Here you’ll find some details about some of the Cheese we’ve featured in past Bread Cheese Wine Events
Parmesan Reggiano
Our Parmesan Reggiano Zaboform cheese is 30 months’ old, not the usual 24 months. We believe this additional ageing gives an extra dimension of flavour. The Bilzi Family behind the Zabo Brand are cheese maturers (this division between producing and affinage is common throughout Europe). Although they started as cheese makers, they now concentrate on the careful ageing over years of the cheeses. Every week they visit the farms in the high pastures, selecting the best cheeses for maturing, working only with particular producers who share their Artisan approach. (Giro de Italia Theme – May 2018)

Yorkshire Pecorino
Brought in up Sardinia, Mario Olianas comes from a strong family of Italian gastronomes.

Moving to Leeds in 2001, he quickly set about realising his passion for food – by setting up Italian supper clubs and baking fine foods. Upon hearing about his family’s diversification into cheese-making, however, Mario decided he wanted to create a better Italian cheese than his brothers’. Getting hold of a small vat, he started making cheese in a specially converted room within his house, following an adapted Pecorino recipe. He uses fresh sheep’s milk which he collects daily from just outside Harrogate, and cultures imported from Italy.
This cheese is based on the classic Pecorino Fresco from Italy. Most people know the Sardo or Romano varieties of Pecorino, which are hard, dry-aged versions (these were the common types exported from Italy as they could travel easily), however in the southern Italy and Italian island villages they also made young (fresco) and semi-soft (semi-stagionato) versions, which were rarely exported.
Mario’s Yorkshire Pecorino is based on the fresco, young version. Soft and yielding in texture it has a thin undulating rind and is aged for 30 days.
His cheese is now on the menu at The Gilbert Scott in London, where they pair the creamy Pecorino Fresco with tomatoes, rosemary bread, olives, basil and Ortiz anchovies, or use it for Pecorino gnocchi served with radicchio, sprout tops and chestnuts. These are light, seasonal, Mediterranean-style dishes that reflect the sunny roots of this Sardinian-style cheese. (Giro de Italia Theme – May 2018)

Pecorino Sardo
Pecorino Sardo is a cheese made since ancient times in Sardinia using milk from the local sheep. Originally the production of cheese occurred by boiling raw milk with hot stones. Pecorino Sardo gained the Protected Designation of Origin in 1996 and always follows traditional methods of making which date back to the 1800s. Pecorio Sardo can be young and can be sold after 20-60 days, while mature Pecorino cannot be considered ready before 4 months. Sweeter Pecorino requires a delicate and a little bit fruity white wine, while the mature cheese can be accompanied with a more intense wine. (Giro de Italia Theme – May 2018)
Burrrata
Burrata, meaning “buttery” in Italian is a fresh cheese made from a mix of mozzarella and cream. The outside thin shell is a pasta filata curd made of buffalo and/or cow’s milk mozzarella while the insides contain a soft, doughy, stringy, mixture of curd and fresh cream. The cheese originated in the Apulia region of Italy known for sheep farming and agriculture. It is sold traditionally in asphodel leaves with a polyethylene plastic bag over it. The green colour of asphodel leaves is an indicator of the freshness of the cheese. When you cut open a Burrata, it oozes with buttery and creamy panna containing scraps of mozzarella. The cream has a rich flavour and has to be eaten immediately since it is a fresh cheese. Burrata is usually served fresh at room temperature and beyond 48 hours, it is considered past its prime. The taste of Burrata goes well with salads, crusty bread, and prosciutto, fresh tomatoes with olive oil and with spaghetti. (Giro de Italia Theme – May 2018)

Taleggio
Taleggio dates back to, perhaps, the tenth century. Its area of origin is Val Taleggio, a valley located in the province of Bergamo. Since milk production in this area was exceeding their needs, local people thought about producing cheese out of the leftover milk, rounds of which, once aged in “caves” or in mountain huts, could be exchanged with other products or sold at local markets.

