Just realised looking at my list of posts, I have written about 40 cheeses - so I am half way to "around the world in 80 cheeses". Here's to 40 more.
Bt once I get to 80 I'm going to keep on counting, because there are so many different cheeses to try. I will definitely have to plan on really focusing on the "world" part of it, and get out to taste some cheeses in interesting locations.
Friday, November 22, 2013
Thursday, November 14, 2013
#40 - Kikorangi Blue cheese
Kikorangi has to be one of my all-time favourite
cheeses. It is a New Zealand classic,
and consistently wins awards at the New Zealand Champions of Cheese
Awards. It was Champion of Champions in 2011, and over
the years has also won numerous gold medals, Champion Export Cheese, and
Favourite Cheese Award (by public vote).
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| Image from www.kapiticollection.co.nz |
Kapiti Cheeses was originally set up in 1984 by Ross
McCallum and Neville McNaughton on the Kapiti Coast, when artisan cheese in New
Zealand was in its infancy. Ross and
Neville were pioneers in introducing quality cheeses to New Zealanders, and
Kikorangi became a firm favourite of consumers.
Over time the company grew significantly, and was eventually sold and
after a couple of ownership changes ended up being purchased by New Zealand
dairy giant Fonterra.
Today Kapiti is really just a brand, and the manufacture of
Kikorangi has been transferred from the Kapiti coast to the Fonterra Brands
specialty cheese factory in Eltham, Taranaki.
Some would argue that being made by a large multinational dairy company
means it is no longer an ‘artisan’ cheese.
However, at the Eltham factory a wide variety of cheeses are made by
traditional methods, and only a relatively small volume of each is made. In fact Kikorangi is made in open vats rather
than large computer controlled vats seen in larger factories, the curd is cut
by the cheese makers, and apart from a little automated help with pumping the
curd and filling the hoops, everything else including salting is done by
hand. And I think this shows in the
final product. Kikorangi is consistently
good: even an example not at its best is
a good cheese (whereas I have come across some cheeses in supermarkets that
made me wonder how they got past quality control). At its best, I think it can match a good
Stilton and can have more depth than popular European favourites such as
Gorgonzola or Roquefort.
At 41% fat (and over 60% FDM), Kikorangi is a very creamy
blue cheese. It has a pale golden colour
in the paste (helped by the beta-carotene in New Zealand milkfat that comes
from our grass) and fine dark blue veins.
Many New Zealand blue cheeses have their rinds cleaned before sale – but not Kikorangi, and this adds to both the appearance and the overall
flavour. The dark brown to light grey
mouldy rind is quite thin, and the flavour is not overpowering – it adds a
slight earthy flavour with a hint of mushrooms.
The first thing I notice when I put a piece of Kikorangi in my mouth is
the firm but creamy texture, almost like butter, that begins to melt away after
a few seconds. Then a hit of salt that
is immediately balanced by creaminess, earthiness and the blue veins, and a
sweet acidic tang to tie it all together.
We just love this cheese, and if we are not careful we can
go through a lot of it in one session.
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| This is the example I tasted when writing this evaluation. It is just a cheap one from "staff sales" to a Fonterra staff member but even so still tastes fantastic. |
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| The snack I earned whilst writing this blog post. |
Friday, October 18, 2013
#39 Abbot's Choice Mature Cheddar from Wensleydale Creamery
My mother is becoming a good source of cheese samples. Since she was leaving the country for a lengthy overseas trip, she donated us this small waxed truckle of Cheddar. We were interested to note that this cheese had been imported all the way from Wensleydale Creamery and made its way to little old Palmerston North, and lamented the fact that we hadn't made the opportunity to visit the Wensleydale creamery when we were living in Cumbria last year.
The Wensleydale Creamery is situated in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, and has carried on the tradition of hand making cheese using cow's milk from the pastures surrounding the town of Hawes. It is most famous for Wensleydale cheese, and is the last place where that cheese is still made according to the proper traditions - although other dairies in surrounding counties make Wensleydale, it is not the "real" stuff. Wensleydale is probably best known from Wallace & Gromit. But I digress, this story is for another day when we focus on Wensleydale cheese itself.
