Double Gloucester

Gloucester is a traditional, semi-hard cheese made in Gloucestershire since the 16th century. There are two varieties, Single and Double; both traditionally made from milk from Gloucester cattle. Both types have a natural rind and a hard texture but Single Gloucester is more crumbly, lighter in texture and lower in fat. Double Gloucester is allowed to age for longer periods than Single and has a stronger and more savoury flavour. It is also slightly firmer. The flower known as lady's bedstraw (Galium verum) was responsible for the distinctively yellow colour of Double Gloucester cheese.

In the UK today, Double Gloucester is more widely sold. Both types are produced in round shapes but Double Gloucester rounds are larger. Traditionally whereas the Double Gloucester was a prized cheese comparable in quality to the best Cheddar or Cheshire and was exported out of the county, Single Gloucester tended to be consumed within Gloucestershire.

Most Double Gloucester sold in UK supermarkets is slab cheese made in large creameries operated by major dairy companies such as Dairy Crest. Supermarkets normally sell Double Gloucester under their own store brand. This version of the cheese is pasteurised but not processed.

Manufacture of traditional Gloucester cheeses from the Gloucester cow died out in the 1950s along with most of the Gloucester cattle. However, in 1973 Charles Martell managed to gather three Old Gloucester cows from the herd of less than 50 left in the county. A BBC TV series A Taste of Britain filmed his successful attempt to revive the tradition of farmhouse Double Gloucester that year. In 1978 Martell went on to revive the lost Single Gloucester cheese. Traditionally produced Gloucester cheese is supported by the Slow Food movement since 2004. Single Gloucester has PDO status and can only be made in Gloucestershire on farms with Gloucester cows. As of 2010 six cheese makers produce it.

The reason for the two types of Gloucester cheese being called 'double' and 'single' is unknown. The main theories are

• the creamy milk had to be skimmed twice to make the double variety
• cream from the morning milk was added to the evening milk
• a Double Gloucester cheese is typically twice the height of a Single Gloucester

Double Gloucester cheese is used every spring for the Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake. Competitors chase a cheese down a steep Gloucestershire hillside; the first person to reach the bottom of the 50% gradient, 200 yards (180 m) slope wins the cheese.