Taleggio was first recognized as PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) in 1996. It is pinkish in colour with grey and sage green light mould patches and its rind is thin and soft. The texture is uniform and compact but softer under the rind and at the end of the aging process, with a more crumbly centre. The flavour is sweet with a hint of tartness, slightly aromatic, sometimes with a truffle aftertaste. (Giro de Italia Theme – May 2018)

Gorgonzola Dolce
Meaning “sweet” in Italian, Gorgonzola “Dolce” DOP is a soft, blue, buttery cheese made with uncooked cow’s whole milk. The cheese took its name from a small town in Lombardy near Milan, where it said to have been born in the 12th century. It has a white or pale yellow, buttery and melty paste speckled with a homogeneous distribution of blue coloured veins. The rind is compact, rough, hard and grey/pinkish in colour but not edible. Flavours are not very assertive but sweet, mild with notes of sour cream and lactic tang. It takes a minimum of 50 days ageing to let Gorgonzola demonstrate its unique characteristics.  The cheese pairs well with a Tuscan Vin Santo and Champagne.

Yorkshire Pecorino
This Yorkshire Pecorino Fresco (‘young Pecorino’) is only 30 days old, and like all classic Italian young cheeses is smooth, yogurty and sweet. It is made by Mario Olianas in Adel, near Leeds, West Yorkshire. Brought in up Sardinia, Mario Olianas comes from a strong family of Italian gastronomes and he started making cheese in a specially converted room within his house, following an adapted Pecorino recipe. He uses fresh sheep’s milk which he collects daily from just outside Harrogate, and cultures imported from Italy. This cheese is based on the classic Pecorino Fresco from Italy. Mario’s Yorkshire Pecorino is based on the fresco, young version of pecorino. Soft and yielding in texture it has a thin undulating rind and is aged for 30 days. Winner Great British Cheese Awards 2018. (Award Winners – August 2018)

Tunworth
Milk: Pasteurised Cow’s Milk Coagulant: Animal Rennet Milk Source: Bought in Milk Product Summary A Camembert-style cheese with a classically creamy and unctuous paste; flavours are vegetal, truffley and garlicky. Product Description Tunworth is made by Stacey Hedges and Charlotte Spruce in Hampshire and named after the nearby hamlet of Tunworth. The whole process is done by hand, from the cutting to the ladling; they will then be transferred to ripening rooms where they grow their mixed coats of wrinkly Geotrichum and delicate white Penicillium moulds. Super Gold British Cheese Awards 2018. (Award Winners – August 2018)

Merry Wyfe
An award-winning washed-rind cheese made with curds which are pressed and then washed in cider every other day for four weeks (hence the name ‘Merry’ Wyfe!). The cider is made from organic apples harvested on the farm. This cheese has a distinctive pungent orange (edible) rind and a rich, creamy paste. Only launched in May 2017, the “Merry Wyfe” has already won gold at three cheese awards: The World Cheese Awards, the Artisan Cheese Awards at Melton Mowbray and the Global Cheese Awards at Frome. It is an organic, pasteurised and vegetarian cheese. . Super Gold British Cheese Awards 2018. (Award Winners – August 2018)

Old Winchester
In the New Forest at Lyburn Farm, Mike and Judie Smales have created a modern British classic cheese – Old Winchester. As milk prices fell, Mike and Judie decided they needed an outlet for the milk from their 180 British Friesian cows.  Deciding to make cheese, they went on a one-day Cheddar-making course.  With this basic knowledge the Smales decided to make a Gouda-style (the curd is washed so the cheese ends up slightly more sweet): “When we started to make cheese twelve years ago, we deliberately chose not to make Cheddar for all the obvious reasons, not least there are already quite a lot of them.  So we started with a Gouda-style recipe.” Yet it turned out a bit different from expected.  But not every mistake is bad!  Instead, the amazing Old Winchester was born: a cross between Gouda, Parmesan and Cheddar.  This cheese is aged for 18-months to give it a sweet, tangy, crystallised depth.  (It is also known as Old Smales).As well as a great ‘table cheese’ Old Winchester works incredibly well as a vegetarian Parmesan replacement as it is made without animal rennet, you will often find chefs using it for vegetarian dishes. Super Gold International Cheese Awards 2018. (Award Winners – August 2018)

