7 Scottish Cheeses That Deserve to Be Famous

France has 400 cheeses and a national identity built on them. Scotland has perhaps 50 artisan cheeses and almost no international recognition for any of them. This is ridiculous. Several Scottish cheeses are genuinely world-class — they win international awards, they hold their own against French and Italian equivalents, and they cost less. The only thing missing is the reputation.

Here are seven I'd put on any cheeseboard. All are available from Scottish cheesemongers, farm shops, and some farmers markets. A few have crept into supermarkets.

1. Isle of Mull Cheddar

Maker: Sgriob-Ruadh Farm, Isle of Mull · Type: Hard, clothbound · Price: £25–35/kg

The most distinctive cheddar made in Scotland. Produced from the milk of a single herd that grazes on draff from Tobermory distillery — which sounds like a gimmick but genuinely affects the flavour. The cheese is tangy, deeply savoury, with a crystalline crunch at full maturity that good cheddar develops after 12+ months. It tastes nothing like a supermarket cheddar and holds its own against Montgomery's or Kirkham's from England.

Only made in small batches. Available from specialist cheesemongers (I.J. Mellis in Edinburgh and Glasgow stocks it regularly), and occasionally from Waitrose and the Royal Highland Show food hall.

Eat with: Oatcakes and a glass of Talisker.

2. Lanark Blue

Maker: Humphrey Errington, Carnwath, Lanarkshire · Type: Blue, sheep's milk · Price: £30–40/kg

Scotland's answer to Roquefort. Made from raw sheep's milk by Humphrey Errington, who has been fighting the Scottish food establishment for decades to keep making raw milk cheese (a battle he's won). Lanark Blue is creamy, salty, and sharp — less aggressive than Roquefort but more complex than Stilton. It's a polarising cheese: people either love the sheepy, pungent character or they don't. There's no middle ground.

The Errington family also makes Dunsyre Blue (cow's milk, milder) and Maisie's Kebbuck (hard sheep's milk). All three are worth trying.

Eat with: Honey, walnuts, and a glass of Sauternes or a sherried whisky.

3. Loch Arthur Farmhouse

Maker: Loch Arthur Creamery, Beeswing, Dumfries · Type: Hard, organic · Price: £20–28/kg

A Camphill community in Dumfries making genuinely outstanding organic cheddar. Loch Arthur has a depth of flavour that comes from the combination of organic milk, traditional cloth-binding, and long maturation in their own farm cellar. It's nuttier and less acidic than most Scottish cheddars, with a smooth, almost buttery paste.

Available at the farm shop (worth the visit if you're in Dumfries and Galloway), by mail order, and from specialist cheesemongers across Scotland.

Eat with: Chutney, sourdough, cold cider.

4. Crowdie

Maker: Various, traditionally Highland · Type: Soft, fresh · Price: £3–5 for a tub

The oldest Scottish cheese — a simple fresh curd cheese that's been made in the Highlands for centuries. Crowdie is light, tangy, slightly crumbly, and has no equivalent on a standard supermarket cheese counter. It's traditionally eaten on oatcakes with a pinch of salt, or rolled in oats (cranachan-style).

Highland Fine Cheeses makes a widely available version. Smaller creameries produce seasonal batches that are worth seeking out at farmers markets. It's the most affordable cheese on this list and one of the most Scottish.

Eat with: Oatcakes, smoked salmon, fresh herbs.

5. Strathdon Blue

Maker: Highland Fine Cheeses, Tain, Ross-shire · Type: Blue, cow's milk · Price: £25–32/kg

A Highland blue cheese that's creamier and milder than Lanark Blue, making it more accessible as a starting point for people who think they don't like blue cheese. Made with pasteurised cow's milk in Tain (the same town as Glenmorangie distillery — an excellent day trip combination). The texture is smooth and spreadable at room temperature.

Available at Waitrose (one of the few Scottish blues in a supermarket), specialist cheesemongers, and the Highland Fine Cheeses website.

Eat with: Pear, crackers, a glass of port or a Highland single malt.

6. Anster

Maker: St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company, Anstruther, Fife · Type: Hard, cow's milk · Price: £22–30/kg

Named after the local name for Anstruther (the same Fife fishing town as the famous fish bar). Anster is a crumbly, tangy, Cheshire-style cheese made from the milk of a single herd in the East Neuk. It has a lactic sharpness that's different from cheddar — less dense, more crumbly, with a clean finish.

