The Best Cheese for Valentine’s Day

Many people describe Valentine’s Day as ‘cheesy’. Cheesy films, cheesy music, cheesy poems and confessions of love. While it isn’t for everyone, many couples will be celebrating on the 14th of Feb, so why not go all out and embrace the cheese literally?

To help share the love, we’ve created a brand-new range of waxed cheese truckles from the ‘heart’ of Hartington. Available in 8 classic flavours and accompanied with some new chutney flavours, you’ll be able to surprise your partner with a Valentine’s Day gift that they’ll never see coming.

Please note that unfortunately this new range will not be available to order before the 12th of February, but will be a permanent addition to our range, so you can surprise your partner later on in the year!

Unique Cheese Gifts for Valentine’s Day

Unlike birthdays and Christmas, gift options for Valentine’s can seem a little limited. You get the usual chocolates, flowers, and maybe a teddy holding a red heart. The colours are always similar, and it’s hard to find a gift that stands out.

But if your partner is a cheese lover, you have the opportunity to give them something special and delicious in February. Our 180g cheese truckles mean there is plenty to share, so be sure to pick a flavour you both enjoy.

If you’re still a stickler for traditional Valentine’s Day gifts, we’ve made our cheese look the part. We’ve crafted them into heart-shaped truckles that wouldn’t look out of place in a hamper or alongside the typical wines and boxes of chocolate. If your partner is expecting the usuals, imagine their surprise when they find some artisan cheese instead!

But the way we present our cheese is only the start. Here’s what makes this new range so special…

How we Make our New Valentine’s Day Cheese Selection

The base for all of our heart-shaped cheese truckles is a combination of Traditional Derby and Red Derby. These are two of our most popular cheeses, the latter being one we recently reintroduced after a very long hiatus.

Both are PDO cheeses, meaning they cannot be produced outside of the Derbyshire area. This exclusivity adds to the appeal, and although they look similar to the untrained eye, this is a much more flavourful alternative to Red Leicester or other mainstream British cheeses.

Using Derby cheese as a base is a much bolder choice than you may realise. It’s actually a world first; no artisan cheese maker has ever blended Derby cheese into truckles, only a couple of wedges from select farms.

You may have seen cheese truckles like these before, even on supermarket shelves, but the production process for our cheese is very different. Unlike other UK-based cheesemakers, we make our own cheese, and nothing in our range is mass-produced.

Mass production of cheese spoils a lot of flavour, as every batch is made with speed and quantity being the primary focus. We take our time, using traditional methods throughout the process, which releases more flavour and ensures a great shelf life without the need for additional preservatives.

The Best Flavour Cheese for Valentine’s Day

Although you can find Valentine’s-themed cheese on store shelves, you’ll soon realise it’s limited to cheddar and Stilton. Factory-made cheese like this is practically tasteless compared to the artisan equivalent, and we have many more flavours available that will tickle your partner’s tastebuds.

Here’s what we have available:

• Red Derby – a creamier version of our traditional red variety
• Chilli Derby – Red Derby with Green and Red Jalapeno Chilli peppers
• Smokey Derby – our traditional Derby cheese infused with a subtle smokiness
• Balti Spiced – Mature Cheddar with warm curry spices
• Red Onion – Cheddar with caramelised onions and red wine
• Black Pepper – Peakland White Cheese with cracked black pepper
• Tomato and Garlic – Peakland White Cheese with smoked tomato and garlic
• Squadron – Special extra mature Cheddar cheese

This is a diverse mix, so you can choose whatever you and your partner both like the most. If you want to spice things up this Valentine’s Day, you can choose Chilli Derby or Balti Spiced, which has a strong flavour that no off-the-shelf cheese can match.

We love a bold combination at Hartington Creamery. Our chocolate and chilli cheese shows that what may sound wrong can in fact taste just right. Although not quite as daring as mixing in chocolate, cheeses like our tomato and garlic are packed with flavour – it’s not your ordinary cheese!

If you like to keep things simpler, but still want a flavour sensation, our selection of white cheese truckles pair well with a mix of cheese accompaniments, or are fantastic on their own.

What to Enjoy Cheese With

If you’re purchasing some very nice cheese, you need some equally nice accompaniments to go with it. For Valentine’s Day, getting dinner right is vital, but you shouldn’t use up all your effort on one meal.

After dinner, you can put out a delicious selection of snacks while you enjoy a movie together. If that’s an annual tradition, ditch the chocolate and crisps and put together a cheeseboard instead!

With some artisan cheese to share, you’ll make the evening more special than ever. But on its own cheese can look lonely, so pair it with some other amazing flavours.

Everyone knows that the most important accompaniments come in liquid form. A bottle of wine is an iconic symbol of Valentine’s, so if there is still some left over from dinner, or you fancy opening a fresh bottle, it’ll make your cheese selection even better.

There is also our range of delicious pates. When spread on biscuits, crackers, or the cheese itself, you add both a smooth texture and new flavour that doesn’t overwhelm the cheese. The biscuits we provide are from our partner Popti, who share the same traditional values as us, and make their biscuits sustainably.

But this isn’t the most popular spreadable accompaniment for our cheese. No, that’s our famous chutney.

Valentine’s Day Chutney to go with Cheese

To go alongside our new cheese truckles, we have three new flavours of chutney that also share the heart design.

These have been lovingly crafted by our friends over at Fruits of the Forage. They specialise in UK-made chutneys made from all natural ingredients sourced from local farms around Cheshire. Everything is picked properly, and you can really taste the difference.

We’ve been proudly supplying their chutneys for a while now, but their new creations might be their best yet. These are:

• Tomato with Tamarind Chutney – Half smooth, half sour, this is a perfect combo to pair with cheese.
• Red Onion and Plum Chutney – A classic, natural flavour that doesn’t detract from the taste of the cheese.
• Nice and Spicy Chilli Jam – Nothing pairs with cheese quite like a little spice, and the texture is to die for.

Cheese for Valentine’s Day

Unfortunately this new range will not be available in time for Valentine’s Day, but that doesn’t mean it’ll disappear from our collection! It will be sticking around for a long time, so if you want to add a little romance to your cheese selection, it’ll be ready and waiting for your order.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about us or our products, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We look forward to hearing from you!