Swiss Cheese

Switzerland’s high mountains and craggy cliff faces create a temperate climate which lends itself to cheesemaking. Pure, mineral-rich mountain water feeds the soils, and cheeses like Emmental Suisse are produced high up in the hills during the summer months. The privatisation of much communal grazing land has driven away many cheesemakers to other countries, but there are family co-operatives in which the right to use an Alp has been handed down over many generations. All the Alps are 'geyser', meaning that only a certain number of animals are allowed to graze in order to protect the land.