monasteries, with recipes and cheesemaking passed onto farmhouse wives over 300 years until the first commercial creamery was founded in Hawes.”

Traditional Wensleydale makers, Sandra says, are making a truly artisanal product, handcrafted, using their own starter cultures, and milk from local farms.

“It’s a national treasure! And it’s available in so many formats as well. We have a lot of different blends for different palates, because the base of Yorkshire Wensleydale works so well with a variety of ingredients.” Wensleydale Creamery’s top seller is its cranberry-studded version, which flies off the shelves at Christmas especially.

Andy Swinscoe of The Courtyard Dairy calls Wensleydale a “champion of the cheeseboard”. 

“It’s a classic, and an original British territorial cheese we need to cherish more. There’s evidence of it being made in Roman times…well over 2,000 years ago. And it became really prominent with the railways as it could travel further. It was once considered one of the finest products in Britain!”

Andy has deeply rooted affection for farmhouse Wensleydale cheeses “because they really reflect the cheese of this area”. 

They’re also synonymous with Christmas for a reason. “Historically they’d be made in spring and summer, traded in the autumn, and sold at Christmas.”

Why is Wallace & Gromit associated with Wensleydale cheese?

“We’ve had a longstanding relationship with Aardman since A Close Shave in 1996,” explains Sandra. “Wallace invites Wendolene to try some cheese, and she says, ‘ooh no not cheese’. He says, ‘not even Wensleydale?’”

This now-iconic moment has, she says, done wonders to raise the profile of Wensleydale cheese. “There’s this core family of people who grew up with the films, and they keep making them, appealing to the new generation along the way. Over the years we’ve seen waves and spikes of sales with all the films.”

What does Wensleydale cheese taste like?

Cheese expert and food consultant, Emma Johnson, says, “A good Wensleydale should reflect the flavour of the terroir – bright, fresh, lactic flavours, with a good tang, but no sour notes. The texture should be crumbly, but not chalky. You’d expect to see a clean iron when boring a Wensleydale.”

Emma adds that she’s a real purist, so flavoured varieties aren’t for her. She’s more a fan of Wensleydale Creamery’s Special Reserve Yorkshire Wensleydale which “has a wonderful creamy yoghurt flavour, and characteristic crumbly texture, yet leaves a clean palate, with a lingering tang.”

Yoredale Wensleydale, made at Curlew Dairy, she adds, is “seriously another level”. “Formerly known as Old Roan, Yoredale (the old name for Wensleydale) is the only unpasteurised version actually made in Wensleydale. There’s a nod to the traditional crumble, but the texture then morphs into a smooth, buttery creaminess, and its standalone flavour has real legs!”

Emma believes Yoredale is “everything an artisan Wensleydale should be and more. Clothbound with that wonderful damp cellar aroma and mineral notes under the rind.”

Andy agrees, saying it’s also one of his favourite expressions of Wensleydale. “For me Yoredale has enough of a nod to what people expect of a Wensleydale – fresh zippy acidity, creamy, rich, rounded depth of flavour. It’s not too ‘out there’ for people wanting to stick with tradition.”

In addition to its traditional Yorkshire Wensleydale, Wensleydale Creamery makes Kit Calvert Wensleydale which, like Yoredale, has another dimension to it says Sandra. “It’s an old style, named after Kit Calvert, who saved the dairy in the 1930s during the industrial depression. It’s a cheese that emulates the recipe from that time, made with a lot less of our starter culture over a longer time period. It’s matured on open shelves so it’s got a rind to it. You’ll see that flavour intensify towards the rind of the cheese. The other difference is the texture is a lot creamier, erring more towards Cheddar than crumbly Wensleydale. It’s an uber artisan farmhouse-style cheese.”

The dairy also makes Wensleydale Blue, which is always a hit in the visitor centre, winning best hard blue vein cheese in the UK at the 2024 International Cheese & Dairy Awards. “People who like blue cheese love it, but we also find, because of its mellow, beautiful flavour, it’s a great conversion cheese for people who are usually a bit scared of blues,” Sandra says. “Originally, when the monks started making cheese, it would have naturally blued because of the environment it was made in. We also keep it on open shelves, like Kit Calvert as it matures. It’s just a lovely lovely cheese.”

Stonebeck, a raw milk Wensleydale, made on a biodiverse farm using milk from a small herd of Northern Dairy Shorthorn cattle, is another to try. The makers say it’s “fresh with a juicy complexity” when young, deepening to a “greater depth of buttery, mouth-filling flavour” with a “long and complex finish”.

How to store Wensleydale cheese

“One of the reasons Wensleydale fell out of fashion a bit is it’s not the best keeping cheese,” says Andy. “It has very high moisture and acidity. If you’re a cheese retailer you should be cleaning it at least once a week, and you shouldn’t hold too much stock of it in my opinion.”

Andy advises buying smaller quantities and sampling it out regularly to customers, introducing it early in any counter tastings so its flavour isn’t wiped out by other, stronger varieties.

Wensleydale needs to be well wrapped to prevent it drying out and “so it doesn’t pick up flavours from other cheeses”, adds Sandra.

What to eat with Wensleydale cheese

All of our experts, naturally, say the first port of call for pairings is fruit cake, or Eccles cakes, with Sandra pointing to Hawes maker Cockett’s Bakery as one of the best producers. “Apples and apple pie are also great in autumn,” she continues. “And in winter we like to crumble it on soup! It works really well in cheese on toast too. Mix it with, say, Red Leicester or Double Gloucester, and it melts beautifully. It doesn’t run or ooze. “I like Wensleydale and cranberry in a toastie. But we’ve also done filo parcels filled with it when we get to the festive season. Those are really good!”

Emma likes hers with Mr Filbert’s French Rosemary Almonds and Wild & Fruitful’s Keswick Ale Chutney. “I know cheese and chutney is cliche, but for me this particular pairing is a real treat,” she says.

The best drinks to have with Wensleydale cheese

“Try it with a good IPA or Stout,” Emma says. “When I lived in Yorkshire, I used to always have Wensleydale with Black Sheep Brewery’s beer, but since moving to Scotland I’ve been introduced to Wasted Degrees Brewing. My new go-to now would be their Black Cherry Stout. The key is to have fun experimenting. There’s no right or wrong pairing as everyone’s palate is different, and what works in the summer will be different to the winter.”