Harrogate Blue
Harrogate Blue is matured for a minimum of 10 weeks which is the optimum time for the cheese to develop exactly the right depth of flavour and creaminess. A hit from day one, Harrogate Blue won its first award just two weeks after launch in 2012, and was the first cheese co-produced by Katy and Caroline (Judy Bell’s daughters) after taking over the running of the dairy. It’s since scooped two golds at the Global Cheese Awards and in 2017 it won a Super Gold and was judged to be the 11th best cheese in the world at the World Cheese Awards in London. Harrogate Blue is soft, luxuriously creamy and blue-veined, delivering a mellow blue flavour with a hint of pepper to finish. Super Gold International Cheese Awards 2018. (Award Winners – August 2018)

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. (Summer Theme – July 2018 / Spring Theme – April 2018)

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. (Summer Theme – July 2018)

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! (Summer Theme – July 2018)

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. (Summer Theme – July 2018)

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. (Summer Theme – July 2018)

Kirkham’s Lancashire
Third-generation Lancashire-maker Graham Kirkham still follows the traditional two-day curd method of making Lancashire cheese, giving a buttery, yoghurty flavour with a fluffy and light texture that melts in the mouth. Kirkham’s are the very last farmhouse producer of raw-milk Lancashire cheese. (Spring Theme – April 2018)

Appleby’s Cheshire
The Appleby family have been farming at Hawkstone Abbey Farm, North Shropshire since 1942, when Lance and Lucy Appleby bought the farm. Lucy began making Cheshire cheese in 1952. It survived as a traditional clothbound Cheshire and is generally sold at around four months old. Cheshire is a traditional Northern crumbly cheese that is clean and zesty on the tongue followed by a rich mouth watering finish, which you can enjoy in your mouth long after you have tasted the cheese. (Spring Theme – April 2018)

Gruyere
The Affineur Walo Le Gruyère AOC Extra Mature cheese is sweet, and the flavour is perfectly balanced. It grows and fills the mouth.There are the floral, fruity notes, but it is the silky texture with the crunchy crystals and immense flavour that set this cheese apart from other Gruyères. The Affineur Walo Le Gruyère AOC Extra Mature is matured for a minimum of 14 months in the caves that have been used by the Von Mühlenen family for decades. The caves are warmer than others used to mature cheese. This ‘warm’ aging is key to achieving a deeper, more rounded flavour. During the maturation, the cheese crystallises to deliver an intense flavour. (Spring Theme – April 2018)

St. James
Still seasonal, St James cheese comes into its own after lambing, when the milk flows. St James is made using the milk from their 100 Lacaune sheep. The cheese is a washed-rind cheese which involves washing the rind of the cheese to develop. (Spring Theme – April 2018)

Beauvale
Beauvale takes its name from the Vale of Belvoir which surrounds the Cropwell Bishop Dairy. Cropwell Bishop is a family company that has been making Stilton for generations. It is hand-ladled into wider, more shallow moulds than are used for Stilton; and the cultures that are used to develop the blue are much milder strains than those used in Stilton. Instead of rubbing up the outside to create the characteristic rind of a Stilton, the cheese-makers leave the cheeses to develop naturally a thin crust.
The resulting cheese is sweet and creamy, with a buttery texture and a slight, salty tang to the finish. (Spring Theme – April 2018)

Dorstone
Dorstone is made by Charlie Westhead and his team at Neal’s Yard Creamery in Dorstone, Herefordshire, from the milk of a mixed herd of British Alpine and Toggenburg goats. The cheese’s distinctive fluffy texture is a result of the curds being “pre-drained,” a technique in which the yoghurt-like curds are ladled onto mats to drain before being mixed with salt and patted into moulds. As a result, the curds are less dense and open-textured. Dorstone can be eaten within a week or so of production, or aged for a month or more. (BCW Special – Local Heroes – April 2018)

