The vintage Italian cheese you need for Christmas

No Christmas feast is complete without cheese – and one that deserves a spot on your shopping list this year is Grana Padano. The world’s best-selling PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) cheese, Grana Padano is recognised and protected by the Italian State and European Union, so you can be confident of its quality, authenticity and traceability. For the ultimate Christmas Day canapé, use it in gattò – southern Italian savoury cakes – with the tempting recipe below.   

Grana Padano comes in three different vintages. One is aged between 9 and 16 months, another more than 16 months and Grana Padano Riserva more than 20 months. The latter also undergoes further quality testing and is emblazoned with the famed Riserva fire-branding.

These different lengths of maturation give a variation of notes and flavours, allowing the delectable cheese to complement a wide variety of recipes and wines. The younger Grana Padano is mild and creamy, but the older the cheese gets, the more developed and richer a taste it has. When serving Grana Padano on a cheeseboard, it goes wonderfully with mostarde (Italian fruit chutneys), honey, grapes and nuts, like pickled walnuts.  

Surprisingly, Grana Padano’s production and ageing processes make it lactose-free, and just 30g of the cheese offers the same nutrition as a pint of milk. Naturally high in protein, it also contains iron, vitamins A, B2 and B12 and minerals such as zinc and calcium (50g of Grana Padano contains 60% of the calcium RDA for an adult).

Try Grana Padano for yourself this Christmas and impress your guests with Italian chef Francesco Mazzei’s quick and easy smoked salmon gattò recipe.