BCW 39 – JULY 2018 – SUMMER THEME
COURSES
- Bloomer Rolls / Young Lancashire / Fresh tomato and Cos lettuce / Grobe Riesling 1763
- Chive and Red Onion Scone / Gubbeen / Dijon Mustard / Sanziana Pinot Noir
- Baton / Gorgonzola Dolce / Roast Peach and Cherries / Petaluma Viognier
- Wholemeal / Young Lincolnshire Poacher / Apple, Celery salad and Walnut / Drouin Cidre
- Gooseberry Fool with Ginger Crumb and Kings Ginger Liqueur made from Stanage Edge Curd / Fernando de Castilla Vermut
CHEESE
Kirkham’s Lancashire
Made by Graham Kirkham, near Goosnargh, in Lancashire, Kirkham’s Lancashire is a classic British cheese. In the county of Lancashire, the cheeses are enjoyed at a variety of ages, evolving from buttery and creamy in their youth into powerful and savoury mature cheeses which can be aged for up to a year.
The Kirkham family has been farming and making cheese for three generations. What sets the Kirkham’s Lancashire apart is the quality of the milk and the long, slow make; the first step in the cheesemaking is an overnight pre-ripening of the milk, designed to get the native cheesemaking bacteria working and active. Graham uses only a tiny amount of starter culture and works the curds carefully to drain them at their own gentle pace over the course of many hours. The result is a cheese that tastes intensely of the milk that was used to make it, with an extraordinarily complex and long-lasting flavour.
Gubbeen
Made by Giana Ferguson near Schull in County Cork, Ireland, using pasteurised cow’s milk and animal rennet. Cheesemaker Giana grew up in Spain and France where she made cheese as a hobby. When she married Tom Ferguson, whose family had been farming in West Cork for generations, she was keen to put the herd’s milk to good use. This is a mild and gentle washed-rind cheese, with a savoury, milky flavour. We chose to include it this month as we find this batch incredibly moreish. The stalwarts of the local food community, both of Gianna and Tom’s children now work in the family business.
Gorgonzola Dolce
Marco Arrigoni makes one of the finest Gorgonzola Dolce available: rich, winey and luscious, with just a subtle hint of blue. He is the third generation of a family that has been farming only 12 miles from the town of Gorgonzola since 1920. Using milk from their own farm they now make a range of cheeses including Gorgonzola Dolce and Taleggio. Gorgonzola Dolce is a difficult cheese to make, as it is so soft and rich. The classic Italian cheese needs to be handled very gently and turned frequently during production to drain, before being aged for three months. This Gorgonzola is a ‘Dolce’-style (pronounced DOL-chay), specially selected by The Courtyard Dairy to be sweet, rich and winey, unlike the Gorgonzola ‘Piccante’-style which are firmer and spicier. (Dolce means sweet). Although the Dolce version is a more recent creation, Gorgonzola itself can be traced back as far as 879 when farmers moving their cows down the valley would stop at the village of Gorgonzola to rest and milk their cows. A cheese would then be made with this excess milk – Gorgonzola!
Lincolnshire Poacher
Made by brothers Simon and Tim Jones in Ulceby Grange in Lincolnshire.
Raw cow’s milk, animal rennet. This month sees the 100 year anniversary of the farm; Simon and Tim are the fourth generation to be running it. Land stewardship is of huge importance to the brothers, and the farm is run sustainably to get the best milk from their herd of 230 cows. The current batches Neal’s Yard are sending out are creamier and younger than usual. They taste smooth, rich and savoury.
Stanage Curd
Made at Cow Close Farm under Stanage Edge the curds are the first stage in the cheese making process once they have been separated from the whey. Sophie and James take some of these curds to use as a beautifully fresh cheese and make the rest into Stanage Millstones.
