Along with their conquering armies, the Romans brought their cheese making expertise to England in the first century AD. But it was not until the sixteenth century when the cheese we know today as cheddar was so named. With such a long history, it's no surprise that cheddar is one of the world's favorite foods. So popular in fact, that almost every cheese-producing nation makes its own version. This assortment contains excellent examples from three continents:

• Denhay Mature English Cheddar: Denhay Cheddar is carefully matured and monitored until it is 11 months old when it is sold as premium West Country Farmhouse Cheddar. (8 oz.)
• Grafton Classic Reserve Cheddar: Grafton Classic Cheddar is an outstanding mature cheddar cheese selected for its pronounced flavor and smooth finish. This two year aged cheese is excellent when accompanied with dried fruits and nuts, crusty breads, and big wines. (8 oz.)
• Great Ocean Road Cheddar: This sharp white cheddar hails from Australia, where it is made from pure milk taken from cows that graze on lush pastures swept by winds from the Southern Ocean. (8 oz.)
• Red Leaf Cheddar: This entrant from North America has a firm texture and a sweet, honeyed flavor. Best enjoyed with ale and fruit, this cheddar is aged for over 12 months. (8 oz.)

Please note that any item temporarily out of stock will be substituted with a similar item of equal value.

In the proud tradition of St. Patrick's Day, we are thrilled to present four of our favorite Irish cheeses in this carefully selected assortment. For decades, Irish cheeses were a secret; enjoyed only by our friends "across the pond". Now, we are lucky enough to carry these four cheeses.

• Cashel Blue: This wonderful farmhouse blue cheese hails from Tipperary. Using only fresh cows milk from their fresian herd, Louis and Jane Grubb have produced this masterpiece. Ideal for melting or after dinner with some port. (8 oz.)
• Dubliner tastes of a mature Cheddar, with the sweet aftertaste of Reggiano. Created by the Irish company Kerrygold and named after Ireland's capital city, this cheese shares traits with several well-known cheeses, but the combination creates a flavor that is completely unique. (8 oz.)
• Cahill Farm Cheddar with Porter Ale is a visually intriguing cheese. Mixed with dark porter ale during the cheesemaking process, this cheese has a marbled effect with dark brown veins. Imported from Ireland, it has a surprising meaty flavor and is obviously a perfect match for ale. (8 oz.)
• Our Shamrock Cheddar is aged for over 12 months and has a creamy, taut texture and sweet, grassy flavor. The milk for this "bitey" cheddar is taken from cows grazing the green grass of southeast Ireland, an area traditionally known as "The Garden of Ireland". This environment produces rich, creamy milk that is perfect for cheese making.

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The 4 cheese sampler plus: Malagon with Rosemary, Dorothea, Camembert & White Stilton with Mango-Ginger

What could be better than to break out that prized bottle of wine you've been saving, served with some of the world's greatest cheeses? This Four-Cheese Sampler was created with everyone's palate in mind. The cheeses in the sampler are:

• Blue - From Italy's famed Lombardy region comes superb Mountain Gorgonzola. It is mild yet tangy, creamy yet firm, with a pale interior laced with streaks of blue. Delicious served the Italian way (drizzled with honey), it is a real treat for connoisseurs.
• Nutty - Beemster Classic Exta Aged Gouda is ripened for a full 18 months to develop its nutty, caramel-like flavor. It is always a crowd pleaser.
• Aged - Gruyere de Comte Black Label Reserve has been produced since the reign of Charlemagne, when there were no separate entities named France and Switzerland. Contributing to Comté's unique flavor, morning and evening milkings are mingled before the cheese making process. The wheels are aged for a full year, resulting in a sweet and nutty masterpiece.
• Tangy - No holiday cheese assortment would be complete without authentic cheddar, and this one from Denhay of England is as good as it gets.

Whether entertaining or having an intimate night in by the fire, our selection of favorites is sure to be a winner.

