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Manchego is the best-known Spanish sheep's milk cheese from the La Mancha region, available in the semicurado (2-4 months), curado (8-12 months) and añejo (18-24 months) grades of ageing - some versions also with black truffle. Idiazábal comes from the Basque Country and Navarre and is characterised by its firm consistency, available unsmoked or traditionally smoked. Torta del Casar is a creamy cheese curdled with vegetable rennet, served with a spoon.

As the ageing time increases, so do the intensity of the flavour and the price - semicurado is suitable as an all-purpose table cheese, while añejo is better for tasting.

Manchego by grade of ageing

The versions with black truffle (both curado and semicurado) add a pronounced earthy aroma and truffle flavour to the basic flavour of the cheese.

Idiazábal - smoked or unsmoked?

Idiazábal is a traditional Basque and Navarrese cheese made from the milk of Latxa and Carranzana sheep. The unsmoked version has a clean, nutty flavour, while the traditional smoked variant (ahumado) also takes on a gently smoky note, typically from smoking over beech or hawthorn wood.

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