The Cheddar is certainly presented in an interesting way - the miniature 200g truckle is coated in black wax, which looks pretty special.
Once we cut into the truckle, we noted the colour and texture. The paste had quite a light colour, and the texture was slightly crumbly. In fact , when we squeezed the cheese, it was quite soft, rather than the waxy crumble we expect in Cheddar. This texture was almost like a "club" or reformed cheese, but may have been due to the small size of the truckle - it may be hard to "press" and maintain the curd in small rounds compared to a big 20kg truckle for example.
In terms of flavour, we expected the wax to have imparted some flavours to the cheese given the surface area of wax involved. This was not so - we could not taste any waxy off-flavours. The flavours were nice (there was nothing notably "wrong" with the cheese), but the balance between the acidity, savouriness and sweetness did not remind us of a true Cheddar. The acid-dryness in our mouths stayed during chewing and swallowing, unlike we would have expected.
This is probably more realistically described as a Cheddary-Wensleydale, which is perfectly reasonable given where it came from. I think perhaps I have not presented this cheese in the best of light - all that I can say is that on a cheeseboard I can still see this being demolished by hungry guests, especially if there is a nice chutney or savoury jam and some crackers to go with it.
The Wensleydale Creamery is situated in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, and has carried on the tradition of hand making cheese using cow's milk from the pastures surrounding the town of Hawes. It is most famous for Wensleydale cheese, and is the last place where that cheese is still made according to the proper traditions - although other dairies in surrounding counties make Wensleydale, it is not the "real" stuff. Wensleydale is probably best known from Wallace & Gromit. But I digress, this story is for another day when we focus on Wensleydale cheese itself.
The Cheddar is certainly presented in an interesting way - the miniature 200g truckle is coated in black wax, which looks pretty special.
Once we cut into the truckle, we noted the colour and texture. The paste had quite a light colour, and the texture was slightly crumbly. In fact , when we squeezed the cheese, it was quite soft, rather than the waxy crumble we expect in Cheddar. This texture was almost like a "club" or reformed cheese, but may have been due to the small size of the truckle - it may be hard to "press" and maintain the curd in small rounds compared to a big 20kg truckle for example.
In terms of flavour, we expected the wax to have imparted some flavours to the cheese given the surface area of wax involved. This was not so - we could not taste any waxy off-flavours. The flavours were nice (there was nothing notably "wrong" with the cheese), but the balance between the acidity, savouriness and sweetness did not remind us of a true Cheddar. The acid-dryness in our mouths stayed during chewing and swallowing, unlike we would have expected.
This is probably more realistically described as a Cheddary-Wensleydale, which is perfectly reasonable given where it came from. I think perhaps I have not presented this cheese in the best of light - all that I can say is that on a cheeseboard I can still see this being demolished by hungry guests, especially if there is a nice chutney or savoury jam and some crackers to go with it.
Friday, September 6, 2013
#38 - Onawe Mature Cheddar from Barry's Bay
Whilst I was on my trip around the upper South Island in July, I visited the Barry's Bay cheese factory, nestled beside the water on the Banks Peninsula. Apart from the beautiful location, they make some good cheese. I was able to try (or take away to try later) most of the Barry's Bay cheeses, and was even lucky enough to be shown through the factory by friendly factory manager Andrew. It was good to see the traditional open cheese vats and cheese making equipment still being used in the way Cheddar used to be made all over New Zealand. And even a vintage boiler is lovingly maintained to keep the hot water and steam supply running.
But anyway, to the cheese. One of the better cheeses tasted was the Onawe mature Cheddar. This cheese is made in January and February (the middle of the milking season) when the milk is at it's best and most consistent. The recipe is the same as the cloth bound Cheddar also made at Barry's Bay, although the Onawe is then ripened as 20kg blocks in vacuum sealed plastic bags like most other Cheddar made in New Zealand. After two years of maturing, the blocks are tasted and cut for retail packaging.
