Come explore the wonders of the Netherlands! Originating in the Netherlands, this salty, creamy cow's milk cheese is one of the most popular cheeses in the world. Created in the traditional Dutch manner, includes a full wheel of Jong Belegen Gouda cheese which is aged for eight to 10 weeks and has a stronger flavour. It hits that sweet spot that makes it good sandwich cheese: soft enough not to crumble on the bread but old enough to have a good flavour.

AND bonus items - an original Delft style historic plate; and typical Dutch blue/white water bottle

Why Gouda? Without a doubt, the Netherlands' (and the world's) favourite cheese is Gouda - although there isn't just one kind of Gouda. In fact, there are six different kinds of Gouda cheese that you'll be able to find in just about any Dutch supermarket or cheese shop, all vastly different in taste. Gouda is the most popular cheese in the Netherlands, with over half of all cheese production devoted to churning out its enormous yellow wheels.

It is also one of the oldest recorded cheeses in the world still made today: the first mention of Gouda cheese dates from 1184. It is not named after the city of Gouda because it is produced there, but because it has historically been traded there. Cheeses received the names of the markets at which they were historically traded.

It is difficult to know when the first Dutch cheese was made, but archaeologists have found cheese-making equipment dating back to 200 BC.In the Middle Ages, cheese took a central position in Dutch life and was so popular that in 1100, at the toll in Koblenz in Germany, Dutch bargemen even paid in cheese.

Special thanks to the Embassy of the Netherlands