Red Leicester Cheese

Red Leicester is a traditional English cheese made from cow's milk, similar to cheddar but with a more moist, crumblier texture and a milder flavor. It's notable for its vibrant orange color, achieved by adding annatto to the milk. Aged Red Leicester develops a slightly nutty taste, making it a favorite for cheese platters and grating over dishes.

What is Red Leicester Cheese?

Red Leicester, or simply "Leicester," is a hard British cow’s milk cheese that hails from the English county of Leicestershire. It shares similarities in shape and production methods with other British territorial cheeses like Cheddar and Double Gloucester, being made using techniques such as scalding, cheddaring, pressing, and cloth binding. Traditionally, Red Leicester comes in a cylindrical form, measuring around 6 inches (15 centimeters) deep, 20 inches (51 centimeters) across, and weighing approximately 44 pounds (20 kilograms). However, most Red Leicester cheese available today is produced in a rindless, industrial block format, stored and prepackaged in plastic.

Characteristics

Red Leicester is known for its distinct reddish-orange color, which comes from the addition of annatto, a natural food colorant. This practice dates back to the 17th and 18th centuries when the vivid color was associated with high-quality, high-fat cheeses from pasture-grazed cows, favored by affluent society members of that era.

Historical Background

Leicestershire has been a cheese-producing region for several centuries, with a permanent cheese market established in the town of Leicester in 1759. While most of the Red Leicester produced was consumed locally, some reached markets farther afield, including London, often alongside Leicestershire’s renowned Stilton cheese. Unlike Stilton, Red Leicester’s hard, pressed nature gave it a longer shelf life, making it a flexible option for producers.

The first factory-produced Red Leicester emerged in 1875, leading to a decline in farmhouse production. World War II food rationing shifted cheese production to large centralized creameries, and the use of food coloring was banned, stripping Red Leicester of its distinctive hue. Post-war, the color was reintroduced, and the prefix “Red” was added to distinguish it from the wartime “white” variety. Farmhouse production ceased entirely by this time.

Modern Revival

In 2006, David and Jo Clarke of Sparkenhoe Farm in Leicestershire revived traditional Red Leicester production. They use unpasteurized milk from their herd of 150 Friesian-Holsteins and produce the cheese by hand in the traditional clothbound format.

Production Methods

Red Leicester is produced using raw cow's milk. The cheese is aged for anywhere between four to nine months. Younger Leicesters are mild, while those aged beyond six months develop a tangy flavor. Traditional methods involve larding and cloth-binding the cheese, allowing it to mature and develop a firm, flaky texture with a sweet, caramelized flavor.

Cultural and Geographic Significance

Red Leicester's deep red color is derived from annatto, a practice rooted in the need to distinguish richer, high-fat cheeses. The cheese has historical ties to Leicestershire's agricultural heritage and was originally made to utilize surplus milk after Stilton production.