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England is a land well suited to dairy farming. Its territory is relatively flat, thus good for grazing, and it has plenty of rainfall. This country produces over 500 distinct types of cheese, including the four we are featuring in this English Cheese Assortment.

• Denhay Mature Cheddar - Arguably the world's most famous cheese name, Cheddar is an authentic English cheese that has been copied all over the world. If you have never tasted authentic English Farmhouse Cheddar, you are in for a wonderful surprise. (8 oz.)
• Royal Blue Stilton - How could such an assortment not include England's beloved blue cheese? Creamy, tangy and eminently satisfying, our Royal Blue Stilton is perfect as a snacking cheese or as an ingredient. (8 oz.)
• Sage Derby - Don't be afraid of the green! Pulverized sage leaves are mixed with water then added to the curd of Derby cheese to create this striking example of English cheesemaking ingenuity. Mild and herbaceous, Sage Derby is the ultimate party cheese. (8 oz.)
• Cotswold - Also known as "Pub Cheese," Cotswold is the name given to this hearty cheese that combines Double Gloucester with flavorful bits of chive and onion. A harmonious blend of mellow, crumbly cheese and powerful vegetables, Cotswold is a terrific complement to the softer, more mild flavors on your cheese board. (8 0z.)

Assortment includes four 1/2 pound cuts of cheese.

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Fondue is a traditional Alpine specialty, blending the distinct flavors of three classic melting cheeses: Emmentaler, Gruyere, and Appenzeller. Careful amounts of white wine, Kirsch brandy and special spices are then added to create a delicious hot meal. With its bold flavor and creamy texture, fondue is perfect for a main meal or as an appetizer, and is always a hit when the weather turns cold. This set of gourmet cheeses includes the correct ratios to make a classic cheese fondue (see recipe).

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The Italians are horrified by our usage of this, the world's most famous hard cheese. Here in the States, it is thought of as purely a grating cheese. The rest of the world savours Parmigiano Reggiano as a delicious, full-flavored eating cheese.

It began life seven centuries ago in the Italian provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, part of Bologna and part of Mantua. Nature blessed this zone with the most idealistic cattle grazing land to create the unique milk from the "Zone Tripica". The local cheese craftsmen took it from there, utilizing a totally natural process that has not changed for 700 years. No additives, no machinery, no gimmicks. Just sweet, fresh milk in its pristine state; the artisan's ancient skills and then nature's own good time (aged from 18 to 20 months). What you see today is just what the knights, serfs, saints and kings of old ate!

America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Illustrated have both voted igourmet.com's Parmigiano Reggiano #1 in their quest to find the best Parmesan in America today. "We preferred the igourmet regular and Vacche Rosse Parmigiano-Reggiano by a landslide, ranking them significantly higher than the other cheeses for complexity of flavor and appealing texture. And when we tasted the regular Parmigiano from igourmet against our supermarket cheeses, it was an easy winner."

• Made from unpasteurized cow's milk.
• Photo depicts whole 80 lb. form of cheese.
• We cut and wrap this item by the pound.
• Please contact us if you would like to purchase the whole form.

After presenting at food shows across the country, we found a handful of crowd favorites that never cease to elicit a wow response from the guys. These cheeses are big and bold, perfect for snacking on whenever hunger calls. If you want to treat your favorite man to a sample of gourmet food (and what better gift for a guy?), these four cheeses are sure to satisfy! This assortment includes:

• Red Leaf Cheddar: The result of 150 years of cheddar-making experience, aged over 12 months, this Canadian cheddar is soft on the palate, yet bursts with a tangy finish. (8 oz.)
• Whiskey Blue:Whiskey Blue is aged with bourbon whiskey, which adds a smoky flavor. A spectacular unpasteurized Wisconsin Blue makes up the base of this cheese, which is then repeated washed down with sweet, smooth bourbon. (8 oz.)
• Rauchkase: This specialty was originally produced by Trappist Monks in the abbey of Rotthalmunster. It is smoked over select beechwood embers, a process that lends the cheese its unique flavor. (8 oz.)
• Beemster Classic Extra Aged Gouda: Ripened for a full 18 months to develop a nutty, caramel-like flavor, this is the Gouda the Dutch keep for themselves! It is always a crowd pleaser. (8 oz.)

