And it's not just the old traditional favourites such as Stilton and Cheddar we love, but a new breed of British cheeses which match anything produced on the Continent.
So we thought it was time to celebrate all those smaller, independent British cheeses that are less well-known but have flavours to rival the best European offerings.
You don't necessarily need to buy Vacherin Mont d'Or or Brie de Meaux these days to get a great cheese.
Try instead Stinking Bishop, made at Laurel Farm in Dymock, Gloucestershire. A ridiculously runny cows' milk cheese, its rind is washed with perry and it really smells but, surprisingly, has a much milder flavour than its pong suggests.
Goats' cheese fans wanting a different option from the classic chvre blanc should try Devon-made Ticklemore. A gentle, subtle cheese with complex flavours, it's quite crumbly but soft under the rind.
St John restaurant in the City of London champions British food and features only English and Welsh cheeses on its cheeseboard. Restaurant manager Monique O'Brien has seen a huge change in our attitude towards home-grown cheeses over the past few years. British cheeses have improved tremendously, and customers now recognise different producers and makers. And she truly believes that British producers offer greater variety and more distinctive tastes. "Each producer, even of widely made cheeses like Stilton, creates subtle differences," she says.
For an interesting twist on a traditional cheeseboard, one combo that's hard to beat is Shropshire Blue from Colston Bassett Dairy in Nottinghamshire, a tranche of Mrs Kirkham's Lancashire, and sheep's milk Wigmore from Berkshire.
To learn more about British cheeses, or to enter the Best British Cheeseboard competition, go to the Great British Cheese Festival on
22-23 October in Cheltenham. To enter the competition, contact 01608 659325.