Scottish cheesemongers, from Mellis to Mewes, share their best buys this National Cheese Week

Get your crackers and port ready.

Unhand that orange sliced stuff or your triangles in foil.

This British Cheese Week (June 1-7), you could celebrate the creations from Errington Cheese Ltd, Isle of Mull Cheese, Highland Fine Cheeses or the St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company. Alternatively, support your local cheesemonger by buying their wares.

We asked a few of Scotland’s best purveyors of every mouse’s favourite snack, to tell us about their current personal favourites and the most in-demand of seasonal cheeses.

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Rory Mellis of IJ Mellis of Edinburgh, Glasgow and St Andrews

“My favourite cheese at the moment is called Manchego Iniesta. It’s a gorgeous, creamy and well rounded ewe’s milk cheese made outside of Madrid. I met the cheesemaker when I was living there for university so I appreciate the small scale production of a widely popular cheese. Fantastic with some membrillo paste”.

www.mellischeese.net (The Cheese Lounge at Mellis’s Edinburgh Morningside shop reopens on June 10).

Louise Pollock of Starter Culture, Glasgow

Minger cheeseMinger cheese
Minger cheese

“The Minger cheese from Highland Fine Cheeses, Tain, is a steadfast favourite among our staff and customers. Named after the pungent whiff you get from its herb-washed rind; Minger is a silky, oozy delight. Perfect for sharing as its name always gets a giggle and the cheese itself never fails to deliver. Scottish, cheeky, and veggie – what’s not to love?”

Svetlana Kukharchuk, The Cheese Lady, Haddington

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“My favourite cheese at the moment is Berner Hobelkase. It's an absolutely amazing and rare cheese from the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland. I love how natural and complex it is. It’s made in copper vats heated over the open fire. The wheels are normally matured over 12 months, but our Berner Hobelkase has been matured for nearly two years. The resulting flavour is intense – full of sweet caramel notes. The texture is hard but smooth with small protein crystals”.

Svetlana, The Cheese LadySvetlana, The Cheese Lady
Svetlana, The Cheese Lady

George Mewes of George Mewes Cheese, Edinburgh and Glasgow

“Montgomery’s Cheddar for sure. If you like your cheddar strong, then Montgomery’s is a good one to try. Made by Jamie Montgomery and Steve Bridges, Montgomery’s has been crafted at Manor Farm, near North Cadbury, Somerset, since 1911. It has a harder texture than most cheddars with a crystalline crunch as it ages”.

George Mewes in Edinburgh's StockbridgeGeorge Mewes in Edinburgh's Stockbridge
George Mewes in Edinburgh's Stockbridge

Jill Clark of Connage Highland Dairy, Ardersier

“Of our own Connage cheeses, in summertime my favourite is the Cromal because the cows feasting on our clover rich grass gives it such a lovely freshness. I am also sometimes partial to a non-Connage cheese and at the moment my favourite is Graceburn from Kent. It is beautifully creamy, not overly salty and it comes in a jar with the most delicious flavoured oil which is perfect with a salad or new potatoes.”

Emily Hailstones of Olive Alexanders, Aberdeen

We have had quite a few weird and wonderful cheeses in stock and it’s been hard to decide which one is truly our favourite. We love cheeses from Europe and the UK but a good old Scottish cheese has won our hearts - St Andrews Farmhouse Cheddar made by the St Andrews Cheese Company. It has a nutty and tangy flavour that intensifies to an earthy and musky taste near the rind. It suits most people’s palate”.

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