Cheese, once described as ‘milk’s leap to immortality’, has a history stretching back thousands of years to the first livestock farmers who discovered, probably by accident, that surplus milk – left to curdle, then drained and salted – was good to eat. From these simple beginnings, cheese-making has evolved into a sophisticated process with endless variations – but the basic principles remain the same and begin with milk.

Cheese is an important food item in its own right- Frances Bissell

Although goats’ and ewes’ milk cheeses are common in many regions, and increasingly, the milk of water buffaloes is used for cheese-making elsewhere as well as Italy, most of the world’s cheeses are made from cows’ milk.

It may be whole, skimmed, semi-skimmed or cream-enriched and this determines the fat content of the cheese and helps shape its character. Whether the milk comes from a morning or evening milking (many cheeses are a mixture) is also significant.

So is the grazing: hay, young spring grass or – best of all – rich summer grass, all influence the flavour and texture of the cheese. This means, of course, that it is possible to buy cheese in season. For example, summer is the season for white-rind soft-paste cheeses – Reblochon, Camembert, Livarot, Brie de Meaux or de Melun, Pont l’eveque, Saint-Nectaire.

This is when the cows have feasted on fresh, green, flower and herb strewn pastures, imparting a luscious gout du terroir with their rich, aromatic milk. Also Touraine goats’ cheeses and soft sheep’s milk cheese from Corsica are at their best.

Choosing and storing cheese

Most cheese today is sold pre-packed but, if you can resist the temptation to buy too much, it is preferable to buy pieces cut from a whole cheese; once cheese is cut it deteriorates, so limit yourself to just enough for two or three days. Careful buying also minimises the problem of storage, for although refrigeration is the only practicable option, it does not enhance flavour or texture.

With the soft cheeses such as Brie and Camembert it is a good idea to smell them. A hint of ammonia means that the cheese is overripe and not worth eating. The interior of these cheeses should be plump but not runny. Harder cheeses such as Cheddar should be firm and fresh-looking, not dried out or cracked.

To keep them at their best, wrap cheeses individually in food wrap, wax paper or foil, and if possible store them in a box in the vegetable drawer of the fridge. Take them out of the fridge 30 minutes (for soft cheeses such as Brie) to an hour (for hard cheeses such as Cheddar) before use. If re-wrapping them after use for further storage, use fresh wrapping.

Early in my culinary life, I learned some sharp lessons about cooking with cheese. Never reheat cheese unless it has been blended with other ingredients as in a sauce, and even then, reheat very gently. Reheated cheese simply solidifies into a block of rubbery protein sitting in a pool of yellow oil, as I discovered when I once tried to pre-cook raclette.

Apart from dishes that are quickly browned, such as Welsh rarebit or cauliflower cheese, never cook cheese with a high heat. Two things may happen if you do: it may ‘oil’ – that is, separate into solid protein and liquid fat; or it may burn, giving off bitter, acrid, toxic fumes.

Fortunately, I was not put off cooking with cheese. It is an important food item in its own right, and a marvellous one when served with crusty bread for lunch or to round off an excellent dinner with port, which is the English style, or before the sweet course with the last of the red wine, which is the French style.

Grapes, celery and walnuts are traditional accompaniments, but in recent years it has become fashionable to match cheese to a chutney or preserve, such as Manchego with membrillo (quince paste), Pyrenees mountain cheese such as Ossau Iraty with cherry jam, a port jelly with Stilton, plum chutney with washed rind cheeses such asMuenster; apple chutney with Camembert and English white-rind cheeses.

Cheese is also an enormously versatile ingredient that figures in dishes to be served at any course in the meal. Some cheeses are particularly suited to certain dishes because of the same national origins, such as Parmesan with risotto, Gruyère for fondue, and Lancashire for cheese on toast.

Cheese has a great affinity with vegetables, particularly the leafy green vegetables such as spinach, or the strongly flavoured ones such as onions, leeks and artichokes. Cheese also adds interest to root vegetables – think of a gratin of potatoes or celeriac, or indeed a mixture of root vegetables.

In some cooked dishes, cheese plays the main part rather than a supporting role: Gougère (a crisp cheese-flavoured puffed-up ring of baked choux pastry); Aligot (a mixture of cheese, potatoes and garlic beaten to a cream made with Laguiole, an AOC cheese since 1961, a cousin of Cantal and Salers, and named for the capital of the Aubrac); and the Italian and Swiss versions of melted cheese – fonduta and raclette.

Many soups require cheese – German beer soups, French fish soups and onion soups, and Italian zuppa pavese (with bread, eggs and Parmesan). The first and last course of a meal, hors d’oeuvres and savouries also rely heavily on cheese.

Some of my favourite recipes at the moment are apple, onion, and blue cheese flat bread (a pizza, in other words), calzone with shreds of Parma ham, diced mozzarella and artichoke hearts and a crisp golden potato and Parmesan tart. Today’s recipes are simple, inexpensive and versatile, using readily available ingredients.

Although cheese is, indeed, versatile and lends itself to experiments in cooking, it is importantto choose carefully – it does not do to assume that because it is tobe cooked, quality does notmatter. Badly stored, overripe or immature cheese will not produce an appetising dish.