Cheeses of Cheddar Gorge
The Somerset village and limestone gorge that named the world's most made cheese, with cheese still aged in its caves.
Made, aged and sold here
Best time: April to October.
Cheddar is a village at the foot of Britain's deepest gorge, cut into the Mendip Hills of Somerset. Cheese was being made and sold here by the twelfth century, and the cool, steady caves of the gorge were used to mature it. Today Cheddar is made around the world, but West Country farmhouse cheddar keeps a protected name, and some is still aged in a cave in the gorge.
Cheddar and the caves
Cheddaring is the step that gives the cheese its name: blocks of curd are stacked and turned so whey drains and the texture becomes firm and layered. The curd is milled, salted and pressed into cloth-bound or block cheeses that age for months or years. The caves of the gorge stay at about eleven degrees all year, and cheese aged there takes on an earthy depth.
The gorge
Cheddar Gorge has cliffs nearly 140 metres high, walks along the top, and show caves, including Gough's Cave, where the skeleton of Cheddar Man, around 9,000 years old, was found. The village has cheese shops, one of which makes cheddar on site. Wells, England's smallest cathedral city, and the Somerset Levels lie a short drive away.
A trail idea for Cheddar Gorge
- Gough's Cave The show cave where cheese is matured and Cheddar Man was found.
- Cliff-top walk Walk the gorge rim for views over the Somerset Levels.
- A cheese shop Watch cheddar made in the village where it is shown.
- Wells The cathedral city a short drive east.
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Cheddar Gorge" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets, caves and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
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