Like most of the traditional British hard cheeses Derby was produced exclusively on farms and was typically sold at a younger age than its more famous cousins Cheddar and Cheshire. Its claim to fame is that the first creamery in the UK was set up by a group of farmers in the village of Longford in Derbyshire – the farmers having agreed to pool their milk and have the cheese made on a larger scale using techniques that had been developed in the USA. In many respects Derby is similar to Cheddar but has softer body (it doesn't go through the Cheddaring process) and slightly higher moisture content. When young it is springy and mild but as it matures subtle sweet flavours develop and the texture becomes firmer.

There are other type of Derby Cheese i.e Sage Derby, it's a variety of British Derby cheese infused with sage to produce a glorious green marbling effect and subtle herb flavor. Hard to find these days, it is England's oldest and most famous cheeses originally made only for special occasions such as Harvest and Christmas.

To make this cheese, freshly milled, salted Derby curd and sprinkles of fresh sage are arranged in layers and left to mature for six months. Some dairies blend dried sage with matured, chopped Derby and then repress it again.