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People are drawn to the vibrant, tangy flavors found only in goat cheese. Great goat cheeses capture the essence of their native pastures and often exhibit fresh flavors such as of thyme, tarragon, rosemary, lemongrass and pine. Their ease of digestion, particularly for the lactose intolerant among us, is another reason for the popularity of goat cheese. For many however, goat cheese remains misunderstood. A persistent victim of "milk-prejudice," it is our goal to bring goat cheese to the masses.
Our Great Goat Cheese Assortment includes a selection of cheeses from four distinct countries:

• Ibores (Spain): This raw goat's milk cheese reflects its homeland with its full, simple flavor. It is hard and dense and becomes sharper with age. During its two-month aging period, the rustic cheese is rubbed with a mixture of olive oil and sweet paprika.
• Buche de Chevre (France): This wonderful goat's milk cheese from Poitou in the Loire Valley is aged for two months, during which time it develops a hard, edible crust complete with a bloomy white mold coating. It is sharp and tangy near the rind and gets progressively richer and creamier toward the center.
• Cornelia (Holland): Cornelia is made from a single herd of goats that graze on pastures of natural grasses and wild herbs. This old-world style of raising goats yields a remarkably flavorful milk that gives Cornelia an abundance of character.
• Goat Cheddar by Cypress Grove (USA): Sharp and smooth, this cheddar is aged a minimum of one year, giving it a complex, nutty flavor, with a subtle undertone of classic goat's milk flavor.

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For centuries, Clotted Cream has been an essential element in a great British tradition -- High Tea. Spoon it over fresh scones or tea cakes already spread with strawberry jam, accompanied by a pot of piping hot tea. With a butterfat content of 55%, Clotted Cream has a supple, buttery flavor that is not overpowered by the flavor of the jam. Made in a traditional manner, Clotted Cream from Devonshire is a natural and delicious source of Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Vitamins A, B12 and D, Calcium, Magnesium, Phosphorus and Zinc. Available for the first time in the United States, we know you will you enjoy our Clotted Cream.Must be consumed within 5 days after opening

Nestled in the rolling green hills of Borgotaro, Emilia-Romagna (Annibale Giovanni Ferrari's birthplace) this small cooperative produces a limited amount of Parmigiano Reggiano, so few that it took us three years to persuade them to allow us to sell their cheese in the U.S.! Parmigiano is made a strictly defined zone between Parma, Modena, Reggio-Emilia, Bologna and Mantua, where it has been produced for hundreds of years. A close knit network of 492 local caseificii in Emilia-Romagna and Lombardia has been granted the right to produce the protected Parmigiano-Reggiano. The Caseificio Sociale di Borgotaro, dairy 3090, is widely recognized in Italian food circles as the finest producer of Parmigiano Reggiano. It is situated highest amongst the pre-Appenine grasslands. The dairy's herds graze on nutritious, hearty grasses raised in the mountainous air. After the cows are milked, the cheesemakers at the Caseificio, breaking with tradition, insist on leaving much of the flavor-rich, high-fat cream in the whey, whereas most producers skim it off to sell it in liquid form, where it commands higher prices. Leaving a greater amount of this luscious mountain cream in the cheese creates a creamy Parmigiano with a clean milky palate and 28-month aging lends a pleasantly milky finish.

