Orange is the new black! Specially when it comes to Halloween season. Read on to learn about the history of Halloween. And discover our 15 best orange cheeses for a spooky Halloween platter.
SEE ALSO: My step-by-step guide to crafting the perfect Halloween cheese plate →
The history of Halloween
Before we dig into our best Halloween Cheeses, let’s do a quick history lesson. Halloween is an annual holiday celebrated on October 31. The tradition originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts.
Later on, an eighth century Pope, Gregory III, designated November 1 as a time to honour all saints. Eventually, the traditions of All Saints Day became intertwined with some of the traditions of Samhain. Moreover, the evening before was known as All Hallows Eve, and later Halloween.
Over time, Halloween has evolved to include fun activities like carving Jack O’Lanterns, going trick-or-treating and costume parties. The use of the colour orange is a connection to the warmer aspects of fall.
Now, let’s embark on our countdown of our top Halloween Cheeses.
15. Langres
Orange brains seem like a good place to start! Langres is a traditional French soft washed rind cheese that originates from the Champagne region. It is instantly recognisable thanks to its bright orange colour and brain-like wrinkles. Can you think of a better combination for Halloween?
14. Shropshire Blue
This bright orange blue cheese from Nottinghamshire, United Kingdom, is a cross between Stilton and Cheshire. Moreover, it is slightly younger than the traditional Stilton and owes its bright orange pâte to the addition of a natural dye called annatto.
This younger blue is actually milder than Stilton but, somehow, the blue veins look more monstrous against that orange canvas!
13. Red Hawk
There’s something very Halloweeny about a vicious bird with sharp talons! Red Hawk is a small-batch organic soft washed rind made by Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station. Its triple cream insides are coated in a bright orange rind.
This cheese develops a sunset-hued coat because it is washed with a simple brine solution every day during maturation. Overall, Red Hawk will add a nice autumnal feel to any cheese board.
12. Devonshire Red
Looks like an orange mummy right? Handcrafted using milk from grass-fed cows, Quicke’s Devonshire Red is clothbound and matured for 6 months. The end result is a vibrant, full flavoured cheese with fresh nutty flavour and a lemony creaminess. And how cool is that cloth wrap!
11. Maroilles
Maroilles is a soft cow’s milk washed rind cheese that originates from the Hauts-de-France region. It gets its name from the village of Maroilles which is home to a small abbey where it was first made and matured.
As Maroilles ages, its texture gets softer and its aroma more potent. At four months, the cheese displays earthy notes of walnuts and mushrooms with a strong, pungent aroma.
10. Red Rock
Red Rock is an American original made by Roelli Cheese in Wisconsin, USA. This Cheddar & Blue crossover cheese hits all the right notes for Halloween. From the natural rind that looks like bandages on a mummy to rune-like lines of blue.
9. L’Amuse Signature Gouda
Orange and crunchy! Betty Koster matures wheels of her Signature Gouda at their cheese maturation facility, Fromagerie L’Amuse in IJmuiden.
Whilst its orange colour again comes from annatto, the hard crystalline texture develops over 24 months of attentive maturation. Its hard texture might even invite some carving…
8. Sparkenhoe Red Leicester
For me, Sparkenhoe invokes visions of resurrection. This unique hard cheese made by David and Jo Clarke, is England’s only unpasteurised Red Leicester cheese.
Moreover, it is the first cheese to be produced on Sparkenhoe Farm since 1875. In many ways, it represents an art form that has returned from the dead. Coupled with orange-red insides, its spooky name makes this our Number 8 pick for your Halloween cheese platter.
7. Epoisses de Bourgogne
French cheeses don’t come much more orange and stinky than Epoisses de Bourgogne. Actually, this traditional soft cheese is washed in Marc de Bourgogne during maturation. This imparts a sticky orange rind to the cheese.
Did you know that Epoisses de Bourgogne has actually be banned on the Métro in Paris? Surely, if you want to scare your guests, you need this cheese on your Halloween platter.
6. Pavé du Nord
What an unusual shape for cheese! Pavé du Nord is a French hard cheese that is shaped like a brick. Its name translates to “Cobblestone from the North” and is a reference to the historic roads of Northern France near the Belgian border.
Isn’t also fitting that this cheese brings back memories of “L’Enfer du Nord” (the Hell of the North) which is a one-day classic cycling race also known as Paris-Roubaix. Ok, let’s have a look at our Top 5 Best Halloween Cheeses now!
5. Harvest Moon
This raw milk cheese from New York is hitting all the right keywords here. Harvest. Moon. Need I say any more Indeed, 5 Spoke Creamery got their inspiration from a certain French cheese that might still be to come on this list. But the end product is no less admirable and is a celebration of fall colours.
And it would certainly be worthy of a spot on your Halloween cheese platter. Maybe next to a huge black spider crawling on cobwebs.
4. Petit Rouge
Let’s take a quick detour by Australia. The artisanal cheese scene is still in its infancy Down Under but cheesemakers like Matthieu Megard are heralding a new dawn. Loosely inspired by Epoisses de Bourgogne, this little stinker is equal parts creepy and charming.
Be sure to serve it with something dark whether it be black olives or quince paste.
3. Scream Cheese
All dressed up and ready for trick or treating! Jasper Hill Farm’s Scream Cheese is a seasonal soft cheese that is specially released for Halloween every year.
It is an adaptation of their Weybridge with the addition of annatto to impart an orange, pumpkin-like colour to the insides.
There’s just something about bright orange insides wrapped in charcoal and white that is utterly ghostly right?
2. Petit Munster
OK, how do you beat a little orange cheese that’s actually called Petit Munster? While it does not actually translate to Little Monster, its name and appearance make it such a spectacular choice for your Halloween cheese platter.
Overall, there is a real pagan feel to this little stinker. From the rugged and sticky orange rind to its robust aroma, Petit Munster just looks like the cheese you would eat while chanting around a bonfire.
1. Mimolette
Was there ever any doubt as to what our Number 1 Best Halloween Cheese would be? Meet Mimolette. This pressed cheese from Lille in Northern France is inspired by the Dutch recipe for Edam. It’s our good friend annatto again that’s responsible for its bright orange interior. And, because of its ultra-hard texture, this round cheese can be carved just like a raw pumpkin.
I would even go as far as to say that it makes a better Jack O’Lantern than pumpkin. Because you can eat every single bit of it without any wastage.
What’s your favourite orange cheese?
Thank you for reading our post on the best orange cheeses for Halloween. As you can see, there are so many amazing cheeses you can choose from. What cheese will you be enjoying this Halloween? Let me know in the comments.
Jonah is a a hipster, eco-warrior and slow food afficionado. Coming from a scientific background, Jonah has a particular interest in cheese science. And yes, he loves a good cheese pun!
