Vegetarian-friendly cheeses

If you or a family member are vegetarian, you’ll have noticed that many popular cheeses are not labelled ‘suitable for vegetarians’. – this is usually because they contain animal rennet, a substance used as a coagulant during the cheese-making process. That said, manufacturers are not legally required to label products as vegetarian, so any labelling is done on a purely voluntary basis, which can lead to inconsistency and confusion.

Happily, as vegetarians will know, several delicious cheeses are widely available that are not made with animal (or any) rennet, including ricotta, paneer, cottage cheese and cream cheese. Even better, many of the UK’s artisan dairies produce wonderful cheeses that happen to be vegetarian-friendly, including several of our lovely suppliers here in the South West. For example, we stock delicious Devon Blue and Harbourne Blue Goats Cheese from Ticklemore Dairy, based in Totnes, Devon; wonderful nettle-wrapped Cornish Yarg, from Ponsanooth in mid-Cornwall; and a tasty Vintage Cheddar from Hawkridge, also here in Devon.

We also sell firm favourites, such as Applewood Smoked Cheddar, and Snowdonia’s Black Bomber all of which are vegetarian-friendly, and all of which are delicious!

Shop Devon Blue Cheese

Shop Ticklemore Dairy

Shop Cornish Yarg

Shop Applewood Smoked Cheddar

Shop Harbourne Blue Goats Cheese 

Shop Hawkridge Vintage Cheddar