The cheese had a good waxy Cheddar texture, and there were a few small crystals in it - in keeping with its age and flavour development. The sample was a little bitter for our liking, however it was an improvement over the Extra Tasty Cheddar also tried at the same time. There was also a slight sweetness and a background savoury/vegetable flavour. In comparison to the Extra Tasty, the Onawe had more flavour overall and was creamier. Apart from the bitterness, which many people may not pick up (admittedly my wife is very sensitive to it, and we are used to "looking" for it when we evaluate or judge cheeses) the Onawe was pretty well balanced and most people would find it to be a delicious cheese. I'm sure it would get demolished pretty quickly as part of a cheeseboard with some chutney or savoury jam.
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| Barry's Bay and the Akaroa Harbour |
But anyway, to the cheese. One of the better cheeses tasted was the Onawe mature Cheddar. This cheese is made in January and February (the middle of the milking season) when the milk is at it's best and most consistent. The recipe is the same as the cloth bound Cheddar also made at Barry's Bay, although the Onawe is then ripened as 20kg blocks in vacuum sealed plastic bags like most other Cheddar made in New Zealand. After two years of maturing, the blocks are tasted and cut for retail packaging.
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| Onawe Mature Cheddar. Disclaimer - the scruffy appearance and packaging are not characteristic of Barry's' Bay products, this was an off-cut sample given to me for tasting. |
Friday, August 16, 2013
#37 - Whitestone Windsor Blue
I love blue cheeses. So when I was at Canterbury Cheesemongers on my recent South Island road trip, I purchased some Windsor Blue to add to my picnic lunch supplies.
I won't write much about Whitestone cheese, as there is plenty of information available on their website (www.whitestonecheese.com), and many people are familiar with their brand, being one of the largest artisan cheese producers in New Zealand. Their Windsor Blue has won countless medals at the NZ Champions of Cheese Awards over the years - including Supreme Champion in 2006. So it has a strong pedigree.
Unfortunately the sample I had purchased was probably not up to the high award winning standard usually expected, but it was still a nice cheese. The appearance was good, a nice rind and good blue veins throughout the paste. It had a very creamy texture in my mouth. There were parts of the cheese that had not ripened that much - these had a bitterness at first and a very slight petroleum taste. To be fair though, many people may not even notice these slight flavours - they are something I pick up from regular tasting and judging of cheeses. These would probably disappear as the cheese matured more and developed stronger flavours from more proteolysis and lipolysis. Other parts of the cheese with more blueing had a nice earthy stronger flavour. Personally I would have preferred some more age on the cheese - but then I do love a really strong blue, which is not to everyone's taste.
When considering the individual sample I tasted, we should remember the variability that must be expected with artisan cheeses. The same cheese can vary from batch to batch, round to round, and even within a cheese itself. So a cheese selected from a good batch is not guaranteed to be as stunning as others in that batch. This is no reflection on the cheese maker or cheesemonger. We should be more concerned about the quality and consistency of the cheese over time rather than small variations between batches. And Windsor Blue certainly has shown to be consistently good. And I would certainly prefer to buy my cheese cut fresh from a round at a good cheese shop, rather than sealed in plastic at the supermarket.
I won't write much about Whitestone cheese, as there is plenty of information available on their website (www.whitestonecheese.com), and many people are familiar with their brand, being one of the largest artisan cheese producers in New Zealand. Their Windsor Blue has won countless medals at the NZ Champions of Cheese Awards over the years - including Supreme Champion in 2006. So it has a strong pedigree.
Unfortunately the sample I had purchased was probably not up to the high award winning standard usually expected, but it was still a nice cheese. The appearance was good, a nice rind and good blue veins throughout the paste. It had a very creamy texture in my mouth. There were parts of the cheese that had not ripened that much - these had a bitterness at first and a very slight petroleum taste. To be fair though, many people may not even notice these slight flavours - they are something I pick up from regular tasting and judging of cheeses. These would probably disappear as the cheese matured more and developed stronger flavours from more proteolysis and lipolysis. Other parts of the cheese with more blueing had a nice earthy stronger flavour. Personally I would have preferred some more age on the cheese - but then I do love a really strong blue, which is not to everyone's taste.
