How to Store and Care for Cheese: Expert Tips for Freshness and Flavour
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Looking after your cheese properly makes all the difference – from preserving freshness and flavour, to ensuring it matures beautifully. Here’s everything you need to know about caring for your cheese the Chuckling Cheese way.
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🧊 Storing Your Cheese
To keep your cheese in tip-top condition, it’s best stored in the fridge – ideally in a cheese drawer if you have one. Try to keep it separate from other strong-smelling foods to avoid unwanted flavour transfers. A sealed container or cheese tub with a lid works a treat!
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🌡️ Cheese Temperature Tips
For all our cheeses, we recommend storing them below 5°C. But not all cheese is the same...
Hard Cheeses (like our Vintage Cheddar): These can handle 6–15°C for short periods – handy for a cheese board or picnic. In fact, they'll even continue to mature at these warmer temps.
Soft Cheeses (like Blue Stilton): Always store at low temperatures below 5°C to maintain texture and flavour.
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📦 Wrapping it Right
Once opened, your cheese needs a little extra care:
Wrap it in wax paper or cling film.
Or, place it in a sealed container to keep it fresh and avoid cross-contamination.
Avoid wrapping cheese too tightly – let it breathe just a little!
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⏳ Shelf Life & Freezing Cheese
Most of our cheddars come with a Best Before date of 2–5 months. Once you’ve opened a cheese, we recommend eating it within 10–14 days for the best taste and texture.
✨ Did you know? You can also freeze many of our cheeses! They’ll stay fresh for up to 6 months and still taste fantastic.
Freezing tip: Defrost in the fridge overnight to retain the cheese’s moisture and structure.
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🍷 Serving Your Cheese
Before serving, let your cheese come to room temperature for about an hour. This brings out the rich flavours and dreamy textures.
Perfect pairings? Try with a cheeky glass of port or wine, and add plenty of pickles, chutneys, olives, and fresh bread. You can’t go wrong with a proper British cheese board!
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🧀 Enjoy Every Bite!
At The Chuckling Cheese Company, we believe cheese is meant to be celebrated. Whether it’s a sliver of strong cheddar or a gooey blue, storing and serving it right will make every bite even better.