Winter 2026The independent journal of cheese
fromageAn independent journal of cheese, from the milk to the plate
The Cheese Library

Special Styles

Special styles bring together questions about smoke, added flavours, surface treatments, cream, curds and the ways cheese is presented. Follow the route that matches your curiosity, from an unfamiliar coating or filling to a name you have seen on a label.

Ash coated and leaf wrapped cheeses
Smoked scamorza with its golden skin and white centre
Start here

Smoked Cheese Explained

Your knife slips through the golden skin of a Puglian scamorza.

Cumin seeds scattered through a cut Gouda wheel
The Cheese Library

Cheeses with Added Flavours: Herbs, Spices and Fruit

One leaf, then another.

Valençay with its flowering rind and white paste
The Cheese Library

Why Are Some Cheeses Coated in Ash?

Look closely at Valençay’s pale, flowering rind.

Banon revealed beneath its chestnut leaves
The Cheese Library

Why Are Some Cheeses Wrapped in Leaves?

Undo Banon's raffia tie and unfold its brown chestnut leaves.

Délice de Bourgogne with its ivory interior exposed
The Cheese Library

Triple Cream and Double Cream Cheeses

An ivory interior, the scent of mushrooms and fresh cream, then a slightly acidic, salty mouthful.

Fresh cheddar style curds
The Cheese Library

Cheese Curds Explained

You bite.

A plant based slice in a fresh sandwich
The Cheese Library

Plant Based Cheese Alternatives

Fold a slice around your sandwich filling.

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