When considering the individual sample I tasted, we should remember the variability that must be expected with artisan cheeses. The same cheese can vary from batch to batch, round to round, and even within a cheese itself. So a cheese selected from a good batch is not guaranteed to be as stunning as others in that batch. This is no reflection on the cheese maker or cheesemonger. We should be more concerned about the quality and consistency of the cheese over time rather than small variations between batches. And Windsor Blue certainly has shown to be consistently good. And I would certainly prefer to buy my cheese cut fresh from a round at a good cheese shop, rather than sealed in plastic at the supermarket.
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| Windsor Blue - I've already cut the best part off for my lunch! |
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| Windsor Blue went well in my road trip picnic at Hanmer Springs. |
Friday, August 2, 2013
Book review - Cheese: The World's Best Artisan Cheeses by Patricia Michelson
Instead of writing about a particular cheese this week, I thought I'd mention a great book which I have carried around the world. I am talking about "Cheese: The World's Best Artisan Cheeses, a journey through taste, tradition and terroir", by Patricia Michelson.
Patricia runs the famous La Fromagerie in Marylebone, London, which I wrote about last year (read it here). My mother gave us Patricia's book for Christmas in 2011 not long before we left New Zealand on our trip around the world, and we took it with us on our travels, adding notes on the cheeses we tasted. Mostly this was in the UK and on the West Coast of the USA - we felt we had made notes on lots of cheeses, but when we look at all the ones in the book we haven't tasted, we realise we have many more trips to come in the future! Sadly when we visited La Fromagerie in London, we were not able to meet Patricia and show her our well-travelled book, but we did marvel at the number of cheeses in the famous cheese room.
The book is broken down into regions of the world - The British Isles & Ireland; France; Alpine Europe; Italy; Spain & Portugal; The Rest of Europe; USA & Canada; Australia & New Zealand. Then within each zone the cheeses are broken down further into sub-regions. The book isn't a comprehensive list of all cheeses in the world (there are many less-well known cheeses and regions not covered at all), but that would be almost impossible. Instead, each cheese is presented with a few paragraphs (and sometimes a full page) of background information about the cheese makers, the farm, its history, the manufacturing process, or a description of how it is often eaten. This is done in an informative and neutral way, rather than telling the reader what they should and shouldn't like. Patricia never comes across as judgmental or more important than the cheese makers. And the photos in this book are really good - they show the cheeses beautifully and there is a photo for almost every cheese described.
At the back of the book there are also some recipes and useful tips for serving and caring for cheese, but I personally don't focus on these because the main part of the book is such good reference material. Sometimes I find myself just flicking through the book, looking at cheeses and imagining a new trip to visit a particular region.
All in all, I would recommend this book for anyone that is passionate about cheese. Use it either as a coffee table book or as a reference book or even a journey planner! We certainly found it useful on our trip around California and Oregon, helping us pick out a few locations to detour to along the way. My only disappointment is the small size of the section on New Zealand cheeses. I'm sure there are more cheeses in this country worthy of the world's attention - but then I am biased. I shall have to work on this!
Patricia runs the famous La Fromagerie in Marylebone, London, which I wrote about last year (read it here). My mother gave us Patricia's book for Christmas in 2011 not long before we left New Zealand on our trip around the world, and we took it with us on our travels, adding notes on the cheeses we tasted. Mostly this was in the UK and on the West Coast of the USA - we felt we had made notes on lots of cheeses, but when we look at all the ones in the book we haven't tasted, we realise we have many more trips to come in the future! Sadly when we visited La Fromagerie in London, we were not able to meet Patricia and show her our well-travelled book, but we did marvel at the number of cheeses in the famous cheese room.
