A life without cheese.

There are lactose free cheeses available, no idea what the quality is like. Cathedral City do lactose free cheddar.

This supplier offers a lactose free choice, there are others.

Bergkäse Alex – The Cambridge Cheese Company share.google/GPaypZu2ARtCJXRqm

The Violife vegan cheeses, sold in most supermarkets, are obviously not as good as the real thing but don't taste too bad. I have a vegan, two coeliacs and two with lactose intolerance to cater for when one set of family visits so I use the 'cheeses' often. In baked dishes they are perfectly acceptable.

I love all cheeses, the smellier the better, so am very grateful that I have no problem eating them. I hope you manage to work your way around the intolerance, you have my sympathy.

I love cheese, all cheese! However, my DH will not eat it cooked in any form. He was forced to eat vile cheese and potato pie when he had school dinners and was violently sick, so will not touch it ever since.

I have sneaked cream cheese into some hot dishes and he has not noticed, but he still will not tolerate trying any kind of melted cheese in a topping (e.g. shepherd's pie, lasagne) because of his early years experience. I have to either got without myself or cook two seperate versions. I feel for you Sago, it must be hard to have to avoid eating something you used to love.

Commiserations - I love cheese & going without it would be privation indeed. Time, they say, is a great healer, there's a world of other flavours out there.

My daughter has the same problem with cheese, especially cooked cheese. It's not the lactose for her, probably histamine as you say. She can eat halloumi and it's not so bad if the cooked cheese, say on a pizza, is left to go cold. Oddly, while she has been pregnant she can eat cheese again. Sure it won't last once the baby is here unfortunately.

You could try Digest tablets…..available in health food shops. Life would be tough without cheese!

Is there some confusion here regarding "ordinary" "vegetarian" and "vegan" cheese I wonder?

Some cheese has always been vegetarian - but vegan "cheese" is not a cheese at all - but maybe is "cheesy".

Some traditional Pecorino is made using thistles as a coagulant - some are still made this way (from Sardinia and also some in Tuscany I believe).

The non-vegetarian cheeses use animal coagulant.

Lipase comes from the epiglottal gland (located in the throat area/base of the tongue) of the animal - it adds to the flavour of cheeses.

Rennet is the coagulant. Animal Rennet (extracted from the stomach lining of calves) often has a trace of lipase in it. I don't know if it comes from other animals too, I'd say probably.

The "thistle pecorino" above is very full and delicious compared to one just made with "vegetarian rennet"

Sorry if this post sounds like a suck-eggs one. That's not the intention.

Oh no! Poor you Sago. I would be very upset if I had to give up cheese. I hope you find out what is upsetting you and find a suitable substitute.

Cathedral City make lactose free cheddar cheese, which is worth trying, to confirm if it is is fact lactose intolerance that you have, or something else in cheese is upsetting you - it’s in the Free From section in the fridges at the supermarket.

Cheese is such a delicious and useful foodstuff, but I guess you will get used to not eating any after a while.