Double Gloucester cheese is a cheese created using a mixture of morning and evening milk, hence the name, Double Gloucester. It is a traditional, unpasteurized, semi-hard cheese which has been made in Gloucestershire since the sixteenth century.
Gloucester cheeses were at one time made only with the milk from Gloucester cows, which are now almost extinct. There are two types of Gloucester cheese: Single and Double. The main difference is that Single Gloucester is made with skimmed milk combined with a small amount of whole milk. Double Gloucester is made from only whole milk.
Both types have a natural rind and a hard texture, but Single Gloucester is more crumbly, lighter in texture and lower in fat. Double Gloucester is allowed to age for longer periods than Single, and it has a stronger and more savory flavor. It is also slightly firmer. Both types are produced in round shapes, but Double Gloucester rounds are larger. Double Gloucester can be enjoyed as a snack, for grating or grilling.
Double Gloucester cheese is also used for cheese rolling on Cooper's Hill in Gloucestershire, every spring, a dangerous sport.
Thomas Pynchon's novel Mason & Dixon features an octuple Gloucester that's ten feet tall and almost four tons in weight.