The book is broken down into regions of the world - The British Isles & Ireland; France; Alpine Europe; Italy; Spain & Portugal; The Rest of Europe; USA & Canada; Australia & New Zealand. Then within each zone the cheeses are broken down further into sub-regions. The book isn't a comprehensive list of all cheeses in the world (there are many less-well known cheeses and regions not covered at all), but that would be almost impossible. Instead, each cheese is presented with a few paragraphs (and sometimes a full page) of background information about the cheese makers, the farm, its history, the manufacturing process, or a description of how it is often eaten. This is done in an informative and neutral way, rather than telling the reader what they should and shouldn't like. Patricia never comes across as judgmental or more important than the cheese makers. And the photos in this book are really good - they show the cheeses beautifully and there is a photo for almost every cheese described.
At the back of the book there are also some recipes and useful tips for serving and caring for cheese, but I personally don't focus on these because the main part of the book is such good reference material. Sometimes I find myself just flicking through the book, looking at cheeses and imagining a new trip to visit a particular region.
All in all, I would recommend this book for anyone that is passionate about cheese. Use it either as a coffee table book or as a reference book or even a journey planner! We certainly found it useful on our trip around California and Oregon, helping us pick out a few locations to detour to along the way. My only disappointment is the small size of the section on New Zealand cheeses. I'm sure there are more cheeses in this country worthy of the world's attention - but then I am biased. I shall have to work on this!
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| The book has travelled well with us - showing here some notes from our brief time in Oregon. |
Friday, July 26, 2013
#36 - Mainland Noble Tasty Cheddar
Ok, I have to declare a personal bias for this cheese, as I was one of the technologists involved in developing it when I worked at the Fonterra Research Centre. But it really is a good cheese - even with my independent hat on, given I no longer work for Fonterra. It is good to see that all the hard work put in over the years by many researchers has been launched onto the market.
The key thing about Noble Tasty Cheddar is that it has 30% less fat than standard Cheddar cheese - but it still tastes great (if not better than any other supermarket cheeses out there). Many reduced fat cheeses can be lacking in flavour, and in particular reduced fat cheddars are often rubbery or bitter. Using a combination of well controlled manufacturing conditions, a selection of cultures, and some care, it is possible to actually make this cheese that develops a great flavour and texture as it matures.
The Noble Cheddar in the supermarkets at the moment appears to be at the younger end of the scale, so it has a young cheddary texture, but it has a good amount of flavour with some extra savoury notes not seen in standard Tasty. From my experience, I know that the flavour of this cheese ages well - as it matures it will develop some strong savoury and slightly fruity notes. I would expect a good piece of this Noble Cheddar at 12 months old to have stronger and more interesting flavours than a regular Tasty.
As the Noble Cheddar ages, it will develop small crystals both inside the block and on the cut surfaces. These are a a mix of minerals and amino acids formed as a result of the aging processes going on in the cheese itself, and are perfectly normal. Some people wait until the cheese is riddled with crystals before they even eat it as they know the flavour will be super strong. However on the flip side, if you prefer a milder cheese, pick a younger one with less crystals.
A testimony to this cheese is that during its development, it won a gold medal at the 2011 International Cheese Awards in Nantwich, England.
OK, so it's not a gourmet artisan cheese, and I have a personal bias for it, but as far as commercial cheeses from big suppliers go, this is a very good cheese, even before you consider it is 30% reduced in fat!
The key thing about Noble Tasty Cheddar is that it has 30% less fat than standard Cheddar cheese - but it still tastes great (if not better than any other supermarket cheeses out there). Many reduced fat cheeses can be lacking in flavour, and in particular reduced fat cheddars are often rubbery or bitter. Using a combination of well controlled manufacturing conditions, a selection of cultures, and some care, it is possible to actually make this cheese that develops a great flavour and texture as it matures.
