How to Choose Cheese: A Beginner’s Guide to Buying Well

Standing in front of a good cheese counter can be intimidating. There are dozens of wheels, unfamiliar names, and prices that range from pocket change to astonishing. The good news is that choosing cheese well is a skill anyone can learn — and it starts with four simple checks.

1. Identify the family first

Before you think about a specific cheese, decide which family you want. If you understand the seven families of cheese, you can navigate any counter: do you want something fresh and milky, soft and creamy, firm and sliceable, hard and grating, blue and bold, or tangy goat?

2. Use your senses

• Look: the rind should be clean and intact, the paste even. Avoid cracked, weeping or dried-out edges.
• Smell: aroma should be pleasant and complex. A sharp ammonia smell means it is past its best.
• Touch: press gently. A soft cheese should yield and spring back; a hard cheese should feel firm but not dry.
• Ask to taste: a good monger will offer a taste. Always say yes.

3. Read the label

Labels tell you more than you might think:

• Milk: cow, goat, ewe, buffalo, or a blend — and whether it is from a single farm
• Milk treatment: raw (unpasteurised) or pasteurised
• Rennet: animal, microbial or vegetable — important if you are vegetarian
• Age: older means drier, saltier and more intense
• Protection marks: PDO, PGI or AOP mean the cheese follows a defined place and method

4. Buy for how you’ll eat it

Match the cheese to the occasion:

• For a board: a mix of textures and intensities — one soft, one hard, one blue, plus something fresh.
• For cooking: choose by how it melts — low-moisture mozzarella for pizza, Gruyère for gratins, Parmigiano for grating.
• For eating alone: spend a little more on an aged or artisan cheese and let it shine.

A word on price

Price often reflects ageing time, milk quality, small-scale production and provenance. But price is not a guarantee of quality, and there are superb cheeses at every price point. The best approach is to buy a little of several cheeses and taste your way to what you love.

Storage, once you’re home

Wrap cheese in waxed or parchment paper rather than plastic, keep it in the vegetable drawer, and bring it to room temperature before serving. For the full method, see our storage advice in the Guides section.

Frequently asked questions

Is more expensive cheese always better?

No. Price reflects production costs and ageing, but taste is personal. Let your palate decide.

Should I buy cheese ahead of time?

Fresh and soft cheeses should be bought close to when you’ll eat them. Hard and aged cheeses can be bought weeks ahead.

What if I don’t have a cheese shop nearby?

Supermarkets carry more than you think. Look for a named producer, an age statement and a protection mark — the same cues apply.

Ready to explore? Start with the seven families of cheese.