McGrath, I think the confusion is this-- one ages the cheese. (Don't we age fine wine? To age the wine in a barrel, for example.) Technical term, a verb, to age, not quite meaning [to get old]. The cheese is not aged, it has BEEN aged. Aged cheese meaning cheese that has been aged. Example, "This cheese needs to be aged just the right length of time."

Now a mature cheese sounds like it just has grown up, gotten wise and crumbly as do we all if we are lucky. Does it follow that in your parts, one would set out as a cheesemaker to "mature the cheese"? Prolly not. What do they say though? Example, "This cheese needs to be grown the heck up." Nope, just doesn't work.

Scary thought. Can cheese have a midlife crisis or menopause?? Worse, I think-- cheese puberty???? Cheese with gray hair (I swear I've seen that)? Cheese in diapers? Seen that too, am I right parents of breastfed babies??? No that would be cheese in napkins, and we do see that too, but in our laps at table....

Cheese puberty. Or the dread pre-teen cheese. Why do these make me think of Spaw?

~S~