The Noble Cheddar in the supermarkets at the moment appears to be at the younger end of the scale, so it has a young cheddary texture, but it has a good amount of flavour with some extra savoury notes not seen in standard Tasty. From my experience, I know that the flavour of this cheese ages well - as it matures it will develop some strong savoury and slightly fruity notes. I would expect a good piece of this Noble Cheddar at 12 months old to have stronger and more interesting flavours than a regular Tasty.
As the Noble Cheddar ages, it will develop small crystals both inside the block and on the cut surfaces. These are a a mix of minerals and amino acids formed as a result of the aging processes going on in the cheese itself, and are perfectly normal. Some people wait until the cheese is riddled with crystals before they even eat it as they know the flavour will be super strong. However on the flip side, if you prefer a milder cheese, pick a younger one with less crystals.
A testimony to this cheese is that during its development, it won a gold medal at the 2011 International Cheese Awards in Nantwich, England.
OK, so it's not a gourmet artisan cheese, and I have a personal bias for it, but as far as commercial cheeses from big suppliers go, this is a very good cheese, even before you consider it is 30% reduced in fat!
Friday, July 19, 2013
# 35 - Karikaas Vintage Leydon (cumin seed gouda)
New Zealand has fantastic Gouda cheeses, made by Dutch families who have immigrated over the last few generations and kept up the traditional cheese making methods. One could even argue that the best Dutch cheeses are found in New Zealand!
On my way North from Christchurch to Nelson, I took a small detour inland through Rangiora to stop in at the Karikaas factory and shop at Loburn. Karikaas was started in 1984 by Dutch immigrants Karin and Rients Rypma, and makes Dutch-style cheeses and fresh European style dairy products. Since the late 1980s, the milk they use has been sourced from a single local farm.
One of the cheeses Karikaas is best known for is their Vintage Leydon - a traditional Gouda with cumin seeds added. The balance between the cumin flavour and the cheese itself changes as the cheese ages. The younger cheeses are delicious but perhaps the cumin seems stronger compared to the cheese flavour. By the time the cheese has aged for a couple of years, I think it reaches the best balance between the rich, savoury flavours of the cheese and the cumin seeds.
So I bought a piece of Vintage Leydon - cut from the wheel - to take on my trip North. I found a nice calm spot for lunch on the beach at Rabbit Island, near Nelson. The piece of cheese I had was delicious - it would have been a good vintage Gouda in its own right - slightly sweet, firm but not crumbly, savoury with a slight nuttiness, and clean acid dryness when first put in the mouth. But the cumin adds an extra dimension - it was not dominant but balanced perfectly with the other flavours of the mature cheese. This would not have been the case with a 'base' cheese of lesser quality. This went well with the Danish Salami in my 'road trip wrap' - although next time I'll opt for a salami with less garlic so I can taste the other cheese!
On my way North from Christchurch to Nelson, I took a small detour inland through Rangiora to stop in at the Karikaas factory and shop at Loburn. Karikaas was started in 1984 by Dutch immigrants Karin and Rients Rypma, and makes Dutch-style cheeses and fresh European style dairy products. Since the late 1980s, the milk they use has been sourced from a single local farm.
One of the cheeses Karikaas is best known for is their Vintage Leydon - a traditional Gouda with cumin seeds added. The balance between the cumin flavour and the cheese itself changes as the cheese ages. The younger cheeses are delicious but perhaps the cumin seems stronger compared to the cheese flavour. By the time the cheese has aged for a couple of years, I think it reaches the best balance between the rich, savoury flavours of the cheese and the cumin seeds.
So I bought a piece of Vintage Leydon - cut from the wheel - to take on my trip North. I found a nice calm spot for lunch on the beach at Rabbit Island, near Nelson. The piece of cheese I had was delicious - it would have been a good vintage Gouda in its own right - slightly sweet, firm but not crumbly, savoury with a slight nuttiness, and clean acid dryness when first put in the mouth. But the cumin adds an extra dimension - it was not dominant but balanced perfectly with the other flavours of the mature cheese. This would not have been the case with a 'base' cheese of lesser quality. This went well with the Danish Salami in my 'road trip wrap' - although next time I'll opt for a salami with less garlic so I can taste the other cheese!