The connection to Anstruther makes it a good pairing: buy the cheese from a Fife cheesemonger and the fish from the harbour. A Scottish surf-and-turf of sorts.

Eat with: Celery, apple, a dry white wine.

7. Caboc

Maker: Highland Fine Cheeses, Tain · Type: Soft, double cream, rolled in oats · Price: £3–4 for a log

Another ancient Scottish cheese — a double-cream cheese rolled in toasted pinhead oatmeal. The story goes that it was first made in the 15th century by Mariota de Ile, daughter of a MacDonald chieftain. The modern version is rich, buttery, and the oatmeal coating adds a nutty crunch.

Caboc is widely available in Scottish supermarkets (usually in the specialty cheese section). It's mild, approachable, and distinctly Scottish in a way that nothing else on a cheese counter matches.

Eat with: Bannocks, honey, a dram of something light (Auchentoshan, Glenkinchie).

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Where to buy Scottish cheese

I.J. Mellis (Edinburgh — Victoria Street, Stockbridge, Morningside; Glasgow — Great Western Road) — the best cheesemonger in Scotland. They mature many cheeses in their own cellars and the staff know everything. If you're buying one cheese from this list, go to Mellis.

George Mewes Cheese (Glasgow, Byres Road) — excellent West End cheesemonger with a strong Scottish selection.

Farm shops — Belhaven, Fenton Barns, Pillars of Hercules, and House of Bruar all stock good Scottish cheese. See our farm shop guide.

Farmers markets — Edinburgh Farmers' Market (Saturdays, Castle Terrace) regularly has artisan cheese stalls. Use our Market Finder.

Online — I.J. Mellis and Highland Fine Cheeses both offer mail order with next-day delivery.

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The running theme: Scotland makes cheese that competes with the best in Europe, sells it at lower prices than French equivalents, and barely anyone outside the country knows about it. Sound familiar? See also: the seafood export paradox.

Frequently asked questions

What's the most famous Scottish cheese?

Mull of Kintyre cheddar is the best-known internationally — it's exported widely and stocked in major UK supermarkets. Domestically, Isle of Mull cheddar (Tobermory), Lanark Blue, and Caboc are equally significant. None has the global recognition of Stilton or Cheddar (the variety), partly because Scotland's cheese industry is smaller and partly because no Scottish cheese has protected geographical status outside the UK.

Where can I buy artisan Scottish cheese in Scotland?

I.J. Mellis Cheesemonger (Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews) is the gold standard — they specialise in raw-milk and small-producer cheeses, including Scottish ones often unavailable elsewhere. George Mewes Cheese in Glasgow's West End is the equivalent. Most farm shops with deli sections stock at least three or four Scottish cheeses. Specialist shops always beat supermarkets on Scottish cheese range.

Does Scotland produce raw-milk cheese?

Yes — Lanark Blue, Dunlop, Errington Cheese (Lanarkshire), Connage Highland Dairy, and Cambus O'May all produce raw-milk cheeses. UK food safety regulation allows raw-milk cheese sales provided producers meet specific standards. Pregnant women, immunocompromised people, and very young children should generally avoid raw-milk cheeses.

What's the best Scottish cheese for a cheeseboard?

A standard four-cheese Scottish board: Isle of Mull cheddar (hard, sharp), Lanark Blue (soft blue), Caboc (soft, oat-coated cream cheese), and Crowdie (fresh, tangy curd). That gives you the four major cheese categories and showcases Scottish variety without overlap. Add oatcakes (Stockan's or Nairn's) and a Scottish chutney rather than crackers and grape.

Are Scottish cheeses available outside Scotland?

The major cheddars (Isle of Mull, Mull of Kintyre, Inverloch) are stocked by Waitrose and some Tesco branches across the UK. Specialist cheese shops (Neal's Yard Dairy in London, La Fromagerie) stock Scottish artisans. Outside the UK, availability is limited to specialty importers — Scotland exports far less cheese than its quality justifies.

Can I make Scottish cheese at home?

Soft Scottish styles like crowdie and Caboc-style cheese are achievable at home with whole milk, salt, and either lemon juice or starter culture — there are good recipes online from BBC Good Food and the Slow Food Scotland network. Aged cheddar, blue, and washed-rind cheeses need cellar conditions and time, plus rennet and culture sources, which makes them impractical for most home cooks.

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