British cheeses really are something to celebrate and we should do all we can to support and protect the industry. A good cheese course can be about one single perfect cheese or a large number of different cheeses. If you are going to serve a selection at home, though, I would keep it small and try to give a mix of textures, milks and strengths. Beenleigh Blue, a Quicke’s cheddar, Bath Soft and the cider-brandy-washed Katherine would make a well-balanced and entirely British but West-Country-biased selection.
The actual blue cheese you use for this cheesecake isn’t as important as choosing something with a similar texture to Beenleigh Blue – nothing too soft and creamy. The sweet and sour pears provide a fruity and sharp note to balance the richness of the dish, much as grapes and chutney would on a cheese board.