Cow breeds, how many are there?
As part of the Level 2 content, I am learning about breeds of animals. It has been interesting to learn which breed of cow, sheep, goat produces particular types of cheese.
Here is a list of the cow breeds I have been studying and their qualities:
Cows
Abondance
Origin - Haute-Savoie
Cheese - Alpine style cheeses
Characteristics - robust, resilient, hardy, good feet for the mountains, high protein to fat ratio
Ayrshire aka Dunlop cattle
Origin - Scotland
Cheese - Dunlop Cheddar, Hafod
Characteristics - known for their rich butterfat and protein content, small globules of fat in milk
Brown Swiss
Origin - Northern Switzerland
Cheese - Alpine style cheeses
Characteristics - hardy, good fertility, easy temperament, high prevalence of BB Kappa-Casein*
*BB kappa-casein is a significant genetic trait in dairy cattle that enhances cheese production e.g. high cheese yield and faster coagulation.
Dairy Shorthorn
Origin - North of England
Cheese - suitable for wide variety
Characteristics - good mobility + fertility, lower milk yield so good for lower input farming
Guernsey
Origin - The Channel Islands
Cheese - Waterloo, Riseley, Maida Vale (washed in IPA)
Characteristics - good temperament, ease of calving
Something interesting about this milk - Guernsey milk has been spoken about a lot in the media as being a milk that is easier to digest, however many scientists dispute this!
Holstein Friesians
Origin - The Netherlands + Germany
Cheese - Brie de Meaux, Cheddar …
Characteristics - aka “the backbone of the dairy industry”, prominent backbone + well-developed udders, high milk yields
Jersey
Origin - The Channel Islands
Cheese - Ogleshield (using milk from Jamie Montgomery’s Jersey cows which used to be used solely for drinking) Solstice (Whitelake dairy, washed in Somerset cider brandy)
Characteristics - hardy, small, compact, good temperament
Montbéliarde
Origin - Doubs department, Eastern France, Franche-Comté region
Cheese - Comté, Baron Bigod, Vacherin Mont d’Or, Reblochon (marked by an elasticity of paste at end of cheesemaking rather than lactic style)
Characteristics - suited to beef production, temperamental, high protein
Montbéliarde cows roaming freely at Fen Farm, Suffolk - April 2024
Normande
Origin - Normandy
Cheese - Camembert, Livarot
Characteristics - ease of calving, good temperament, good fertility + milk solids, 3rd largest breed in France
Red Poll
Origin - Norfolk and Suffolk
Cheese - suitable for lots of different cheeses
Characteristics - hornless (polled) suitable for dairy + meat production, low input farming as additional feed is not required
Salers
Origin - Auvergne
Cheese - Cantal, Salers, Fourme d’Ambert, Bleu d’Auvergne
Characteristics - hardy, good feet for mountains, for beef + dairy production
Swedish Red
Origin - Sweden
Cheese - suitable to lots of cheese such as Bondost (farmer’s cheese), Svecia (semi-hard cheese)
Characteristics - good for milk solids, good yield, good protein to fat ratio
Tarentaise
Origin - Haut-Savoie
Cheese - Beaufort, Roblochon, Tommes (Tomme de Savoie, Tomme de Bauges, Tomme de Chartreuse)
Characteristics - compact, robust, suitable to Alpine conditions
Something quite sad is happening in the cheese world at the moment. Since August 2025, an outbreak of lumpy skin disease (LSD) in France and Italy has meant the UK can no longer import raw-milk cheeses - so favourites like Brie de Meaux are not available to us for now. The disease isn’t harmful to humans, but it’s been devastating for farmers and cheesemakers, many of whom have had to cull livestock, and although government support exists, there’s still a lot of uncertainty. In France, domestic sales aren’t banned, so while supply may be tighter in affected areas, you can still often find authentic raw-milk Brie de Meaux from unaffected herds, it just can’t be imported into the UK if produced after 23 May 2025. So now is your chance to book a cheese adventure to France!
Poster of cow breeds I took on a trip to Ferme de Pralong in Hautes Alpes - August 2022
At Ferme de Pralong with the "Brunes des Alpes" cows
"Brunes des Alpes" cows ready to be milked!
