TO CELEBRATE National Cheese Week, here's a selection of cheesey recipes, kicking off with a couple which use Wensleydale ...

Wensleydale Bannock

1lb self-raising flour

salt and pepper

4oz butter

16 tblspns milk

8oz streaky bacon

2oz butter

8oz Traditional and Blue Wensleydale cheeses (mixed), grated

1 egg, beaten

Place the flour in a mixing bowl with a pinch of salt and rub in the 4oz butter.

Mix in the egg and 6 tblspns of the milk to make a soft dough.

Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and knead lightly into a round.

Place on a baking sheet and mark out into six sections with a sharp knife.

Bake at 450F/230C/Gas 8 for 10-15 mins.

Meanwhile, lightly fry the chopped bacon.

Beat together the 2oz butter, grated cheese and seasoning with the remaining milk to make a smooth paste.

Split the bannock in half and fill with the cheese and bacon mixture.

Serve hot with a crisp green salad.

Wensleydale Apple Cake

In Yorkshire, Wensleydale cheese is traditionally eaten with crisp apples and fruit cake - this delicious recipe from Wensleydale Creamery at Hawes features all three.

4oz butter

6oz dark brown sugar

8oz plain flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 level tspn mixed spice

1 level tspn cinnamon

2 tspns baking powder

1lb cooking apples

3 or 4 tblspns milk

8oz Wensleydale cheese

clear honey and demerara sugar for topping

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and fluffy.

Add the eggs a little at a time, beating well.

Add the flour, dark brown sugar and spices and beat well.

Add sufficient milk to make a soft dropping consistency.

Line an 8in round cake tin with buttered paper and put half the cake mixture into it.

Peel, core and slice the apples and slice the cheese.

Place a layer of sliced apple on top of the cake mixture, then a layer of cheese, then a second layer of apple.

Pour over the rest of the cake mixture and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 325F/170C/Gas 3.

Turn out onto a wire rack to cool then brush the top with honey and sprinkle generously with demerara sugar.

The Cheese Society's 'Poachers Cheese Bake'

(Serves 4)

Lincolnshire Poacher is an award-winning unpasteurised farmhouse cheese, slightly open in texture and with a herby bitter sweet flvaour.

Smooth-textured, this cheese has a long, lingering flavour.

1oz butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2oz streaky bacon or ham, chopped

2oz chopped tomatoes

2oz chopped mushrooms

10 fresh basil leaves, torn

3 eggs separated

2 1/2 fl oz double cream

6oz Lincolnshire Poacher Cheese, grated

salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 375F/190C/Gas 5.

Melt the butter in a frying pan and gently fry the onions.

Add the bacon, tomatoes, basil and mushrooms and cook until golden.

Season well and put in the bottom of an ovenproof dish or four small ramekins.

Put the cream, egg yolks and cheese in a saucepan and heat gently until the cheese has melted, and add seasoning to taste (make sure that the mixture doesn't come to the boil as it could curdle and separate).

Whisk the egg whites until stiff and fold carefully into the cheese mixture and pour into the dishes.

Bake for 10-15 mins until well risen and golden.

Serve immediately with crusty bread.

Cheese Society storage tips:

4 Once cheese is cut, the exposed surface will require airtight wrapping.

Try not to cover the crust too much so as to retain as much of the cheese's natural character as possible.

* Cheese must be allowed to breathe and it is an advantage if your cheese is wrapped in waxed paper.

Failing that, cling film is a good alternative.

* If storing in a fridge, always allow the cheese to come to room temperature for at least an hour before serving to allow the flavours to develop.