Why we wax our cheddar

It's one of the most time-consuming jobs in the factory: waxing club cheddar.

Virtually all of our club cheddar is hand-dipped in wax - that's thousands of pieces each month - and sometimes we can spend a day or two each week on the job.

So why wax the cheese?

Basically it's a traditional way of preserving our cheddars.

It helps seal it, protecting it from the outside air and extending its shelf life.

It's visual and tactile and it also lets us use some distinctive colour combinations instead of just a clear plastic bag.

Rod also knows it improves the texture of the cheese, helping it maintain a softer, less-dense texture compared with regular vacuum packaging. There's some science behind how that makes it feel in your mouth but in simple terms we know it makes our cheeses better!

The wax is easy to remove, usually peeling off neatly after you make a simple cut in the wax around the portion you want.

You don't need to remove all the wax at once.

If you've only cut off a small portion you can leave the rest on and seal the exposed end of the cheese with a bit of cling wrap before you put it back in the fridge.

These are club cheddars best served cold.

You can view our range of club cheddars here.