Summer time and the cheeses are easy - to offer, to eat. With a salad or a dish of ripe tomatoes (from a farmer, please, not one of those red golf balls from the supermarket). But for those who are conscious of their waistlines, which cheese to chose? Most cheeses are good for protein and calcium. But some are higher in calories than others. The list below goes from low to high per 3 1/2 ounces/100 gram portion.

The cheeses chosen represent the most common range to give a general idea.


Ricotta
135 calories, 0.35 ounces/10g fat, 0.28 ounces/8g protein
Made from the watery whey left over after churning and pressing solid cheeses. The protein in the whe is coagulated and thickened to make this crumbly, moist cheese, ideal with crispbreads and grapes. It's also used in desserts such as low-fat cheesecake.

Mozzarella
247 calories, 0.67 ounces/19g fat, 0.63 ounces/18g protein
Made traditionally from buffalo milk, dating back even earlier than the 15th century this Italian cheese pairs perfectly with tomatoes, basil and olive oil. A 'lite' version brings the calories down to 163, the fat to just 9g.

Camembert
297 calories, 0.84 ounces/24g fat, 0.74 ounces/21g protein
Originally from Camembert in the Vallee d'Auge in France, it's made with untreated cow's milk, though the US version has been pasteurized. Good with grapes. But watch your servings - your arteries don't take to it as positively as you do.

Stilton
411 calories, 1.26 ounces/36g fat, 0.81 ounces/23g protein
The most well-known English blue, it's made from full-cream milk from dairy herds around the Melton Mowbray area. Good crumbled into salads of endive, pear and walnuts.

Cheddar
412 calories, 1.19 ounces/34g fat, 0.91 ounces/26g protein
Lower fat cheddars have around 267 calories and 16g fat per 100g and may contain some kind of starch to reduce the fat content while maintaining their smoth texture.

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