The Italian way to buy cheese

Cheese in Italy is everyday food

it sits in the fridge, gets used often, and rarely makes a fuss. 

It might be part of dinner, something sliced at the table, or just what turns a simple plate of food into something satisfying.

The important thing is not how much you know about it, but how easily you can use it. 

This week, we are focusing on the Italian cheeses we sell because they are the ones people cook with, share, and come back to. 

A simple way to think about it

If you are buying cheese, it helps to buy two. One that works well on the table, and one that helps you cook during the week.

For the table

Pecorino Toscano – Easy to slice, gently savoury, and natural with bread or fruit.

Taleggio – Soft, comforting, and ideal with warm bread and a glass of wine.

If you like blue cheese

Gorgonzola Dolce – Soft, creamy, and reassuring.

Gorgonzola Piccante – Firmer, sharper, and more savoury. A little goes a long way.

For cooking

Fontal – Melts smoothly and works perfectly in toasties or baked dishes.

Caciocavallo Dolce – Mild, elastic, and made for melting. Brilliant on cheese on toast, where it goes golden, stretchy, and quietly indulgent. Finished with a pinch of our Italian seasoning on top. Not traditional British cheese, but very good at a very British job.

Pecorino Romano – A finishing cheese that lifts pasta, beans, greens, and tomato dishes.

For something a little different

Sardinian pecorino cheeses are distinctive and rooted in place. Slice thinly or shave over warm food.

A small note on price

All cheeses in our counter are 20% off this week, making it easier to keep good cheese at home and use it often.

Use CHEESE20

In the end , if you have a couple of good cheeses in the fridge, cooking feels easier and more relaxed. That is really all we are aiming for.

Caciocavallo cheese on toast

(an Italian cheese doing a very British job)

Take proper British sliced bread, the kind you find in any supermarket. Yes, that kind.

Put it under the grill and toast one side only.

Take it out. On the not toasted side, lay the Caciocavallo Dolce. Cover every square centimetre. About half a centimetre thick is right. 

Sprinkle with Italian seasoning.

Put it back under the grill and cook until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and just starting to colour.

Serve immediately.

Optional but encouraged: a spoon of British mayonnaise on the side, to cheer you up.

Buon appetito 

 Ilaria x