Made from raw cow’s milk this hard cheese is graded according to age and quality. Gruyère has a nutty flavour with hints of orchard fruits such as apples and pears. The initial fruitiness gives way to more robust, beefy aromas although the finish has less length than Comté, the French equivalent. Gruyère also tends to have a more pungent, savoury flavour.

Gruyère is one of the world’s greatest cheeses, and one of the few which is equally good raw and cooked. Alongside Emmental it is probably the best known of all Switzerland’s cheeses. Its name is said to come from from the crane (grue) on the coat of arms of the Counts of Gruyère. Traditionally Gruyère production takes place in the cantons of Fribourg, Neufchatel and Vaud, with Fribourg enjoying over fifty percent of overall production.

Made from raw cow’s milk this hard cheese is graded according to age and quality. The Gruyère Sheridans sell is Gruyère Alpage, meaning that it must be at least 12 months old, although we usually sell it at 14-18 months. Gruyere Alpage is only made from April to October in one of around fifty remaining Chalets high in the Swiss Alps Alps. The cheese is made in copper cauldrons each of which can hold 800 litres of milk. This will yield 2-3 cheeses depending on the quality of the milk. Each wheel of Gruyère carries a label stating where and when it was made, and a code indicating who made the cheese. Where the cheese was aged and who aged it is also indicated on this label. The interaction of these various factors can result in very different flavours from wheel to wheel. Gruyère has a nutty flavour with hints of orchard fruits such as apples and pears. The initial fruitiness gives way to more robust, beefy aromas although the finish has less length than Comté, the French equivalent. Gruyère also tends to have a more pungent, savoury flavour. This cheese is superb in the kitchen as it retains its flavour when cooked.