Food of the month: Wensleydale cheese

Most American kids don't grow up in a world of diverse cheese. In my own home, cheese meant Velveeta, the big block of processed cheese product that has a shelf life on the shelf and not in the fridge. Parmesan cheese came in a can, to be used on spaghetti. Occasional bits of factory cheddar or jack might have crossed my path, but that's about it.
Not until after I left home for college and beyond did I discover the world of cheeses.
I am not quite the cheese fanatic as Wallace (the star of Aardman Animation's excellent "Wallace and Gromit" clay animated films.) But when Wallace mentioned Wensleydale cheese in "A Close Shave," I wondered just what he was referring to, since I had never seen such a thing.
I didn't know the history of this locally produced British cheese, nor what it tasted like.
But then I saw this in the cheese section of a local produce store (that also stocks cheeses, and wines, for those that like such things):

Having just been gifted with the DVD of "The Curse of the Wererabbit" movie, I was intrigued. Here was a chance to see what Wallace was going on about. I picked it up--$9.00!?
It took me another couple of trips before I bit the bullet (as it were) and bought one.
I took it home, managed to locate some proper crackers, and got out a knife to make the first incision.
It was very nice--a cracking good cheese! It was semi-hard, crumbly, and quite creamy. Not too rich, with a note of sweet cream to it and a mild aftertaste. It's very nice, and my infant daughter liked it too (she's the real expert).
The more I ate, the more I liked it. I can see why he likes it so much--but I realize also that too much Wensleydale can cause one to need some Assistance because of the weight gain.
I was surprised to learn that Wensleydale was an endangered cheese, and only just escaped the oblivion by factory buyouts. Read the above link to discover how a very small regional cheese survived, and then go out and support these small businessmen! If it weren't so expensive to import to the USA, I'd get more.