Cheese, of which there are over 1,000 varieties is a nutritious food which when consumed as part of an overall balanced diet can contribute a significant portion of the daily requirements for protein and fat as well as several important minerals and vitamins. Depending on variety a 50g serving can provide between 2 and 19g of protein and 2 and 23g of fat with an associated energy intake of between 56 and 226 kcal. Cheese is a particularly good source of calcium in a bioavailable form and one serving depending on variety can provide up to 400mg of calcium equivalent to 38% of daily needs. Similarly, a serving can provide up to 500IU and 0.19mg of vitamin A and B2 respectively or 10% of daily needs of each vitamin. However, as cheese contains added sodium and it is a relatively high fat energy dense food, there is some concern that its consumption should be limited. NaCl is added to cheese during manufacture and is a necessary part of the process. However, it is generally recommended that sodium intake should not exceed 2,000mg per day and depending on variety a serving of cheese will contribute from 15 to 700mg. Furthermore, most public health organisations currently recommend reduction in total fat and in particular saturated fat in the western diet. In cheese such as Cheddar 66% of the fatty acids are saturated, 30% are monounsaturated and 4% are polyunsaturated. However, many human studies revealed that cheese intake resulted in lower total and LDL cholesterol concentration, including reduction of triglycerides. Moreover, cheese intake had no impact on cardiovascular health and an inverse correlation between cheese intake and myocardial infraction, as well as an inverse association with the risk of stroke was reported. Most cheeses undergo extensive proteolysis during ripening resulting in the release of a diversity of peptides and amino acids. It has been demonstrated that cheese extracts rich in peptides and amino acids can encode a range of beneficial bioactivities including recent research from our group which reveals antioxidant, satiating and induction of insulin secretion activities. In conclusion, there is increasing evidence that eaten as part of a balanced diet cheese can make an overall positive contribution to nutrition and health.