🧀 Red Leicester
Also known as: Leicester cheese, Leicestershire cheese
Red Leicester is an English hard cheese made from cow's milk, coloured orange with annatto, firm and slightly crumbly.
Red Leicester is an English hard cheese made from cow's milk, coloured orange with annatto, firm and slightly crumbly. It comes from Leicestershire in the English Midlands and is one of the traditional British territorial cheeses, like cheddar.
The method is close to other British pressed cheeses. Cow's milk is ripened with a starter culture and set with rennet; the curd is milled, salted, moulded and pressed. Annatto, a natural colouring from the seeds of the achiote plant, is added to the milk and gives the deep red-orange colour. Wheels are often cloth-bound; ripening usually lasts several months, and older cheeses have a fuller flavour.
The taste is mellow, slightly sweet and nutty; the texture is dense, a little flaky and crumbly, yet moist. Compared with cheddar, Red Leicester is less sharp.
It melts well, so it goes into cheese on toast, bakes and sauces. On a cheese board it pairs with apples, pears, chutney and bread, with pale ale or cider, and with red wines (see Wine and cheese). It belongs to Hard cheeses.
Red Leicester or Cheddar? Both are traditional British territorial cheeses made from cow’s milk, pressed and aged for several months, so they are often compared. Red Leicester comes from Leicestershire and is coloured orange with annatto; the colour is only a natural dye and does not change the taste. In the mouth it is mellow, slightly sweet and nutty, with a dense, flaky, crumbly yet moist texture. Cheddar is sharper, whereas Red Leicester is less sharp, which is why many people choose it for cheese on toast and sauces.
Look for the name “Red Leicester” and its deep red-orange colour; annatto in the ingredients explains it. Judge it by the label’s wording, the colour and the ageing rather than by a logo. Wheels are often cloth-bound, and aged ones are fuller and nuttier. You will find it as a wedge or a block at a supermarket cheese counter, in a delicatessen or at a specialist cheese shop.
Why it matters to you: Red Leicester is easy to spot by its colour, but the colour does not change the taste — it is only a natural dye. Choose aged wheels for a deeper, nuttier flavour.
Facts
| Raw material | Cow's milk, annatto colouring |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom (England) |
| Region | Leicestershire |
| Duration | Usually ripened for several months |
| Taste | Mellow, slightly sweet, nutty |
How it connects to Cheese
🧀 Red Leicester → similar → 🧀 Cheddar → kind of → 🧀 Cheese
Links
- Made from which milk
- 🥛 Cow's milk
- Part of
- 🪨 Hard cheeses, 🇬🇧 British cheeses
- Similar and different
- 🧀 Cheddar
Frequently asked questions
Why is Red Leicester orange?
Annatto, a natural colouring from achiote seeds, is added to the milk. It has almost no effect on taste.
Is it true that Red Leicester’s bright colour means artificial additives?
No. The colour comes from annatto, a plant-based colouring traditionally used for this cheese.
How is Red Leicester different from Cheddar?
Both are British hard cow’s milk cheeses, but Red Leicester is milder and sweeter with a flakier texture, while cheddar is sharper.
Does Red Leicester melt well?
Yes. It goes into cheese on toast, bakes and sauces.
What does Red Leicester go with on a cheese board?
With apples, pears, chutney and bread. Older, aged wheels have a deeper, nuttier flavour.
Similar
🧀 Cheshire · 🧀 Double Gloucester · 🧀 Sbrinz · 🧀 Shanklish · 🧀 Appenzeller · 🧀 Mimolette
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.