Cheese Report 2026: Our growing appetite for premium cheese

The good news for the premium cheese industry is that the appetite across the UK is growing. “Across the board we’re seeing an increased interest in premium cheese,” says Mike Hutchins, UK sales manager at Belton Farm. “We’ve seen in recent data that more families are buying into premium cheese, so whereas historically territorial cheeses tended to be bought by older, affluent shoppers, the net is widening; we’re certainly seeing that in terms of sales of Red Fox and Silver Fox, especially as demand for vintage Cheddars is growing too. And while flavoured territorial cheeses are generally in decline, they still hold a lot of value in the market and we can boost sales by evolving how we discuss them with consumers – they offer a brilliant opportunity to educate.”

In fact, cheesemakers themselves are in some cases pushing the drive to bring back long-lost territorial cheeses; for example, this spring Brinkworth Dairy recreated Wiltshire Loaf. “For us, it’s about proving that traditional territorial cheeses still have enormous value, both culturally and commercially,” says Ceri Cryer, director.

Neal’s Yard Dairy’s Eat Them Or Lose Them campaign is fighting for the revival of this corner of the sector. Plus, new cheesemakers are entering the market primed to excite new and existing premium cheese fans – such as Primrose Creamery, which is sharing notes on its cheese covering information such as weather conditions, pasture changes, make adjustments and affinage decisions in order to “help bridge the gap between producer and consumer, and demystify the world of raw cheese,” according to Jake Goldstein, founder. 

“There are huge opportunities for the specialist cheese industry,” concludes Jonny. “We’re moving into a world where people are becoming much more conscious about the food they buy. Consumers increasingly want to know the story behind their food, where it comes from, how it is made, and the ethics behind the businesses producing it. At the same time, information has never been easier to access, so people can quickly discover products and learn what makes them different.

“Our opportunity is to help consumers understand that good-quality cheese is a wholesome, natural food made from simple ingredients, without unnecessary additives or artificial ingredients. If we continue getting that message across, the future for the specialist cheese sector is very positive.”

UK cheese types: in numbers

“In GB, demand for cows’ cheese has grown over the past year, with volumes increasing by 1.9% and value rising by 4.4% to reach £3.8bn (52 weeks ending 13 June 2026, NIQ Homescan POD). This stands in sharp contrast to plant-based cheese alternatives, where volumes declined by 13.3% and value fell by 9.3% to £35.6m.

Mature Cheddar is the most popular cheese in GB, with 77.0m kg sold in the last year, up 0.5% (+389k kg) year-on-year and worth £552m. Extra mature cheddar ranks second, with 37.7m kg sold (+0.8% or +294k kg), generating £292m in sales. Soft white cheese is the third best-selling cheese, with 30.2m kg sold (+1.8% or +522k kg), worth £223m (52 weeks ending 13 June 2026, NIQ Homescan POD).

However, cottage cheese has been the standout performer, recording the fastest growth of any cows’ cheese type. An additional 5.7m kg was purchased year-on-year, taking sales to £114m. Household penetration increased to 30.8%, reflecting growth in the number of shoppers buying into the category (52 weeks ending 13 June 2026, NIQ Homescan POD).

This surge in demand has likely been supported by social media trends and growing consumer interest in naturally high-protein foods, an area where cottage cheese is well positioned.

Performance among British regional cheeses has been more mixed, with only Caerphilly and Double Gloucester recording growth in volumes purchased. Demand for Stilton and British blue cheeses declined by 341k kg (-8.2%) during the past year. Stilton remains a highly seasonal product, with more than a quarter of annual sales occurring during the four weeks to Christmas (4 w/e 27 December 2025). However, Christmas 2025 saw lower demand than the previous year, continuing a trend that has been evident across much of the last 12 months (52 weeks ending 13 June 2026, NIQ Homescan POD).

Although cows’ cheese continues to enjoy a place in nearly all households, with 97.2% of GB households purchasing it in the last year, this has fallen by 0.8 percentage points year-on-year (52 weeks ending 13 June 2026, NIQ Homescan POD). Changing consumer habits may be contributing to this decline.

The opportunity for export
“Exports of cheese have been increasing since the second quarter of 2025 and are now at the highest quarterly level seen in the last six years,” says Susie Stannard, AHDB lead analyst (dairy).

“Export volumes of total cheese increased by 15.6% (+7500 tonnes) to 56,000 tonnes, year-on-year in Q1 2026. However, there were variations by cheese type. Exports of cheddar and mozzarella cheese increased by 37.5% (+8,900 tonnes) and 13% (+1,300 tonnes) whilst exports of other cheese declined by 18.3% (-2,700 tonnes). Overall demand remained firm due to cost competitiveness of British cheese compared to Oceania.

“Over the years cheese exports have grown following consumer preference for British speciality cheese,” she continues. “Challenges are there pertaining to price competitiveness, expanding market access and trade barriers and policy uncertainty. Increasing price competitiveness and availability from the USA due to expansion of cheese capacity may also pressurise British exports, particularly for industrial use.”

The import market

“Imports of cheese is also increasing over the years and witnessed an increase of 3% to 115,000 tonnes in Q1 2026 compared to the same period previous year. UK mainly imports from the EU countries like Ireland, France, Germany, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands and also from New Zealand. In terms of value, cheese imports picked up marginally by 0.05% to £517Mn in Q1 2026 compared to the same period previous year.

“The UK mainly produces Cheddar and premium British quality whereas it imports continental and speciality cheeses,” Susie continues. “Consumer demand for speciality cheese is increasing. Foodservice and manufacturing sectors have to import these varieties to meet changing consumer preferences.

To read more insights from The Cheese Report 2026, download our July/August issue for free here.