You sense it immediately - the heady aromas, the intensely fulfilling textures, and the vibrant flavors of Spain's artisan cheese tradition. Different milks, a diverse terrain, and unique cheesemaking techniques all play a role in the subtle differences in each cheese's color, texture, and flavor. We have selected four of our favorites for this sampler:

• Manchego - Spain's most famous cheese, made entirely from pure La Mancha sheep's milk. Manchego is prized for its rich, complex flavor and its satisfyingly grainy texture.
• Mahon - This firm cow's milk cheese comes from the Balearic Island of Menorca in the Mediterranean. This version has been aged for three months, developing a rich tanginess and fragrant aroma.
• Idiazabal - Smooth, rich and satisfyingly sharp, Idiazabal is a smoked sheep's milk cheese that gives off a warming rustic scent. It is the quintessential cheese of the Basque country in Northern Spain.
• Murcia al Vino - This 100% goat's milk cheese from Murcia is bathed in red Spanish wine, making this product a wine-and-cheese party all by itself!

This assortment includes four 1/2 pound cuts of cheese.

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Until the 19th Century this perennial favorite was known as Valais. Taking its modern name from the French verb racler (to scrape), Raclette is now one of the most popular mountain cheeses worldwide. Made from whole, unpasteurized cow's milk, this raclette is typically aged three to four months. Smoother than gruyere, Raclette has a creamy and supple texture with fruity undertones that intensify when melted. A little firmer than its French counterpart, our Swiss Raclette is great served with Bunderfleisch or cured ham. Traditionally served with kirsch or beer.

• Made from unpasteurized cow's milk.
• Photo depicts half of a 10 lb. wheel.
• We cut and wrap this item by the pound.
• Please contact us if you would like to purchase the whole form.

Stravecchio Oro del Tempo is a superior, 22-month aged Grana Padano produced by Agriform near Venice. This masterpiece compares beautifully with its better-known cousin Parmigiano Reggiano. The flavor of Stravecchio is intense and complex, with fruity overtones that evoke pineapple or strawberry, depending on the season. Like all precious things, every Stravecchio cheese is one of a kind, and each wheel is branded with a unique serial number. Agriform tests the quality of each wheel of Stravecchio every week until the twentieth month of aging. The end result of this rigorous testing process is that only the cheeses that deserve to become prime Grana Padano Stravecchio are stamped with the certificate of origin and guarantee.

• Made from unpasteurized cow's milk.
• Wheel is 80 lb. form of cheese.
• We cut and wrap this item by the pound.
• Please contact us if you would like to purchase the whole form.

The history of Douwe Egberts starts in 1753, when a husband and wife opened The White Ox, a gourmet shop, in the North of Holland. Their offerings focused on coffee, tea and tobacco-- products that were imported from the Far East and traded in Amsterdam. Sales grew rapidly and soon Douwe Egberts started a wholesaling and distribution business. They built their first coffee roasting plant in 1919 and began exporting their premium quality coffee in 1930. By 1960, Douwe Egberts accounted for more than half of Dutch coffee exports. Few coffees can match the heady power and richness of this popular blend.

For Cheddar Cheese Curd lovers everywhere, this is a dream come true. Cedar Grove Cheese offers their 12-ounce bag of delicious, nutritious cheddar cheese curds. Three 12 ounce bags. Cheese curds should be eaten within 3-4 days of receiving them. They do not contain preservatives.

From Italy's Lombardy region comes the most imitated blue cheese in the world. Many cheeses falsely claim to be gorgonzola, but they always leave you singing the blues. Authentic Italian Gorgonzola comes in two varieties; Dolce - meaning sweet; and Mountain - the sharper and firmer version. Dating back to ancient times, this member of the stracchino family is one of the world's classic cheeses.

Almost spreadable, Gorgonzola Dolce is supple and luxurious with an unmistakable tangy creaminess. Its pale white interior is laced with streaks of blue, giving Gorgonzola Dolce a striking appearance to match its piquant flavor. Enjoy Gorgonzola Dolce as a table cheese; spread thickly on a piece of crusty baguette; or as an ingredient in your favorite salad dressing.

• Made from pasteurized cow's milk.
• Photo depicts whole 3 lb. form of cheese.
• We cut and wrap this item by the 1/2 pound.
• Please contact us if you would like to purchase the whole form.

