How to Store Cheese

Good cheese is alive, so it needs to breathe without drying out. Here's how our cheesemongers keep every type at its best.

The golden rules

Wrap in cheese wax paper, never cling film.
Keep it in the vegetable drawer of your fridge.
Take it out an hour before serving. Cold cheese hides its flavour.

Storage by type of cheese

Find your cheese, follow one simple rule.

Hard & semi-hard

Wax paper + box

Wrap in wax paper, then pop it loosely in a box or bag. These keep for weeks.

Comté cheese from The Cheese YardParmigiano Reggiano cheese from The Cheese YardManchego cheese from The Cheese Yard

e.g. Comté, Parmigiano Reggiano, Manchego

Bloomy & soft

Wax paper or its box

Wax paper or its original box. Eat within a week of cutting.

Brie cheese from The Cheese YardCamembert cheese from The Cheese YardDélice des Crémiers cheese from The Cheese Yard

e.g. Brie, Camembert, Délice des Crémiers

Washed rind

Wax paper + sealed box

Wax paper, then a sealed container, unless you want everything in the fridge to taste of it.

Époisses cheese from The Cheese YardTaleggio cheese from The Cheese YardMunster cheese from The Cheese Yard

e.g. Époisses, Taleggio, Munster

Blue

Foil

Foil keeps the moisture in and the blue where it belongs. Store it away from other cheeses.

Stilton cheese from The Cheese YardGorgonzola Dolce cheese from The Cheese YardCashel Blue cheese from The Cheese Yard

e.g. Stilton, Gorgonzola Dolce, Cashel Blue

Goat's & ash rind

Loose wax paper

Loosely in wax paper so it can breathe. Never airtight.

Valençay cheese from The Cheese YardSainte-Maure de Touraine cheese from The Cheese Yard

e.g. Valençay, Sainte-Maure de Touraine

Fresh

Its own tub

Keep it in its own tub or liquid and eat it within a couple of days.

Burrata cheese from The Cheese YardFresh goat's cheese with flowers from The Cheese Yard

e.g. Burrata, Fresh goat's cheese

How to wrap cheese like a cheesemonger

Three folds, thirty seconds.

1

Centre it

Place the cheese cut side down in the middle of a sheet of wax paper.

2

Fold and crease

Bring the sides up over the cheese and crease the paper neatly against it.

3

Tuck and label

Fold the ends underneath and write the name and date on top.

Cheese wax paper sheets for wrapping and storing cheese

Cheese Wax Paper, 10 A4 sheets

Food-safe paper that lets cheese breathe while keeping the moisture in.

Shop wax paper

Cheese storage FAQs

The questions we get asked most at the counter.

Can I freeze cheese?

Hard cheeses can be frozen for cooking, though the texture becomes crumbly. We don't recommend freezing soft, blue or fresh cheeses, as they lose their texture and flavour.

Why not cling film?

Cling film traps moisture against the cheese and stops it breathing, so it sweats and can taste of plastic. Wax paper keeps it moist without suffocating it.

Is mould on my cheese safe?

The rinds and blue veins that come with your cheese are meant to be there. If unexpected mould appears on a hard cheese, cut away about 1cm around it. On soft or fresh cheese, throw it away.

Can I eat the rind?

Bloomy rinds like Brie and most washed rinds are edible and part of the flavour. Wax, cloth and very hard natural rinds are best cut off.