Hailing from the county of Cheshire, this rich, cow's-milk cheese comes in three varieties — white, red and blue — and has a reputation as one of England's most famous cheeses. The white (actually pale yellow) and red (apricot-colored) Cheshires are very similar, differing mainly in the fact that the red variety has been dyed with annatto. They're young cheeses, having an average age of 8 weeks, with a semifirm texture and a mild, tangy, cheddarlike flavor. Farmhouse Cheshire, rarely exported, is usually aged about 9 months and has a richer, fuller flavour for the effort. Blue Cheshire, boasting a beautiful golden interior veined with blue, is just as rich as stilton but milder in flavor. Cheshire cheese has long been a favourite for welsh rabbit. See also cheese; blue cheese.