Your Guide to Cheese Truckles

Cheese truckles are artisan cheese in its purest form. When you picture cheese, you’ll likely imagine someone wedge-shaped, or a large cheese wheel, but truckles are arguably the best way to enjoy your cheese.  

But when we chat with the general public, often they aren’t familiar with the word truckle. So treat this blog like a jargon buster, as we explain what a cheese truckle is, and why they’re our go-to for packaging cheese.  

What is a Cheese Truckle? 

A cheese truckle is a small, cylindrical wheel of cheese wrapped in a wax seal. They are essentially mini cheese wheels, but we use the latter term for larger cheeses, and use the word truckle for those under 1kg in weight.  

A truckle is a traditional way to keep cheese safe. In the early days of cheese making, the tough wax seal kept the cheese fresh and protected while in storage or during transport. It also allowed the cheese to mature without losing its shape, which has always been part of the aesthetic appeal.  

Nowadays with our advanced preservatives, cooled storage facilities, and plastic wrapping, many consider the wax seal to be redundant. But is this true?  

Why Cheese Truckles are Less Common 

Nowadays, a truckle of cheese is synonymous with artisan varieties, not the common white cheese you’ll find on supermarket shelves.  

That’s because we still hold on to our traditions, using cheesemaking techniques that have existed for centuries. This includes making cheese truckles, as the iconic shape and style is timeless, and shows everyone that we mean business when it comes to crafting cheese.  

But many ‘artisan’ cheese makers have moved away from these methods, using factories to churn out cheese as quickly as possible. By doing this, a lot of flavour is lost – you can really taste the difference when you try ours!  

We’ve shown time and time again that the human touch is still vital in cheesemaking. By stirring our cheese by hand and using natural ageing methods, we unlock more flavour than any automated system or sped-up process can promise. It takes a keen eye and decades of experience, which is why we hire only the best people to take care of our cheese.  

Cheese Truckles Vs Cheese Wheels 

A cheese wheel is, essentially, just a large version of our truckles. While a truckle of cheese can be enjoyed on its own or shared among a few people, cheese wheels are much more substantial.  

Unless you really like cheese, a cheese wheel is best shared among larger groups. We recommend them at events, as a great alternative or companion to cakes and biscuits. Everyone loves artisan cheese, so why not make it a dessert option at your wedding or other family-focused event? A cheese wheel looks great on display when wrapped in wax, and is a delicious treat to tuck into when it’s being shared around the room.  

Now we’ve cleared up any confusion, let’s continue talking about truckles.  

Why Truckles are Sealed in Wax  

In the past, wax was the best material to seal truckles with. Its airtight, protecting the cheese from bacteria or letting the carefully crafted mould get out of hand. Creating blue cheese is an art form, so we don’t want our hard work to be ruined while our cheese is ageing.  

When we send out our cheese in a gift hamper, as part of your subscription, or as a one-off order, we understand that presentation is almost as important as the taste. By choosing us, you’re choosing traditional values; cheese that is wrapped in paper or in plastic simply looks less authentic. 

Instead you’ll be greeted by colourful wax truckles with the Hartington logo front and centre, showing you exactly where your cheese came from. We choose the colour of our waxed truckles carefully too. Take our Heart of Hartington range, a colourful selection that looks great individually, but at its best as a full set. 

It’s also far more satisfying to unwrap a truckle, revealing the glorious cheese underneath. Since it was sealed so tightly, it’ll be just as fresh as the day it finished ageing, even if you waited a while before opening it. 

Keeping Traditions Alive 

Continuing to create waxed cheese truckles is one of the many ways that we’re keeping the art of cheesemaking alive. In a world of factory-produced cheese and additives, we’re keeping things simple.  

By ordering our cheese truckles, you’re supporting the only UK cheesemaker that is also a working farm. For over one hundred years we’ve developed incredible cheese for our customers to enjoy. From classics like Derby cheese to more modern creations like chocolate & chilli cheese, there’s something for everyone.  

Treat your tastebuds to cheese that you simply won’t find anywhere else. And if you have any questions about us, or our cheese truckles, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We look forward to hearing from you.