Our complete guide to the best Italian cheese

Celebrate the joys of Mediterranean ingredients with our guide to the best Italian cheese. From sweet and nutty parmesan to rich and creamy mascarpone, learn more about Italian cheese and get inspired with our easy recipes.

Food Editor

Emily Lambe

Take a trip from the rolling hills of Northern Italy to the sunny Southern coastline with our guide to the best Italian cheese. We work with only the best producers who craft delicious, top-quality cheeses for our Foodhall. Discover our favourite Italian cheese and how to use it in everything from pasta bakes to decadent desserts.

Browse the cheese aisle

Top types of Italian cheese

No pasta dish or charcuterie board is complete without an Italian cheese. From hard cheeses like parmesan and pecorino Romano to soft cheese to stir through sauces, there’s one just about every occasion. See our top picks and find new ways to use them.

Parmesan

With a buttery, nutty flavour profile, parmesan is a hard cheese made from cow’s milk. Crafted exclusively for M&S by the Canossa dairy in Northern Italy, our Parmigiano Reggiano is matured for at least 24 months for a rich, umami flavour and aroma.

See our Parmesan

Stracciatella

Creamy and luxurious, stracciatella is a fresh Italian cheese made with mozzarella ribbons soaked in cream. It’s the soft, oozy centre of burrata, excellent on pizza, mixed in with pasta or on top of crostini. Pick up a pot of our brand-new Stracciatella in store to enjoy in a summer feast.

Mozzarella

This classic Italian staple is a semi-soft, non-aged cheese, typically made with either cow’s milk or buffalo milk. Our Italian Fior di Latte Mozzarella is made in a small dairy near Treviso, Italy, with local Italian cow's milk. Snack of our Marinated Italian Pesto Mozzarella, tossed in a fragrant basil and Pecorino pesto dressing.

More mozzarella

Burrata

Burrata is a fresh cheese with a solid mozzarella shell and a soft centre of shredded mozzarella and cream. Our Italian Burrata, specially selected for M&S by Italy's Deliziosa Creamery, pairs beautifully with extra virgin olive oil or aged balsamic vinegar, like in our crispy gnocchi. Or try our irresistible Mini Italian Burrata Bocconcini on a pizza or in a salad.

Ricotta

Mild and creamy ricotta is a soft cheese made from the whey that’s left over after making other cheeses. Our Ricotta is made in Italy with whey from the Lattebusche dairy in the Dolomites, for that authentic light sweetness and grainy texture. Enjoy a baked ricotta with sourdough bread or stir through pasta.

Mascarpone

Mascarpone is a soft, spreadable Italian cheese made from cow’s milk, with a slightly sweet flavour and high fat content. Our Mascarpone is made in the heart of Italy's Dolomite mountains – the unique alpine climate contributes to the rich flavour and silky texture of this authentic Italian cheese. Use a pot in a cheesecake or a batch of cannoli.

Taleggio

A semi-soft Italian cheese, taleggio is ripened from the outside to create a velvety layer beneath the rind. It has a gentle aromatic flavour with a fruity tang and hints of wine. Expertly sourced for M&S, our Arrigoni Taleggio cheese is produced by the Battista Arrigoni family in Lombardy. Use a block in a comforting risotto with best-in-season tomatoes.

Pecorino romano

This hard, salty Italian cheese is made from sheep’s milk, with a sharp and distinctive flavour profile. Our Pecorino Romano is crafted in Sardinia, Italy, using traditional methods and matured for a minimum of five months. Finely grate and sprinkle over this fresh pasta salad with confit tomatoes.

Gorgonzola

Made from unskimmed cow’s milk, gorgonzola is a type of crumbly Italian blue cheese. It has an intense, sharp flavour with a spicy bite and a strong aroma. Our Gorgonzola DOP Piccante is produced by the Battista Arrigoni Family in Lombardy, with a consistent body of blue throughout. Try crumbling it into a salad with honey-roast apple, pear, and chicory.

What to pair with Italian cheese

The best way to think about what to have with your Italian cheese is to think geographically – what grows together, goes together. Pair your cheese with an Italian wine originating from the same region. Not sure where to start? Check out our easy Wine Finder to do the work for you.

A selection of charcuterie is always a good idea, too. For an easy sampling section, check out our brand-new Collection Handcrafted Charcuterie and Cheese Platter with Giant Sicilian Nocellara olives, a variety of salami, slow-roasted cherry tomatoes, and more. Take a look at the deli aisle for endless antipasti combinations.

Best Italian wines

Ways to use Italian cheese

From salads to pastas and desserts, Italian cheese can find a home in just about any dish. Our colourful tomato and stracciatella salad mixes Isle of Wight Summer Selection Tomatoes with plump Giant Butter Beans in an addictively sweet and salty dressing. Or use a pot of fresh burrata to make these broad bean tartines with thin slices of Serrano ham and lashings of Hot Calabrian Chilli Paste. The sky’s the limit when it comes to using our expertly crafted Italian cheese.

More cheese recipes