Cheddar was invented in England in the 15th century, in the area of Cheddar Gorge in Somerset. Because it was a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I it became one of the gastronomic delights of court life, though often in short supply since, as one courtier put it, cheddars "are bespoken before they are made." Cheddar was a cheese that transcended the rigid English class system, beloved by common folk and royalty alike. It was part of the staple diet: great hunks of it were eaten with bread and washed down with strong ale.

The recipe for cheddar was later taken to the USA, Canada, New Zealand, Australia… virtually anywhere the English settled. Even Ben Gunn, a pirate in Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island used to dream of "cheddar cheese - toasted mostly."

Cheddar is sold in varieties ranging from mild to mature, creamery to Farmhouse, pasteurized and unpasteurized.

Most cheddar is made in large dairies and eaten young. Aged or mature cheddar is laid down like good wine, in a temperature of about 50° F (12° C), for nine to twelve months. And like wine, cheddar tastes different from one area of production to the next, depending on the grass and soil which gives the milk its distinctive characteristics.

Mild cheddar is often made from lots of different milk mixed together in big factories - the "vin ordinaire" - whereas Farmhouse Cheddar is hand crafted from milk from one farm - the "chateau bottled" - which gives it its own individual flavours.

Here are the various grades of cheddar:

• Mild - 3 months old, clean flavour.
• Medium - 6 months old.
• Mature - 9 to 12 months old, full flavour, nutty.
• Extra mature - over 12 months old, sharp and tangy.