Derby cheese is a mild, semi-firm British cow's milk cheese made in
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
with a smooth, mellow texture and a buttery
flavour.
Like most of the traditional British hard cheeses it was produced exclusively on farms and was typically sold at a younger age than its more famous cousins
Cheddar
Cheddar most often refers to either:
*Cheddar cheese
*Cheddar, Somerset, the village after which Cheddar cheese is named
Cheddar may also refer to:
Places
* Cheddar, Ontario, Canada
* Cheddar Yeo, a river which flows through Cheddar Gorge and t ...
and
Cheshire.
It has a pale, golden orange interior with a natural or waxed rind and ripens at between one and six months. In many respects Derby is similar to Cheddar in taste and texture, but with a softer body (it doesn't go through the
cheddaring process) and slightly higher moisture content. When young it is springy and mild but as it matures subtle sweet flavours develop and the texture becomes firmer.
Its claim to fame is that the first creamery in the UK was set up by a group of farmers in the village of
Longford, Derbyshire
Longford is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England. The population of the civil parish as of the 2011 census was 349. It is from Ashbourne and west of Derby. – the farmers having agreed to pool their milk and have the cheese made on a larger scale using techniques that had been developed in the US.
Varieties
The most common variety available is
Sage Derby, a herb-flavoured Derby that has the traditional light ivory/yellow colour with blended light green areas of sage. Another common variety is port wine Derby, blended with port.
Notes
{{Cheeses of the United Kingdom
English cheeses