Little Mester
Little Mester is a small, surface-ripened soft cheese, made with milk from the Our Cow Molly herd, which grazes just a few miles from Kelham Island at Dungworth. It is made by Sophie Williamson under the name of Sheffield Cheesemasters, (BCW Special – Local Heroes – April 2018)

Stanage Millstobe Curd
Stanage Millstone is a creamy, bloomy rind cheese made by hand in small batches at Cow Close Farm, using milk from a neighbouring herd of Hathersage cows. The curd used this evening is made at the start of the process when the curds are separated from the whey.
The trick is using fantastic quality milk sourced from a single herd of robotically milked cows on a neighbouring farm. The robotic milking means that the cows are happier as they can pick and choose when they are milked. The curd is made from whole pasteurised cow’s milk, vegetarian rennet and salt. (BCW Special – Local Heroes – April 2018)

Lincolnshire Poacher
Brothers Simon and Tim Jones oversee the production of Lincolnshire Poacher on their family farm, Ulceby Grange in Lincolnshire. The farm has been in the family since 1917. The first batch of cheese was made there in 1992. Lincolnshire Poacher is often described as a cross between Cheddar and mountain cheese. The brothers are passionate about land stewardship. They farm sustainably to get the best milk from their closed herd. They create their own energy from wind, sun, heat exchange, and a straw pellet boiler. Cheesemaker Richard Tagg will turn about 6000 litres of milk into roughly 28 to 30 wheels of cheese, which are matured by an experienced and dedicated team in the farm’s immaculate storerooms. Neal’s Yard typically select cheeses when they are between 12 and 18 months old, and sell them between 18 and 24 months old. (BCW Special – Local Heroes – April 2018)

Cote Hill Blue
Mary and Michael Davenport are small tenancy farmers of Cote Hill Farm in Lincolnshire, with only 63 cows’ (including some of the unusual Red Poll breed which has a rich milk). With the price of wholesale milk falling, the Davenports knew they would have to add value to their milk or give up dairy farming. So in 2005 they went on a short cheese-making course and decided to have a go at it. They noticed there was a gap in the market for a soft unpasteurised blue cheese, so they went to great lengths to develop what is recognised as a notoriously hard cheese to make (there was a reason for the gap in the market!). Cote Hill Blue was the outcome – a soft, rich blue given a distinctive and unusual taste by the quality of their unpasteurised milk. (BCW Special – Local Heroes – April 2018)

Comte Saint Antoine
Comté has been made in the Massif du Jura for over eight centuries in small, village based co-operatives called fruitières. The milk is delivered daily from the surrounding dairies within no more than an eight-mile radius. At a few weeks old, the cheeses are moved to the cellars of the affineurs and at four months the cheeses are graded to determine whether they are good enough to be awarded the green band which denotes the highest quality of Comte. This Comte is matured by Marcel Petite at the old fort of Saint Antoine It is matured for 24 months and is particularly fruity, smooth, mellow and nutty with a long finish. (France Theme – March 2018)

Saint Nectarie
This Saint Nectaire comes from the ripening rooms of affineur Xavier Morin. He is a passionate advocate of the cheeses from Cantal and the Auvergneand works in complete partnership with each individual cheese maker. It is made from the milk of the now rare breed of Salers cow native to the Auvergne region of France. Most cheese makers consequently have moved over to breeds that are easier to farm and more suitable for mass production.. Although the yield is very low, less than half than that of a Holstein, the quality of the milk is exceptional. Underneath the silky grey rind of the Saint Nectaire is a supple and creamy paste that has a gloriously ‘earthy’ flavour. (France Theme – March 2018)

Ossau Iraty
From the French Pyrenees, this cheese is made from the milk of only the
Manech and Basco-Béarnaise ewes that graze the Ossau Valley in Bearn and the Iraty beech forests of the Pays Basque. It has a smooth, white interior and a delicate, fruity flavour. (France Theme – March 2018)

