Cheese Wheels

Large cheese wheels aren’t just for chasing down a hill in Gloucester. If you’re a cheese lover, and want to make it the centrepiece of an event or share some with friends and family, a cheese wheel is the best choice for you.

There’s no such thing as too much cheese, and once you’ve tasted some of our artisan cheese, all crafted with love at our farm in Derbyshire, you won’t be satisfied with just a few small cheese wedges.

From 1kg half moons to large 8kg truckles, we have all the cheese you need.

 

What is a Cheese Wheel?

A cheese wheel is, as the name suggests, a large circle of cheese. If the cheese cylinder is taller than it is wide, we call it a truckle – this is an important difference you should know before you place your order as it will affect how much cheese you get.

In the past, cheese wheels were an efficient way to transport large amounts of cheese. Not only did the size and shape make it easier to carry and stackable, the wax protective coating meant that it wouldn’t be contaminated, even if it needed to be rolled across the ground.

Some cheeses have a crumblier texture than others. This is normally because of how long it has been aged, white stilton cheese for example is a lot crumblier when it hasn’t been aged for a long time, but becomes creamier the longer it’s left. With a crumbly cheese, transport can be tricky. With a cheese wheel, it’ll all stay contained until it’s time to slice it up, so it looks fantastically smooth on display.

 

Why Buy a Cheese Wheel?

So what’s the appeal of a large cheese wheel? Well, as we mentioned, it’s ideal for events. We’d never judge anyone willing to take on a cheese wheel solo, it’s delicious enough for sure, but cheese is best enjoyed with others.

Although our cheese gift hampers come packed with cheese, there isn’t that much to go around. If you’re hosting a cheese tasting, there’s enough for everyone to try a few slices of, but if your group is more than 5 or 6, you have to ration each wedge or square.

For bigger parties, you want to have more cheese available.

 

The Different Types of Cheese Wheels

There are a few different types of cheese wheel to choose from. Knowing which is which will ensure you have enough for your event, but not so much that it will go to waste.

Here’s a handy breakdown of our cheese wheel range:

• Truckles – These range from between 200-400g. For example, our Hartington Squadron truckle is 200g of waxed cheese, perfect for cheese tastings or small parties.
• Cheese Wheels – These are typically 2kg wheels, meaning a full waxed circle of cheese. Our Hartington Squadron is also available as a 2kg wheel, if a truckle isn’t enough.
• Half Moon Cheese Wheel – These are, as the name suggests, half of a full wheel, making them weigh around 1.5kg to 2kg, but in the world of stilton 2kg is called a quarter, as the full wheel can be up to 8kg!
• Mini Stiltons – These are ‘mini’ in name only. A 4kg wheel of pure artisan stilton.
• Whole Stiltons – The aforementioned 8kg wheel of stilton, the biggest in our current range of cheeses.

 

Cheese Wheels for Events

Cheese wheels are a great catering option for large events. From office parties to weddings, nobody would complain about having some incredible artisan cheese to enjoy after their main meal.

But instead of keeping it hidden away in the kitchens, put it on display! A large cheese wheel looks great in either one full circle or a half-moon, especially if you’ve chosen a more rustic theme.

Weddings are a great opportunity to order a wheel of cheese. You have a lot of guests to feed, and it looks perfect next to your cake stands. Cake and cheese may go together like chalk and… well cheese, but they’re both commonly used as dessert options, so it makes sense to keep them together.

For smaller events, such as a party, a full wheel of cheese might be too much. Although our cheese does stay fresh for a while after unwrapping, we understand that the leftovers from a large cheese wheel will be substantial.

This is why we also sell half-moon cheese wheels. Half the cheese but still all the flavour you expect. These half moons are typically between 1kg and 1.5kg for our Derby cheese, ensuring that there’s plenty to go around, but none will go to waste.

 

The Best Cheese Wheels

When you’re ordering large quantities of cheese, you want it to be high quality. Store bought cheese wheels are often factory-produced, which ruins a lot of the flavour.

Cheese that is made in factories tastes worse for a few reasons. The first is how it is processed, which is done as quickly as possible, and the cheese is created in very large quantities.

With artisan cheese, smaller batches are best, as you have more control over the composition, and your additional flavourings aren’t diluted. Even something as simple as stirring the milk by hand before it becomes curd unlocks more flavour, but needs a practiced eye and skilled workers to pull it off.

Another reason to avoid factory made cheese is because it’s aged for less time. Ageing cheese is an exact science and varies depending on the types of cheese you’re making. If you’re trying to get it out of the door as quickly as possible, a lot of flavour is lost.

Last but certainly not least is how cheese is stored. At the moment we’re preparing a lot of our Christmas cheese pre orders, ready to send out in time for the festivities. To ensure it stays fresh, we use natural, biodegradable wraps instead of plastic, so that the flavour is just as sharp and tangy as our customers expect.

If you’re buying artisan cheese, you’re paying for the process as much as the final product. Cheese that is made properly tastes much better, it’s as simple as that. So if you’re trying to treat guests to the best, avoid factory-made and trust a team that does things properly.

Our cheese wheels are available as 1kg half-moons up to 8kg whole cheese, suiting any event regardless of the size.