The Best Gifts for Cheese Lovers
We all love a bit of cheese. Whether it’s the [...]
We all love a bit of cheese. Whether it’s the food or corny music, cheese always brings joy.
So if you have a cheese lover in your life, why not treat them to some of the best cheese in the UK? Although we won’t be sharing our 80s disco playlist, we certainly have some of the nicest cheese hampers and gift boxes available, perfect for friends, family, co-workers, or as a treat for yourself!
But before we start talking about our gift options, let’s first go over the types of cheese we supply.
Cheese for All Tastes
Hidden away at Pikehall Farm, in the Peak District village of Hartington, magic is happening.
Thanks to the hard work of both our creamery team and over 300 happy cows, we produce a selection of traditional artisan cheeses some of which have PDOs (protected designation of origin) for customers across the UK.
If you’re a hardened veteran of many cheese boards or are just keen to try something that gives the tastebuds a new experience, all of our cheese is of the highest quality.
We understand that there is a lot to choose from, so here are some of our favourites:
- Blue Stilton – One of the most popular cheeses, and for good reason. Our stilton cheeses are multi-award winners made using traditional methods that gives it that authentic flavour, and our famous blue has those distinct blue spots that tell you at a glance that you’re in for a treat.
- White Stilton – But if you prefer your stilton to be spotless, we also have our fantastic white stilton. Just like the blue, we’ve been making this stilton in the traditional way since 1900! This has a tangier flavour which makes it easy to compliment with fruits or savoury snacks. The texture and taste are similar to Feta cheese, but our white stilton is much #BetaThanFeta.
- Shropshire Blue – This is one of our best-looking cheeses for sure; an orange hue and blue veins that always make it stand out next to other options. We age our Shropshire Blue for between 10-12 weeks to maximise the flavour. It’s a little on the tangy side, but much milder than stilton.
- Peakland Blue – Named after the Peak District where it’s made, this is another PDO cheese, meaning it only comes from Hartington, and we’ve been making it at Pikehall farm since 2012. This is a creamy blue cheese that’s softer than stilton, and nice and mild for those that aren’t a fan of tanginess.
- Peakland White – Where there’s blue, there’s often a white cheese alongside. This has a wonderfully crumbly texture that’s more comparable to white stilton. This is the cheese we pair with other unique flavours (more about those in a moment!) as it’s always a winner.
- Dovedale Blue – If you want a true taste of the Peak District, look no further. Our multi-award winning Dovedale is a PDO cheese that is only made within 25 miles of the River Dove in Derbyshire. This is a soft cheese reminiscent of a continental blue (only better!) and is dipped in brine to give it a smooth flavour that few other blue cheeses can match.
Now, all these cheeses are utterly fabulous. But if you’re the more adventurous type, they might seem a little on the plain side, despite tasting amazing.
Not to worry, because we still have the perfect selection.
Unique Cheese Flavours
If you want to push the boat out and try a unique cheese or send some to your loved ones, look no further.
To celebrate VJ Day we’ve created a tribute to our country’s success in the air. Our ‘Hartington Bomber’ cheddar has been aged for at least 18 months to bring out its fullest flavour. To really make it stand out we chose a black wax truckle rind that is unique among our current selection. Available in both 200g and 2kg truckles, we strongly recommend you give it a try. And the best part? It’s a permanent addition to our range!
If you want a taste sensation, why not consider our chocolate and chili cheese? Whoever said that cheese and chocolate don’t mix never tried this – it’s a blend of Peakland White with real cocoa, white chocolate pieces, and just a dash of chilli. It’s another award-winner, perfect for dessert!
Another Peakland White blend is our smoked tomato and garlic cheese. This can be enjoyed alone or used in cooking to enhance flavour and comes in our small not-too-squares that can be stored until the time is right.
And finally we have our aptly named Hartington Hottie, another blend of white cheese and chilli that melts in the mouth while gradually introducing some delicious heat. If you want to spice up your cheese board, this should be an instant addition.
