The world’s first carbon-neutral Cheddar is landing in U.S. stores this month, just in time for your first autumn cheese board. It’s made in the English county of Somerset, where most of the best British Cheddars originate. If you’ll be watching the funeral ceremonies for Queen Elizabeth II on September 19, you might want a little British snack for the occasion. Alas, this new arrival is not the Cheddar that holds the Royal Warrant —we don’t get that one in the U.S.—but it’s easy to love and from a producer with big environmental goals.

Ivy’s Reserve Vintage Cheddar is an 18-month-old rindless Cheddar produced by Wyke Farms, a multi-generation family business. Ivy was the grandmother of the current generation running the business, and her Cheddar recipe is locked in a safe on the farm. That’s a nice bit of lore, but Ivy’s methods have surely been altered a tad given the volume of her cheese made today.

The family manages 1,000 dairy cows on 1,500 acres, but that’s not enough for all the cheese this business makes. Wyke is the largest independent cheese producer in the U.K., selling $130 million of cheese and butter a year. So its ambitious environmental agenda has impact.

You can read about Wyke Farms’s environmental initiatives here, but Carbon Trust a leading independent certifier, has certified the business as carbon neutral. Wyke supplies all its own energy needs with solar panels and a methane digester. They harvest rainwater for washing equipment and treat and re-use waste water. Farm vehicles are electric, and the company has moved to greener packaging. And there’s more.

All these laudable practices don’t necessarily yield laudable cheese, but Ivy’s Reserve won me over at first bite. It is nutty and faintly fruity, deeply mellow yet with enough tang to satisfy the sharp-Cheddar enthusiast. And, boy, is it ever creamy. Pair it with apples, pears or figs, or with chutney, or make it the centerpiece of a Ploughman’s Lunch with a porter or pale ale.

Ironically, Queen Elizabeth’s favorite Cheddar— Davidstow Cheddar —almost lost its Royal Warrant earlier this year. The Queen and Prince Charles were reportedly furious to learn that Davidstow had been dumping sludge into a nearby river.

Ivy’s Reserve Vintage Cheddar is available online from Amazon, igourmet and Cured and Cultivated. It should also be available now or soon in these stores:

Fresh Thyme Market (Midwest)
AJ’s (Soquel, CA)
Costco (multiple locations)
Gelson’s Markets (Southern CA)
Harmons Grocery (UT)
Pavilions (Southern CA)
Smart & Final (Northern CA)
Tastings Gourmet Market (Annapolis MD)
United Markets (CA)