Choosing The Best Gourmet Cheese Gift for Mother’s Day

Have a cheese-loving mom you want to celebrate this Mother’s Day? Buy her an assortment of delicious cheese to celebrate her day. But which ones? So many styles and flavors are available beyond the everyday cheeses we are used to eating, such as Cheddar, American, Mozzarella and Parmesan.

Types of Cheese To Give as Gifts

Knowing which cheeses to buy as a gift can be overwhelming if you're not a cheese connoisseur. Whether you purchase cheese for your mom at the grocery store, online specialty store or gourmet grocer, cheese is often divided into specific categories. Most European countries have their own classification for cheese, and some have become quite complicated. To simplify your Mother's Day cheese shopping, we're providing the list commonly referred to in the US.

The U.S. Dairy Council recognizes eight categories or types of cheese:

Blue Cheese
Gorgonzola, Roquefort and Stilton

Hard Cheese
Cheddar, Manchego and Parmesan

Pasta Filata Cheese
Mozzarella, String Cheese and Provolone

Processed Cheese
Kraft American Singles, Velveeta and Cheese Whiz

Semi-Hard Cheese
Gouda, Jarlsberg and Provolone

Semi-Soft Cheese
Paul Salut, Fontina and Reblochon

Soft & Fresh Cheese
Ricotta, Mozzarella and Cottage Cheese

Soft-Ripened Cheese
Chèvre, Brie and Mascarpone

Types of Milk in Cheese

While cheese-making styles vary worldwide, most cheese-making starts with four simple ingredients: milk, salt, a starter culture and rennet (an enzyme). The type of milk used affects the cheese's flavor and appearance. Four types of milk are used in cheese production: cow, goat, buffalo and sheep.

Cow's Milk Cheese
Most commonly used milk worldwide due to its availability. It has a high-fat content and is used to make thousands of cheeses, including iconic varieties like cheddar, Brie, and Parmesan.

Goat's Milk Cheese
Imparts a bright, tangy flavor and is used to make soft, white cheese like Chèvre (goat cheese).

Buffalo Milk Cheese
Contains twice as much fat as cow's milk producing a tender, creamy cheese like buffalo mozzarella and ricotta salata.

Sheep's Milk Cheese
Also called ewe's milk. Rich in calcium and contains the highest fat content of the four milk types. The sheep’s milk gives cheeses like Feta, Pecorino Romano and Manchego subtle, sweet, and gamey flavor.

Choosing the Right Cheese For Your Mom

Buy different types of cheese for your mom when shopping for her Mother’s Day gift. Choose contrasting styles to ensure you have several flavor profiles to entice her palate. Make your choices by milk type (cow, goat, sheep or buffalo), texture (soft, medium and firm), flavor profile (mild to intense) and age. You may also consider the place of origin when choosing your cheeses. Where they are from is just as important as age and ingredients.

Order an Artisanal Cheeseboard for Mom this Mother’s Day

If figuring out what type of cheese to buy as a surprise for mom seems overwhelming, let Boarderie help! Simplify your Mother’s Day shopping by ordering one of our gourmet cheeseboards. We’ve already hand-selected some of the world’s best small-batch cheese from family-run farms in countries like Spain, France and Italy.

The best part? Each Boarderie cheeseboard arrives at your mom’s ready-to-eat! The slicing and arranging on the keepsake board is done before shipping. We also offer complimentary overnight shipping in the US with the promise of your Mother’s Day cheeseboard gift arriving fresh.