Hard cheese is the long game. Years of ageing drive off moisture and build the crystalline crunch and savoury depth that make these cheeses so useful and so satisfying.

Alpine wheels lead the way here — Comté and Gruyère aged well past the point most people stop — alongside aged cheddars, Parmesan and Spanish sheep's milk wheels.

These are also the best cheeses to keep. Well wrapped, a piece of hard cheese will happily sit in the fridge for weeks, which makes it the sensible thing to have in when guests arrive unannounced.