Hannah’s Choice is a sharp cheddar, a firm, aged cheese that tends to crumble when you cut it.

• Milk: cow’s
• Style: sharp cheddar, firm

Why aged cheddar crumbles

As cheddar ages, it loses moisture and gets drier, so it breaks instead of slicing neatly. Crystals can form too: those crunchy white specks are harmless (see What are the crunchy white crystals in aged cheese?). A moist, creamy cheese like pepper jack slices cleanly, while a drier aged cheddar crumbles. Moisture matters more than fat.

How to cut it

Use a sturdy knife or a cheese plane, cut it into slabs, and break it into chunks if it wants to break. Crumbles are fine on a board. For more on matching the knife to the cheese, see How do you cut different cheeses, and what knife do you need?

Wrapping up

Don’t let the crumbling put you off. A sharp cheddar that breaks into pieces is usually just well aged.