Cheese is thought to be one of the first foods manufactured by mankind. It is mentioned in the Old Testament, and reference to cheese, dating back to 300 B.C., were discovered in the Euphrates valley. Roman and Viking soldiers also received cheese as part of their wages.

The production of cheese, even by today’s standards, is difficult and complex. The process involves both molecular science and age old methodology to develop all of the different types and flavours of cheese. The basic method starts with the milk, containing protein, fat, lactose and minerals. Added to this is a coagulant which can either be an acidic or rennet coagulant. (Rennet is an enzyme found in calve's milk). Some cheeses are made by heating the milk to make it coagulate. Next, a starting culture is added to the milk. This starts the milk souring process which eventually separates the curds and whey. Once this happens the whey is filtered off to leave the curd to firm.

The cheese is then moulded, pressed and bandaged in wax or Hessian. Finally, some cheeses are left to mature and then sold on to the open market. Cheese yield is roughly 10lb of every 100lb of milk.

Cheese gets its different flavours from a multitude of variables, such the type of milk used, the different coagulants used, how much the cheese is pressed, and the time period over which the cheese is left to mature.