Reblochon Fermier Missilier
Reblochon cheese has a supple paste as it is lightly pressed by small wooden discs when in the mould. The cheese has a blush pink-to-white coat, with a taste that’s delicately sweet and fruity, with a nutty finish.This Reblochon is made by Fromages J.P. Missilier in the mountainous region of Le Grand Bornand in the Haute-Savoie. Their herd consists of 40 Abondance cows, a breed which is highly prized for its rich milk and its ability to thrive in challenging climates and give excellent, protein-rich milk. In May, the whole family, their friends and the Abondance cows, set off by foot for the high mountain pastures and will stay here until October. The Summer pastures provide sumptuous, vast grass meadows strewn with wild flowers, which give great depth and complexity to the flavour of the cheese. Reblochon is protected by strict AOC regulations stipulating that only the native breeds of Montbeliarde, Abondance and Tirane are used. (France Theme – March 2018)

Roquefort Carles
Roquefort is considered to be one of the greatest blues in the world. It was mentioned by Pliny in AD 79, and has been protected since 1411. The cheese can only be made in the area surrounding Roquefort-sur-Soulzon, and with the local Lacaune breed of sheep. The caves situated around Roquefort (Grand Causses) provide the ideal conditions for maturing blue cheese – moist, cool and breezy. Roquefort will be aged here for around three months as its blue veining develops. This Roquefort is made by the third generation of the Carles family. They started cheese-making in 1927, and remain one of the only family producers of Roquefort left in the region. The flavour of the cheese is reminiscent of the air in the caverns where it ripens and the mould grows naturally. This artisan variety, made in smaller batches with local milk and penicillin roqueforti cultured from rye loaves baked in-house, is round, deep and perfectly balanced: big, creamy chunks of the paste dissolve on the palate like sharp, soothing milky lozenges. (France Theme – March 2018)

Torta de Barros
Torta de Barros was a bronze medal winner in the 2015 World Cheese Awards. It is a raw sheeps’ milk thistle rennet torta style cheese with an aroma of fresh mango on the rind, fruity flavours and a luxuriously creamy interior. (Vegetarian Theme – February 2018)

Cotherstone
Cotherstone is now only mademade by Joan Cross in Durham. It is semi-soft, with a pale-yellow paste and a natural rind. Unlike other British Territorials, this cheese is intended to be eaten young, around six to eight weeks old. By then it has developed lovely fresh and lemony flavours, which sometimes can carry a hint of yeastiness. The paste is crumbly but moister than a Cheshire for example. Traditionally made in Yorkshire, Cotherstone belongs to a group of cheeses we refer to as ‘Dales-style’ cheeses, which also includes Wensleydale and Swaledale.

She learned cheese making from her mother, and has been making the cheese for over thirty years producing only very small batches. When Joan’s cheese arrives in the Neal’s Yard maturing rooms in Bermondsey it is very young and very moist. We dry-salt the cheese by rubbing the surface with sea salt. Later in the maturation process we wash the rind to help it develop evenly. The cheese then forms a natural crust that sometimes develops a pinkish-gold appearance. When the rind has fully formed, the cheese becomes broken down and softer towards the rind and develops vegetal, earthy flavours. (Vegetarian Theme – February 2018)

Ribblesdale Goat
Ribblesdale goat’s milk comes from a single herd located about an hour and a half away in Lancashire as there are no milking goats available in N Yorkshire.  It is single source and excellent quality. In 2008 they started making cheese again after a break and moved from Horton in Ribblesdale (hence Ribblesdale!) to Hawes to larger premises to create a new dairy. Everything is made by hand: the milk is stirred by hand, the curd is hand cut and hand shovelled.  A vat takes as long as it takes, there are no set times or schedules.  All the cheese is made in a long, slow and traditional way using a synthetic form (not GMO) of rennet called Hannilaise. (Vegetarian Theme – February 2018)

