What cheese is safe to eat when you are pregnant?
I was holding a cheese stall recently at our local food festival. Offering cheese samples to everyone passing. I sell a lot of unpasteurised cheese. This means these types of cheese is made from unpasteurised milk. We sometimes call it raw milk cheese meaning the bacteria and microflora are left in the milk (and not killed off by pasteurisation). This can give the cheese unique and complex flavours not found in pasteurised cheese. You've probably eaten parmesan (and on that note it’s not vegetarian either), well parmesan is unpasteurised.
One of the passing customers picked up a sample of cheese, as she was chewing I explained it was an unpasteurised cheese. She quickly fled looking for the nearest bin to spit it out. Her Husband explained “she’s pregnant”. This was a shame as I didn’t get the opportunity to reassure her that it was perfectly safe to eat that particular cheese even though it was unpasteurised. Here is a quote direct from the NHS website….. “All hard cheeses are safe in pregnancy. You can eat hard cheeses, such as cheddar, parmesan and stilton, even if they're made with unpasteurised milk. Hard cheeses don't contain as much water as soft cheeses, so bacteria are less likely to grow in them. It's possible for hard cheese to contain listeria, but the risk is considered to be low” For more information visit the NHS website the link is HERE!
I always ask you want your comfortable with and if unpasteurised cheese gives you any worries at all I’m here for a chat and can point you to something just as enjoyable that won’t give you any concerns.
Gemma Williams - The Little Cheesemonger & Bump