When is cheese green?

Holly Brooke-Smith

11 September 2013

For the third post in her series celebrating sustainable food, Holly Brooke-Smith gets cheesy for British Cheese Week. 

Pick a cheese, any cheese

I don't know about you, but when I buy fruit and veg, it's absolutely instinctive to check the label to see where it's come from. But, by the time I get to the cheese counter (my favourite place to be), I still have to remind myself to think about origin and food miles - it can be all too easy to grab branded Cheddar without thinking.

But over the last ten years we've seen a veritable cheese revolution in Britain, so it's easier than ever to support small producers and create a fabulous, local cheese board. No excuses!

There are well over 700 registered types of cheese made in the UK; that's an incredible choice for any cheese fan.

British cheese has bounced back since the dark days of WWII rationing, when the nation was rationed to a single Government Cheese (unimaginable to a cheese addict like me!). This rubbery, hard cheese was produced in factories across the country and shipped out to grocers, wiping out many artisanal, local varieties in the process.

Thankfully, 68 years later it's a different story and regional cheese production is continuing to boom. The British Cheese Awards has seen an incredible increase from 269 entries in 1994 to 900 in 2012 .

Green cheese

The environmental impact of dairy farming is something to consider, although greenhouse gas emissions from UK dairy farms have dropped over the last 20 years - to just 2% of total UK emissions, according to This is Dairy Farming. 

We're starting to see some interesting new developments in the UK cheese industry. Farmer Robin Betts has created the UK's first cheese that is carbon-neutral in its production, in Kent. It's called Winterdale, and is made entirely with the use of solar power and a ground source heat pump, and the dairy cars are all electric too. Robin told me: "We always use morning milk and start the cheese-making process off while it is still warm as this saves masses of energy. It also makes the cheese really creamy." It's then stored in naturally insulated cave-like cellars, cut into the hillside, for the 10 month maturing process.

The processing is only one environmental aspect of cheese production. There's also the methane produced by cows themselves, the huge greenhouse gases from fertiliser production and use, and animal feed even, if it's not organic or locally sourced. But one step at a time...

Shopping for cheese

Where you can, choose cheese that's local and organic, or certified free range. But if that's not possible, look for labels depending on your personal preference.

Choose organic if you're concerned about animal welfare, pesticide, fertiliser and antibiotic use, and you want to encourage wildlife. If you're lucky and you have a farmers' market near you, speak to the producers to find out more about how they keep their cows, and the provenance of their cheeses. 

Choose locally-produced cheese if your priority is supporting local producers and reducing your food miles -  check this UK cheese map for information or look for cheese producers near you on Big Barn.

Holly Brooke-Smith, Publishing & New Media Volunteer. Read her earlier blog about British raspberries.