Red Leicester

What is Red Leicester Cheese?

Red Leicester began on Leicestershire farms, where milk left over after the Stilton was made went into a second cheese. Early makers coloured it with carrot or beetroot juice. It was known as Leicestershire cheese until the 1940s, when the name changed to separate it from White Leicester, a national recipe made under wartime rationing.

Production runs through six steps: acidification, coagulation, cutting, cheddaring, pressing and ageing. A full wheel takes roughly 3 to 14 months to make. Annatto, a natural vegetable dye, has supplied the orange colour since the 18th century, and most of the cheese is still made in the United Kingdom.

The rind is reddish-orange with a powdery mould. Traditional wheels are fairly firm and dry with a friable texture and a sweet, mellow flavour that builds as the cheese matures. Blocks pressed in larger creameries come out moister and creamier, with a slightly sweet aftertaste. Either way, there is a nutty note.

Ageing runs from four to nine months, and the cheese is typically sold between 6 and 12 months old. Young Leicesters taste very mild. Past six months the tang is strong enough for the cheese to count as old. Large makers age under vacuum packing, while smaller farmhouse producers still mature their cheese in cloth for better flavour.

A 30 gram serving has about 120 calories, 7 to 8 grams of protein and 10 grams of fat. Fresh Red Leicester runs 33 to 34% fat, and the stated minimum fat in dry matter is generally 48%. Supermarket versions are usually coloured with annatto, though uncoloured Red Leicester can be found.