Old Winchester
In the New Forest at Lyburn Farm, Mike and Judie Smales have created a modern British classic cheese – Old Winchester. As milk prices fell, Mike and Judie decided they needed an outlet for the milk from their 180 British Friesian cows.  Deciding to make cheese, they went on a one-day Cheddar-making course with Val Bines.  With this basic knowledge the Smales decided to make a Gouda-style (the curd is washed so the cheese ends up slightly more sweet). Yet it turned out a bit different from expected.  But not every mistake is bad!  Instead, the amazing Old Winchester was born: a cross between Gouda, Parmesan and Cheddar.  At the Courtyard Dairy it is aged for 18-months to give it a sweet, tangy, crystallised depth.  (It is also known as Old Smales). As well as a great ‘table cheese’ Old Winchester works incredibly well as a vegetarian Parmesan replacement as it is made without animal rennet, you will often find chefs using it for vegetarian dishes. (Vegetarian Theme – February 2018)

Devon Blue
Devon Blue is one of three cheeses made by Ben Harris and his team at Ticklemore Dairy in Devon. It is made to a Roquefort recipe, as with the other two cheeses. Devon Blue has a quick set. The young cheeses are dry salted and pierced, then aged in a cave-like environment for a few weeks where the blue mould is encouraged to develop. They are then wrapped to prevent further blueing and cold matured at around 5c. This means the flavour in the paste is able to develop slowly over several months. The milk used for Devon blue comes from a co-operative of local farms in the South Hams. Because the Dairy don’t produce their own milk, they choose to pasteurise what they bring in.

The batches Neal’s Yard Dairy select tend to have a sweet, caramel, walnuty flavour profile. Occasionally some cheeses will develop light spicy flavours too. It has a crumbly, buttery texture with subtle blue veining throughout. (Vegetarian Theme – February 2018)

Rosemary Manchego
Coated in lard and rosemary it has a dense and lightly crunchy texture with buttery and herbal aromas. It is full flavoured and savoury delicate and elegant with a long and balanced finish. Made in Villarejo de Fuentes, Cuenca, Spain. Raw milk and traditional rennet. (Best of 2017 Theme – January 2018)

Baron Bigod
A raw cow’s milk cheese with a distinctively layered paste: the core is friable, with yoghurty acidity, progressively more unctuous, mellow and vegetal towards the rind; aromas are of mushroom and earth. Jonny and Dulcie Crickmore began producing Baron Bigod in 2013 at their farm near Bungay, Suffolk. Raw milk and traditional rennet.(Best of 2017 Theme – January 2018)

Innes Log
Made by Joe Bennett in Staffordshire from the raw milk of his own goats. A lactic goat’s milk cheese: flavours of bright acidity and grass, lengthening with maturity; there is perceptible spice from the Geotrichum moulds on the ashed rind. Textures are dense, ganache-like and coat the mouth. Uses own raw goats’ milk and traditional rennet.(Best of 2017 Theme – January 2018)

Dorstone
Made by Charlie Westhead in Herefordshire. A turret-shaped lactic goat’s cheese, darkly-ashed with a picturesque down of snowy Geotrichum yeasts. Texture is moussey and meltingly light, often with a sherbet-like citrus sparkle. Pasteurised goats’ milk and traditional rennet.(Best of 2017 Theme – January 2018)

Comte
An unpasteurised French cheese from the Jura mountain region: smooth, mellow, nutty, and with a long finish.
From the Jura mountain region comes one of Frances’ favourite cheeses – and ours, when in the hands of Marcel Petite. Smooth, mellow, nutty and with a long finish.
Raw milk and traditional rennet.(Best of 2017 Theme – January 2018)

Summerfield
Only made when the cows are at pasture during the summer months, this cheese is in extremely short supply. Made to a Gruyère recipe, it has that sweet, supple nuttiness associated with the best Gruyères. Made by Alastair Pearson at Botton Creamery (near Whitby), North Yorkshire. Vegetarian rennet and raw milk from the community farm.(Best of 2017 Theme – January 2018)