Merlot is a red wine grape widely planted in Bordeaux and, to a lesser extent, in California and the Pacific Northwest. It is known for its soft, smooth, plummy finish. Here are some cheeses we enjoy with Merlot:

• Beemster Classic Extra Aged Gouda: Our Gouda is produced by CONO Kaasmakers under the Beemster brand. CONO is located in Northern Holland; famous for its rich milk and fertile grazing lands. This edible masterpiece has been matured for eighteen months, allowing its body to develop a muted caramel color, matched by a uniquely intense, yet sweet, flavor.
• Monte Veronese: Skilled artisans hand craft Monte Veronese Latte Interno in Lessinia, the picturesque mountain area above Verona. Monte Veronese is a typical Italian table cheese produced only with full-cream cow's milk. Monte Veronese is aged approximately 60 days to create a sweet, yet delicate and pleasant, flavor.
• Manchego: Spain's most famous cheese. Produced in La Mancha in Central Spain, true Manchego is made from 100% sheep's milk. The abundance of wild herbs on Central Spain's grazing lands gives Manchego a special taste and aroma. Its flavor is zesty and exuberant while its texture is firm but not dry.

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Merlot not included.

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The award-winning Buttermilk Blue Cheese from Roth Kase USA Ltd. Is made with the freshest raw milk from herds of predominantly Jersey cows, which is then homogenized, inoculated with a secret blend of cultures, hooped by hand, pierced, salted then cured for at least 2 months while being rotated regularly to insure a perfect cheese. You won't find a more delicious blue cheese. The Buttermilk Blue Cheese wheel is approx. 6 lbs. Shipping notes:To ensure freshness, must be shipped expedited. Available October - April. Ships Monday-Wednesday. Orders received after 10:00 a.m. Wednesday will be shipped the following Monday.

Just thinking about this assortment of four half-pound cuts of wonderful Dutch cheeses makes our mouths water. The Dutch are world famous for their cheesemaking prowess and these selections will show you why.

• Extra Aged Gouda: Ripened for a full 18 months to develop a nutty, caramel-like flavor, this is the Gouda the Dutch keep for themselves! It is always a crowd pleaser.
• Leyden: Dotted with cumin seeds, it is the rye bread of the cheese world. Wonderfully firm texture.
• Dorothea: A real specialty and an igourmet.com exclusive, this wonderful goat's milk cheese flavored with potato skins and basil oil will send your taste buds into fits of pleasure! Even people who claim to dislike goat cheeses love this one.
• Maasdam: Originally created in Norway, then perfected in Holland, Maasdam is Dutch for baby swiss. This cheese offers a sweet, nutty flavor with a wonderfully tangy aftertaste.

This assortment ships with one half-pound of each cheese selection.

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This unique cheese, sometimes called Glarner Schabzieger, has a mysterious green hue. This color is due the addition of clover. Not only does this herb add an interesting tint, it also gives the cheese a unique sharpness. Sap Sago is made to be a grating cheese and is not commonly eaten straight. It is excellent grated over steamed vegetables; especially cauliflower, broccoli or potatoes. In Switzerland, this conical cheese is often grated and blended with butter to create a piquant spread for bread or crackers.

• Photo depicts whole 4 oz. form of cheese.

Wisconsinmade.com offers this Mt. Sterling Goat Milk Mozzarella Cheese made from pasteurized milk. This stirred-curd cheese while a little drier than traditional mozzarella, has a wonderfully mild taste and is perfect for cooking or snacking. Four 8 oz. packages. Mt. Sterling's product line of world class, award-winning goat cheeses are 100% natural, made with goat's milk from producers dedicated to sustainable farming practices. Shipped on Mondays only. Requires expedited shipping.

Our Vintage Canadian Cheddar has been aged over four years! Cheddar is a firmly pressed cheese with a hard, homogenous texture. The cheese begins life with a flexible texture and slightly acidic, buttery sweet taste. The fat, protein, minerals and ashes gradually break down during the fermentation and aging process, which intensifies the flavors and firms and dries the texture. Made in Quebec, this cheddar does not contain food coloring. Instead, it showcases a lovely, off-white color. Enjoy the full-flavored, intense, tanginess of this excellent four year Canadian Cheddar.

