From halloumi to provoleta to comté, sales of overseas cheeses are up as UK tastes turn to the exotic

“Historically, British cheese has been boring,” said Jonny Crickmore, Suffolk dairy farmer and creator of the award-winning Baron Bigod brie. “If you look back 40 years, it was just cheddar and red leicester, but the British are into stronger, stinkier, softer cheeses now.”

Sales figures show Crickmore is right: British customers are more cheese curious than ever before. Grocery retailer Ocado.com reports feta sales are up 23.2% on last year while halloumi is up 17.4% and burrata 17%. Traditional cheddar sales have only risen 4%.