The cheeses that I love: Lucie Nock

Lucie Nock, owner of The Cheese Society, grew up around cheese. “My mum owned a delicatessen before specialising in cheese and opening The Cheese Society when I was just 12. From a young age, I was encouraged to try new and unusual cheeses, and it quickly became a big — and very enjoyable — part of my upbringing.”

She joined The Cheese Society 10 years ago, and she says her favourite part of the job is still “cutting into a new truckle and tasting the fresh flavours inside”. Between the cheese counter and online shop, The Cheese Society stocks around 100 cheeses at any one time. “It feels like a real privilege to work in such a skilled, hands-on, and fascinating industry,” Lucie says.

“The cheese world is a wonderful one to be part of. From cheesemakers to retailers and suppliers, the people are generous with their knowledge, always happy to share advice, and genuinely supportive,” she continues. “It’s an incredible community. As a Lincoln-based business, we’re incredibly lucky to have some outstanding cheesemakers right on our doorstep, and we champion them at every opportunity.”

These are 10 of her all-time favourites.

Lincolnshire Poacher

Lincolnshire Poacher is a hard, mature cheese that is somewhere between a Cheddar and a Swiss mountain cheese. This award-winning Supreme Champion cheese is a hard-pressed, full-fat cheese – Cheddar in style, but slightly open in texture. Rich, herbaceous notes linger on the palate. I’ve always loved this Lincolnshire classic; the flavours are like no other.

Snowdrop, Cote Hill Dairy

Snowdrop is the latest cheese from Cote Hill Dairy. Delicate, mild, delicious, and mould-ripened. Similar to French St Felicien. Soft, smooth, velvety and rich with a savoury nose. This fresh little friend doesn’t need anything with it. I like to slice off little cake-style wedges and enjoy with oily white wine.

Swaledale Traditional, The Swaledale Cheese Company

Swaledale Traditional is based on an ancient recipe developed hundreds of years ago and has similar characteristics to a farmhouse Wensleydale. A brilliant alternative, but with softer and creamier notes and more delicate, less astringent flavours. I adore territorial cheeses, and this is my top favourite; those lactic flavours zing on the tongue.

Bleu des Causses

The cows’ milk equivalent to Roquefort: full flavoured, with a lingering finish and a rich, salty tang. Bleu des Causses is a strong blue but with a creamy, spreadable texture. A sensational and classic French cheese, ideal for those who like their blue cheeses with more bite. I just love strong, gritty blues like this; an exceptional pairing is this cheese drizzled with lemon curd!

Gorwydd Caerphilly, Trethowan Brothers

Gorwydd Caerphilly is made following a traditional recipe and working the curds by hand, the cheeses are usually matured for a minimum of three to four months (which is longer than most Caerphillys) to give a wonderfully deep flavour that is yet still fresh and clean tasting with slight citrus notes, combined with a surprisingly creamy, moist texture. This has been one of my favourites for a long time. At the perfect maturity, it tastes like wild mushrooms cooked in butter; absolutely exceptional.

Cashel Blue

This amazing blue develops a rich creaminess which becomes richer and fuller the more it matures. As it does so, a subtle spice becomes apparent in the flavour of the cheese, adding an additional layer of depth and complexity. The spreadable creaminess of this cheese brings me so much joy. A classic!

Bath Soft, The Bath Soft Cheese Co

A full-fat square-shaped, hand-wrapped and wax-sealed, soft, bloomy, organic, rinded cheese. This cheese is made to an early recipe, similar in style and flavour to a Coulommiers. It can be eaten young or allowed to fully develop, resulting in a richer, fuller, much creamier flavour. The vegetal flavours of this cheese just create an animalistic response in me; I can eat the whole square in one sitting.

Alpine Meadows

Alpine Meadows is a stunning cow’s milk cheese, coated in herbs and flowers to make the most beautiful edible rind. The flavour is complex and fragrant, aided by the herbs in the rind – the blend of herbs is a closely guarded secret. The makers won’t tell us what the herbs and flowers are, but we’ve distinguished one as Lovage. A brilliant Swiss Alpine that gives off nostalgic notes of Bovril. I love how different it is.

Lincolnshire Red

Lincolnshire Red cheese is loosely based on an old-fashioned traditional Red Leicester recipe, from the makers of Lincolnshire Poacher. It has a clean, delicate nutty flavour. This isn’t a punchy red, but it’s oh so savoury and has all the tasty nuances of a good Red Leicester. Hands down has to be eaten with thickly buttered Lincolnshire plum bread, that’s the law in these parts! -

Stichelton, Stichelton Dairy

The flavours of Stichelton are intensely delicious, creamy, nutty and reminiscent of apples with underlying toasty notes. The delicate veins of blue-green mould beneath the rusty-coloured, orange-brown rind behold a spicy, savoury element and a long-lasting caramel-like sweetness. A phenomenal raw milk cheese, again made semi-locally for us here in Lincoln. I adore this cheese with fresh pear.