• Made from pasteurized cow's milk.
• Photo depicts whole 5 lb. form of cheese.
• We cut and wrap this item by the 1/2 pound.
• Please contact us if you would like to purchase the whole form.

Humboldt Fog is one of the American beauties when it comes to cheeses. Mary Keens at Cypress Grove, California, is the creator of this young goat's milk cheese with its impressive appearance and superior flavor. The texture is creamy and luscious with a subtle tangy flavor. Each handcrafted wheel features a ribbon of edible vegetable ash along its center and a coating of ash under its exterior to give it a distinctive, cake-like appearance. The edible ash comes from the burning of the White pine tree. The molds are half-filled, then sprinkled with a lager of salt and ash and then the molds are topped with remaining curds. The wheels are also coated with the same ash before they develop the bloomy white rind. When Humboldt is ripe it is creamy under the rind and firm in the center. The flavor will be mild and balanced, not particularly goaty. We cut and wrap this gourmet cheese in pieces of 8 ounces or 1 pound.

St. Agur is made in the village of Monts du Velay in the Auvergne region of France. Made from cow's milk and ripened for at least two months, this is a rich, creamy blue with a spicy blue flavor. Mild in flavor and not too salty in comparison to more traditional blues, St. Agur appeals to many palettes. Perfect spread on pear or apple slices, or just on some French bread or raisin bread. Because of its creamy nature, it melts well in sauces or just on top of chops.

• Made from pasteurized cow's milk.
• Photo depicts whole 4.4 lb. form of cheese.
• We cut and wrap this item by the 1/2 pound.
• Please contact us if you would like to purchase the whole form.

This specialty hails from the Southern Italian provinces of Abbruzo, Calabria, Campania and Sicilia. The meaning of its name has been debated for centuries, but its Latin roots are Cacio - cheese and Cavallo - horse. Some historians think it is so named because it was originally made from mare's milk, others because it was transported on horseback. The most popular theory is that the name has nothing to do with a horse, rather that caciocavallo is a copy of an ancient Turkish cheese called qasqawal. The origins of the name notwithstanding, caciocavallo is a traditional pasta filata (stretched curd) cheese made from cow's milk. Other pasta filata type cheeses are mozzarella and provolone. Caciocavallos are gourd-shaped and come to us in pairs, tied together by a rope that loops around the "neck" of each cheese. After an aging period of three months, this ancient cheese takes on a tangy, meaty flavor with hints of anise and almonds. We cut each caciocavallo into quarters, making four one pound cuts. Please call if you would like to order an uncut four pound unit. Varieties sold separately.

• Made from pasteurized cow's milk.
• Photo depicts whole 4 lb. form of cheese.
• We cut and wrap this item by the 1/2 pound.
• Please contact us if you would like to purchase the whole form.

Cabrales blue cheese is produced only in the village of the same name and three villages of the Peñamellera Alta Township located on the northern spur of the Picos de Europa, in eastern Asturias. It is produced in limited quantities, using traditional farmhouse methods, in small family-run dairies of the township. Raw milk, mainly cow's milk, is used to produce it. However, as most farmers keep mixed herds, blends of goat's and ewe's milk are used in the spring and summer. Cabrales is slowly aged in the caves near the Cantabrian Sea, under cold, very humid conditions. Unlike its cousins - Danish Bleu and French Camembert - the blue mold is not artificially injected. It occurs naturally. The cheeses are turned periodically until the paste has been completely grown with mold, acquiring its deep blue veining and resulting in a thick texture with the characteristic creamy and piquant flavor

This Belgian cow's milk, washed rind cheese is made from uncooked curd with a dash of Chimay beer, giving it a deep, pronounced flavor and color.  It has a prominent, delicate yet complex flavor, with a firm, yet creamy texture.