Cashel Blue
A balanced amount of blue veining adds a sweet and spicy lift to the rich, full flavoured yellow paste. Cashel Blue tends to be a moist, buttery textured cheese. Pasteurised milk and Vegetarian rennet.(Best of 2017 Theme – January 2018)

Picos d Europa
A distinctive, maple leaf covered cheese, Made using 90% cows’ and 10% goats’ milks, with a fresh, creamy aroma, a buttery, melting texture, and nutty, mushroomy, sometimes spicy flavours. Pasteurised milk. Traditional rennet. (Altitude Theme – October 2017)

Sinodun Hill
The yoghurty flavour of the paste of Sinodun Hill is complemented by a delicate, almost red-fruit flavour from the rind. Its rind is wrinkly with a golden colour, often accompanied by the odd spot of white or blue mould. Sinodun Hill (pronounced ‘Sin-uh-din’, with the emphasis on the first syllable) is a lactic goat’s pyramid with a light, almost-whipped texture. It is made by a young couple, Rachel Yarrow and Fraser Norton, at the Nettlebed Estate in Oxfordshire. The Sinodun Hill has only been made since early 2016. They started out making cheese with bought-in milk. Happily, as of March 2017 Rachel and Fraser transitioned to making cheese from the milk of their own herd of goats. Although it is still very early days, we look forward to following the development of this exciting new farmhouse cheese. Raw Goat’s Milk. Vegetarian.(Altitude Theme – October 2017)

Comte
An unpasteurised French cheese from the Jura mountain region: smooth, mellow, nutty, and with a long finish.
From the Jura mountain region comes one of Frances’ favourite cheeses – and ours, when in the hands of Marcel Petite. Smooth, mellow, nutty and with a long finish.
Raw milk. Traditional rennet.(Altitude Theme – October 2017)

Vacherin
This cheese originates from the Mont d’Or in France (and is also known as Vacherin du Haut Doubs or Mont d’Or). As the summer comes to an end and the air gets cooler, the cows come down the mountain and their milk becomes fattier and reduces in quantity. These changes mean making Comté (a hard aged cheese) becomes difficult. Hence, traditionally, a soft, rich, quick-ripening small cheese is made. To this day the cheese can only be made seasonally between 15th August and 15th March. Raw milk. Traditional rennet.(Altitude Theme – October 2017)

Fellstone
Mellow and succulent with a sharp, fresh finish. Tom and Clare Noblet started to make cheese in 2015 on their dairy farm on the edge of the Lake District. Based on a traditional old ‘dales’ recipe of the north of England, Fellstone is aged for three months by which time it has the fresh lemony-lactic flavours of a good Wensleydale, with a supple, firmer texture. Raw milk. Traditional rennet.(Altitude Theme – October 2017)

Federia Alpine
Made by Anne Clayton in Malpas, near Cheshire. She spent 17 years working in Livigno, in the Alps of Lombardia, northern Italy and met her husband there who is also from Cheshire. He farms 360 Friesian-Holsteins on an old manor farm on the border with Shropshire, but Anne takes just 200 litres of milk per make. That’s about 15 cows worth. She decided to start making cheese and invited an Italian cheesemaker over who taught her everything. All her kit is from the Italian Alps, even her copper vat. Raw cows’ milk and traditional rennet. (Harvest Theme – September 2017)

Baron Bigod Brie
Made by Jonathan and Dulcie Crickmore at Fen Farm Dairy in Suffolk and aged to perfect ripeness in The Courtyard Dairy’s maturing rooms, Baron Bigod is Britain’s first unpasteurised Brie to be made in traditional large (3kg) wheels and ladled by hand. Baron Bigod (pronounced By-god) was the Earl of Norfolk in the 12th-century. Montbeliarde cows from France provide the rich milk needed. Raw cows’ milk and traditional rennet. (Harvest Theme – September 2017)

