Farmhouse and Artisan Cheese : The Secret to a Showstopping Cheeseboard
If you love to host and gather friends and family around your table, pour a beautiful bottle of wine, and serve something truly special, then the cheese you choose matters more than you might think. A cheeseboard shouldn’t be an afterthought; it’s a centrepiece. And if you're still picking up cheese at the supermarket (even the posh kind) you're missing the opportunity to offer your guests something exceptional.
The difference between fine cheese and mass-produced supermarket cheese goes far beyond appearance. It's about flavour, provenance, nutritional value, and the impression it leaves.
At The Cheese Lady, when we speak of fine cheese, we’re referring to traditional farmhouse and artisan cheeses. There’s no legal definition for these terms, which is why understanding what sets them apart is so important if you want to serve cheese that truly impresses. Sadly, supermarkets use these words for marketing purposes, often without substance, leading to confusion.
In specialist cheesemongers’ terminology, farmhouse cheese is made on farms by cheesemakers who have their own milking animals. The milk they use comes directly from their herd, often just minutes or hours before cheesemaking begins. It’s fresh, often raw, full of life and seasonal nuance, and it carries the unique flavour of the land. These cheeses are deeply personal expressions of place and craft.
Artisan cheese is also made using traditional methods, but the milk comes from nearby farms rather than the cheesemaker’s own animals. Proximity is key. The shorter the distance the milk travels, the more of its flavour, freshness, and complexity it retains. These cheeses still bear the signature of the maker’s skill and the region’s identity.
Now compare that to what you’ll typically find in the supermarket. Industrial cheese is made using milk sourced from across vast distances. That milk must be heat-treated to make it safe, but in doing so, it loses the natural microflora and complexity that give cheese its flavour. Production is highly mechanised, with minimal human involvement, and ageing is kept to a minimum. These cheeses are designed for uniformity, shelf life, and cost-efficiency, not taste or nutritional composition.
Even when supermarkets stock traditional names like Comté or Roquefort, the difference is still noticeable. These versions often come from large-scale producers and are matured for a much shorter time. A typical supermarket Comté, for example, may be aged for just five months. Ours is matured for over twenty. The result is a deeper, more developed flavour, a crystalline texture, and a richness that lingers beautifully on the palate.
At The Cheese Lady, we believe real fine cheese must have six essential “ingredients”:
- Comes from great wholesome milk of happy animals
- Made by the masters of the cheesemaking craft
- Matured properly and slowly
- Has seasonality
- Wholesome and good for you
- Has terroir — that unmistakable taste of place
Mass-produced cheese offers none of these. It’s made from bland milk, produced by machines, aged as little as possible, and often overloaded with salt to compensate for lack of flavour. There’s no aroma, no character, and no joy. And because it lacks depth, you tend to eat more of it, chasing satisfaction that never quite comes.
If your aim is to create a cheeseboard that delights your guests and reflects your appreciation for quality, fine cheese is essential. It tells a story. It awakens the senses. And it transforms an evening into a beautiful memory.
You and your guests deserve cheese with soul.
Cheesefully yours,
The Cheese Lady x