‘Tis the season for NI cheese makers to make everyone merry!
Cheese is now a popular part of Christmas across Northern Ireland, especially for shaping tasty and different cheeseboards, which typically feature a variety of hard, soft, and blue cheeses.
Classic Christmas cheeses include Cheddar and Stilton, with other popular options being Brie, Camembert, and goat cheese.
These are usually served with a selection of accompaniments like fruit, crackers, and chutneys.
Northern Ireland has a group of successful cheese producers, the most successful being Ballylisk, Portadown; Dale Farm, Cookstown; Dart Mountain, Claudy; Indie Blue, Belfast and Comber; Kearney Blue, Castlereagh; and Mike’s Fancy Cheese, Newtownards. Velo Cheese in Castlereagh produces several classic Italian cheeses.
They produce a wide range of cheese from locally sourced cow’s and goat’s milk. They are all gearing up for what is traditionally the biggest season of the year.
In addition to the producers, Northern Ireland has a group of specialist cheese delis including Sawers and Arcadia in Belfast and Indie Fude, Comber and Belfast.
A mature cheddar, of course, is a classic choice for Christmas. Other options include Alpine-style cheeses like Comté. Among the biggest and most successful producers of cheddar in Ireland is Dale Farm which makes a range of award-winning cheddars under the Dromora brand.
Another specialist in cheddar is Julie Hickey, an American cheesemaker at Dart Mountain in Claudy. Julie and husband Kevin run the business that has an impressive portfolio of hard cheeses including Banagher Bold, a cow’s milk hard cheese that washed with craft beer from Northbound Brewery in Londerry. They also produce Northern Ireland’s only goat’s milk cheese, Meeny Hill. Dart Mountain Dusk is the only natural ashed cheese. The small dairy also produces a Emmental-styled cheese.
Julie, originally from Boston, says the dairy is well-stocked for Christmas and is experienced a “hectic” run into the festive season.
“It’s the time of year we all look forward to because of the heightened demand for our cheeses.
Young Buck Cheese from Mike Thomson is probably Northern Ireland’s best known and most popular blue cheese. It’s also Northern Ireland’s only raw milk cheese.
Michael went from being a cheese enthusiast at Arcadia Deli in Belfast to a cheese making student with one of Britain’s most successful producers of a distinctive blue cheese. Upon graduating, he gained experience from some of the UK’s leading artisan cheesemakers.
He is now operating out of Newtownards, buying milk from a single herd and is supplying Northern Ireland with its first and only raw milk cheese for greater flavour.
He also owns Northern Ireland’s only specialist cheese shop, in Belfast.
“I’ve found that interest in cheese has grown significantly here and there is now a greater willingness to try different cheeses from across the globe.
The only local cheese sold by Marks and Spencer here, Ballylisk Triple Rose is a hugely successful soft blue cheese produced by Mark Wright and is another multi-award-winner. Formed in 2017 by Mark and Dean, his late brother, the cheese used high quality milk from the family farm at Tandraged
“Ballylisk Triple Rose is our first and flagship cheese - a Triple Cream Cheese made from single-herd fresh milk and enriched with extra cream,” explains Mark.
“It’s decadent richness is balanced by salty, lemony notes and is a must-have on every cheese board. A perfect introduction to the world of artisanal, handcrafted cheese."
Made in Co. Armagh, Ballylisk is white mould-ripened, and made from pasteurised cow’s milk.
Developed by Johnny McDowell at Indie Fude deli, Blue Bull is blended from Castlereagh’s Kearney Blue Cheese and craft beer from Bullhouse in Belfast. Blue Bull cheese was successful at the prestigious World Cheese Awards (WCA) in Bern, Switzerland.
Blue Bull is the result of over five year’s research and experimentation by Jonny, who has a passion for cheese from Ireland and further afield.
The cheese scooped a coveted bronze medal at the World Cheese Awards 2025 in early November from among 5,000 entries from across the globe.
Blue Bull was the only Northern Ireland entrant and subsequent winner in the global competition, the most important and influential this year.
Jonny, who is passionate about cheese, especially Irish varieties, was a judge in the global competition. He has a longstanding relationship with William Mayne, the owner of Bullhouse Brewery in Belfast and his Bullhouse East pub at Holywood Arches on the Newtownards Road.
Jonny holds beer and cheese evenings in the popular pub to increase awareness of local cheese.
Kearney Blue is a creamy and sharp blue created originally by cheesemaker Paul McClean, since retired, at Farmview Dairies, the milk supplier, in the Castlereagh Hills outside of Belfast.