5 Cheeses to try

Cheddar, Parmesan, Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, Brie, Camembert are all super tasty cheeses and belong in every dairy lovers shopping basket, but if you keep on picking up the same ones, you may be missing out on a gem of a cheese that's been starring you in the face every time you ventured into the cheese chiller in your local supermarket.

We've put 5 very moreish and versatile cheeses that you may not have tried to the test. Hope you find at least one that you haven't tried and give it a go next time you're in the market for a new slab of the creamy good stuff.

Five Cheeses you must try

Just worth saying that all these cheeses are readily available in major supermarkets, although some may only be available in Waitrose, and they are mostly reasonably priced so won't set you back an arm and a leg.

Jarlsberg

If you are partial to a cheese on toast, or grilled cheese as our American cousins call it, you will love this mild cheese from Jarlsberg, Norway with distinctive large regular holes.

Made from a secret recipe so heavily guarded that only a handful of people know who the custodians are and there seems to be a lot of mystery surrounding the origins. Some people say monks made it and some say Swiss cheesemakers were the masterminds behind the recipe.

When you're on the hunt for a toasted cheese sandwich, the origins don't really factor in, so here is the nitty gritty.

This is a medium flavoured cheese and the texture is slightly firm but smooth, but the best thing bout this cheese is the nutty flavour that really comes through when you eat it fresh. Once melted it still tastes great but the texture of the melted cheese is probably the best of most other cheeses out there.

Port Salut

This one brings back memories of eating Dairylea Triangles but with a posh edge to it and way more sophisticated taste and texture.

It's a soft cheese best enjoyed fresh, straight out of the pack. Some people do like to melt this one but personally we think this is best enjoyed sliced from the wedge and spread on slightly warm toast or a cracker. It looks well dressed too with a very thin layer of orange wax coating covering the creamy snow white centre.

Small history lesson. This cheese we can tell you was first created by French monks back in 1816, so no big secrets with this cheese, but clearly, it's a cheese with an excellent pedigree.

You can buy Port Salut from most supermarkets in one of two forms: Semi-Soft French Cheese Wedge, or Natural French Cheese Slices. If you are going to melt it, go for the sliced variety.

Old Amsterdam

If a nice creamy cheddar cheese had babies with a dry but rich Parmesan cheese, out would pop Old Amsterdam.

To eat this cheese all on it's own, you will need a decent pair of saliva glands because it's quite dry but in a weird way, also creamy too. Makes for a fantastic combination of textures.

The dryness comes from the low water content and the flesh contains crystals that are formed during the fermentation process.

Old Amsterdam is named after one of the most liberal cities in the world and has won so many awards all over the world.

Best eaten with fruits such as grapes, apples or figs. A modest slice of this with a handful of grapes is a small meal fit for a king.

The M4 starter culture used to create this cheese even today is a closely guarded secret within cheese making.

To get your hands on a slice of this good stuff you may need to make your way to the deli counter of your nearest Waitrose. You won't regret it!

Gruyere

This hard yellow Swiss cheese is named after the town of Gruyères and has been in delighting palates around the world since 1115 - that's almost 1,000 years! There is no question who the daddy of the cheeses we've featured here is.

Gruyere is matured from anywhere from 6 to 24 months for an aromatic and smooth or full-bodied cheese.

Excellent for cooking, consider using this in your pasta bakes for a rich and creamy texture and bold flavour. Your guests will be bewildered buy the taste sensation. It's also great for melting on toast but if you are going to eat it un-cooked, make sure you try it with a small drizzle of honey and some walnuts.

Comte

This French cheese is made from unpasteurised cow's milk in eastern France close to the border with Switzerland. Of all French cheeses, this is the most vastly produced with over 66,500 tonnes annually, and for good reason too.

You will need to be a bit of a cheese connoisseur to dabble with this cheese, but once you've got used to it, you will keep coming back for more.

Comte has a dense, firm and grainy texture with a smokey nutty and fruity flavour and it melts very well, so nice to use in recipes right from fondues to Croque Monsieur (that's a super posh French cheese on toast, fried in butter).

You can find a decent Comte in most supermarkets in the chilled isle, so why not pick one up on your next visit and try it out.