Friday, July 12, 2013
South Island cheese tour
I am just coming to the end of a week long cheese tour of the upper part of the South Island. I have driven myself over 1400 km from Kaikoura down to Christchurch, Rangiora, and up to Nelson, during which I have visited cheese shops, artisan cheese makers and markets. I have met so many cool, friendly, open and passionate people and I am looking forward to writing posts about my trip. So keep an eye on the blog in the coming weeks and months for some great Kiwi cheeses and brands you may not have heard of.
Friday, June 14, 2013
#34 - Kallarney Blue by The Cheese Barn at Matatoki
Back in March my mother went on a trip to the Coromandel peninsula, and on the way she stopped off at The Cheese Barn at Matatoki. One benefit of being involved in the cheese industry is that every time anyone in our families stops at a cheese shop they inevitably purchase something to bring back for us to try out!
So mum had purchased a wedge of Kallarney Blue for us. This cheese was made from organic cow's milk, and using vegetarian rennet. The fat content was stated as 29.5%, which I calculate to give a cheese of around 50% FDM (for those Europeans used to such terminology).
The wedge of cheese was wrapped in cling film and it had obviously been wrapped up for a while as the surfaces did not look very fresh, and were a little dry and oxidised. This is not something to worry too much about, as simply scraping down the surfaces with the face of a knife will tidy it up well.
The cheese paste was firm, slightly dry, almost like a soft, slightly crumbly cheddar. It had nice blue marbling throughout. The flavour was quite savoury - almost meaty - and there was good balance between this savouriness, the blue veins and the salt.
Overall a nice cheese. Given that our sample didn't appear so fresh, we would recommend looking for a piece that had been more recently cut from the truckle. Kallarney Blue would go well in a cheeseboard selection with some nice chutney or a savoury crab-apple jelly.
So mum had purchased a wedge of Kallarney Blue for us. This cheese was made from organic cow's milk, and using vegetarian rennet. The fat content was stated as 29.5%, which I calculate to give a cheese of around 50% FDM (for those Europeans used to such terminology).
The wedge of cheese was wrapped in cling film and it had obviously been wrapped up for a while as the surfaces did not look very fresh, and were a little dry and oxidised. This is not something to worry too much about, as simply scraping down the surfaces with the face of a knife will tidy it up well.
The cheese paste was firm, slightly dry, almost like a soft, slightly crumbly cheddar. It had nice blue marbling throughout. The flavour was quite savoury - almost meaty - and there was good balance between this savouriness, the blue veins and the salt.
Overall a nice cheese. Given that our sample didn't appear so fresh, we would recommend looking for a piece that had been more recently cut from the truckle. Kallarney Blue would go well in a cheeseboard selection with some nice chutney or a savoury crab-apple jelly.
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| Kallarney Blue from The Cheese Barn at Matatoki. |
Friday, May 31, 2013
#33 Saint Marcellin
We actually tried this cheese at home in Palmerston North, far from France where we would have originally liked to try it. On a trip down to Wellington in March, Andrew popped in to La Marche Francais deli, who specialise in European and in particular French cheeses, and decided to pick out a cheese we had not yet tried.
Saint Marcellin is a small (typcially 80g) soft cheese made from raw or thermised cow's milk in the Rhone-Alpes region of France (thermised milk is heated in a similar way to pasteurisation, but at a lower temperature of 63-65°C). The cheese is made using a lactic curd process and is allowed to drain gently in moulds without pressing. It contains around 23% fat which is approximately 50% fat in dry matter. It is often sold in small ceramic dishes, as it can become quite soft and runny as it matures.
We purchased the cheese on the first weekend of March, and the shop assistant recommended we leave the cheese out on the kitchen bench for a few days to ripen it properly before we ate it. Through a combination of forgetfullness, experimentation and poking the cheese, we ended up leaving it in the dairy section of the fridge for a full month until early April before we got around to eating it. In fact we tackled this cheese a few days after the labelled best before date, which in my experience is usually when many cheeses are at their best anyway.