Rollright
Made by David Jowett and Antony Curnow at King Stone Farm, Chipping Norton, Cotswolds, England. A mellow, buttery-rich, ‘washed-rind’ cheese based on the classic French ‘Reblochon’. Winner of ‘Supreme Champion’ (Artisan Cheese Awards 2016) and ‘Best Soft Cheese’ (Great British Cheese Awards 2016). The Haine family, who provide the milk for the cheese, farm 105 cows of mixed traditional breeds, mainly Brown Swiss, plus crosses with Jersey, Guernsey, Ayrshire, Shorthorn, Frisian, Holstein, Swedish Red, Simmental… These cows feed on King Stone Farm’s diverse and plentiful clover and herb pasture (a dozen native grass species!) through spring to autumn. At three months old, after being regularly washed in brine, it has a thin, orangey-red rind and soft, buttery interior reminiscent of those clover pastures. Pasteurised cows’ milk and traditional rennet. (Harvest Theme – September 2017)

Ogleshield
Jamie Montgomery in North Cadbury, Somerset, with his Jersey herd of cows, makes a raclette-style cheese. Ogleshield is washed for three-months and is perfect for raclette grilling or simply eaten on its own! Jamie Montgomery developed this cheese whilst looking for a recipe to use his Jersey milk which is too rich in fat to make a good ‘ageing’ cheese. When two Americans visited Montgomery’s they were tasked with developing something to do with this milk, in return for learning the secrets of Montgomery’s Cheddar. They developed a Tomme style cheese which was sent to affineur Bill Oglethorpe who decided to have a go at washing the cheese and Ogleshield, a washed-rind raclette style cheese, arrived. Raw cows’ milk and traditional rennet. (Harvest Theme – September 2017)

Lanark Blue
An iconic farmhouse British cheese, this is Scotland’s answer to Roquefort; the rich sheep’s milk complemented by a strong, powerful blue veining. Made by Selina Errington in Carnwath, near Edinburgh, Lanark, Scotland. In the early 1980s Humphrey Errington took on a small holding close to Edinburgh, Scotland. Wanting to recreate a cheese traditional to the area, he discovered that sheep were more common than cattle on this rugged landscape, so decided to use sheep‘s milk to make cheese following a recipe written in the 1820s by Sir Walter Scott. He imported the finest dairy sheep, the Lacaune breed (the same used to produce Roquefort), and set about creating an unpressed blue cheese similar to those made throughout the North of England in the middle ages. In recent years, Humphrey has taken a back seat as his daughter, Selina, has taken over the reins of the cheese making. Her husband Andrew runs the farm and milks their 450-strong flock of sheep. Raw milk and vegetarian rennet. (Harvest Theme – September 2017)

Hawes Wensleydale
Made in the North Yorkshire town of Hawes, this is only remaining creamery that survived the 1950s blitz by the milk marketing board who imposed heavy sanctions on the production of Wensleydale Cheese. It is a cows milk cheese and is typically matured for around 6 months. The texture is fairly firm due to its ageing but the taste remains fairly lactic.

Ragstone
This cheeses is made from unpateurised Goats milk at the Neals Yard Creamery near Dorstone in Herefirdshire. It is creamy and smooth in texture and has milky lemony flavours. It is named after the Ragstone Ridge where Neals Yard was originally based in Kent.

Old Winchester
Like so many of our great english cheeses the Smales who farm Lyburn farm in the New forest decided to diversify into cheese making to combat the fall in milk prices. They set out to produce a gouda style hard cheese but in fact produced something much more akin to a parmesan and vegetarian to boot so Old winchester serves as a popular vegetarian substitute to Parmsan.

Oak Smoked Lincolnshire Poacher
This great cheese is produced on the edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds using unpasteurised cows milk. it is a mature cheese and has been smoked for 24 hours over oak chippings which give it it’s distinctive smokiness.

Leeds Blue
This is a great creamy blue packed with flavour. It is made by a Sardinian called Mario Oleanas who, having moved to Leeds decided to start making a sheeps milk cheese based on a Gorgonzola recipe. His family back home had moved into cheese making and he wanted to compete!
Mario uses local sheeps milk and imports culture from Italy to give us this unique cheese.