What to Pair your Cheese With
As nice as cheese can be on its own, it’s at its best when paired with additional flavours. Wine, port, real ales, biscuits, and who could forget our delicious chutney – we do far more than just make cheese.
But finding the right pairing isn’t easy if your cheese selection is a gift for one or more people. You might adore a glass of port with some blue stilton, while a friend of yours might prefer anything but!
And it gets even more complicated if you’re buying a cheese hamper for a few people, or to create a cheese board for an event.
Don’t worry, trust the experts to help you find the best selection that no one will turn their nose up at.
Cheese Gift Hampers
Our cheese gift hampers are perfect for any new or proven cheese lover. Each comes with at least two different types of cheese, a chutney made from locally foraged ingredients, and something nice to wash it down with.
Unlike other gift hampers, you can pick specific products to include. So if your loved one likes stilton, you can make sure some is included in your hamper regardless of which one you choose. But for fixed hampers, here are our most popular:
If you aren’t sure about someone’s specific tastes, you can’t go wrong with The Classic. Cheese, wine, chutney, biscuits, need we say more? The choice of cheese is up to you, with plenty of universally loved options or bolder flavours if you think the giftee will like them.
There’s also The Timeless. This features our fantastic Graham’s Late Vintage Port, a perfect accompaniment to our blue stilton. As always, we have some chutney – red onion and plum chutney on this occasion – and a box of salt & black pepper biscuits from our friends at Stag Bakeries. Getting the packaging right is just as important as the contents; our Timeless hamper is available with a real wicker basket or faux wicker cardboard.
Third is The Dales, another customisable hamper that features real ale made just around the corner. Many people assume that port and wine are your only options to have with cheese; we’re working hard to prove them wrong and show the world that real ale is perfect with cheese.
Luxury Cheeseboard Hampers
A hamper so good it deserves its own section of the blog!
There are so many fantastic cheeses and chutneys to choose from, it’s a shame to only have to pick a couple. That’s where our luxury hampers come in. You get six cheeses, two chutneys, and two packets of biscuits. If you’re buying a hamper for a family or group of friends or just want to create a cheeseboard with plenty of options, this is the best value for money by far. Once again you can pick and choose each addition so all your favourites will be only their way in no time.
These hampers are perfect for parties. If you want to host a cheese and wine evening or want to provide some delicious artisan finger food for a party, our luxury hampers are enough for groups of 4-5 people.
Cheese Subscriptions for Friends and Family
If you’re looking at gifts for a true cheese lover, a single hamper might not be enough.
All our subscription cheese boxes can be delivered every month, 2 months, or 3 months, so you can have plenty of cheese, but it won’t ever go to waste. The best part? You can have free delivery by using the code FREEDEL at checkout.
Our Classic Cheese Subscription Box contains 3 of our most popular cheeses:
…as well as a jar of delicious Pikehall Preserve and a box of artisan biscuits.
As nice as those cheeses are, having the same selection month after month might not suit some people, especially if you want to learn more about cheese and how to accompany it.
If this sounds like you, or the person you’re purchasing a subscription for, our Flexi Feast Subscription Box is perfect. Unlike the Classic, you’ll be sent a unique selection of cheeses with each box, providing new taste sensations that you’ll always look forward to. You’ll even get different chutneys and biscuits, always the flavours that suit the cheese selection best!
Gift Cards for Cheese Lovers
With so many different preferences for cheese and accompaniments, it can be tough to buy for someone else. If this is the case, why not give your loved one a Hartington Creamery gift card? They’ll be able to browse our fantastic selection and pick their favourites.
No more pressure for you, they’ll be 100% happy with their choices. Maybe if you’re lucky you’ll get to try some too!
The Cheesiest Gifts in the UK
We take great pride in everything we provide, from our signature artisan cheese to the baskets and boxes we ship it in. Every product is hand-crafted, and we’re meticulous with our selections so only the best flavours make it to your door.
This means that, if you’re shopping for friends and family, we’ll never let you down, and our amazing hampers or subscription boxes will be loved.
If you have any questions about us or our products, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.