This cheese was packaged in a tiny wooden cup/box, which looks great compared to many of the cheese packages we see in New Zealand. There was a light, white geotrichum mould around the edges of the cheese. Although St Marcellin is not a washed rind cheese, there was a gentle aroma typical of washed rind cheeses, mixed with the sweetness of the geotrichum. When cut, the cheese had a smooth, unctuous centre with a thin tender rind that held cheese in shape. The flavour was sweet, milky, nutty, slightly sour and with a hint of animal notes - but nothing in excess - it was beautifully balanced.
We absolutely loved this cheese and devoured it pretty quickly. We had left the cheese out of the fridge for about 30 minutes, which was enough to soften it nicely but not so warm that it ran across the plate.
Saint Marcellin is a small (typcially 80g) soft cheese made from raw or thermised cow's milk in the Rhone-Alpes region of France (thermised milk is heated in a similar way to pasteurisation, but at a lower temperature of 63-65°C). The cheese is made using a lactic curd process and is allowed to drain gently in moulds without pressing. It contains around 23% fat which is approximately 50% fat in dry matter. It is often sold in small ceramic dishes, as it can become quite soft and runny as it matures.
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| The example we purchased was made by French family owned cheese company Fromi. |
We purchased the cheese on the first weekend of March, and the shop assistant recommended we leave the cheese out on the kitchen bench for a few days to ripen it properly before we ate it. Through a combination of forgetfullness, experimentation and poking the cheese, we ended up leaving it in the dairy section of the fridge for a full month until early April before we got around to eating it. In fact we tackled this cheese a few days after the labelled best before date, which in my experience is usually when many cheeses are at their best anyway.
This cheese was packaged in a tiny wooden cup/box, which looks great compared to many of the cheese packages we see in New Zealand. There was a light, white geotrichum mould around the edges of the cheese. Although St Marcellin is not a washed rind cheese, there was a gentle aroma typical of washed rind cheeses, mixed with the sweetness of the geotrichum. When cut, the cheese had a smooth, unctuous centre with a thin tender rind that held cheese in shape. The flavour was sweet, milky, nutty, slightly sour and with a hint of animal notes - but nothing in excess - it was beautifully balanced.
We absolutely loved this cheese and devoured it pretty quickly. We had left the cheese out of the fridge for about 30 minutes, which was enough to soften it nicely but not so warm that it ran across the plate.
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| Thought about putting it back in the fridge... but not for long. Also thought about eating this half in one mouthful. In the end we shared and savored it. |
Friday, May 24, 2013
#32 - Berkswell cheese
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| Image taken from www.cartmelcheeses.co.uk |
Berkswell cheese is made at Ram Hall near the village of Berkswell in Warwickshire. Sheila and Peter Fletcher milk a flock of Friesian and Dorset sheep, and the cheese is made by Linda Dutch and her team at the 16th century farmhouse. Berkswell cheese is made from unpasteurised ewe’s milk, and using traditional animal rennet, both of which contribute to its depth of flavour. The curd is drained in basket moulds (although modern plastic versions are used now) which gives it a distinctive UFO shape.
The cheeses are aged for around 6 months, but good batches
can be aged for longer and can develop an amazing depth of flavour. It has a medium firm texture when younger but
becomes firmer as it matures. The rind is firm but thin, and can vary from smooth to rough/crusty and varying in
colour in older cheeses. It can even
become pitted from mites as it ages, a bit like mimolette.
The flavour is rich and often complex - savoury and fruity
and a little sweet (reminiscent of parmesan style cheese) and sometimes nutty,
but with an extra flavour contribution and waxy texture from the sheeps
milk. This was one of my favourites in the
short time I worked at NYD.
Further information:
A good info sheet can be found on the Neal’s Yard Dairy
website: here
And a detailed article on the Fletchers' farm and Berkswell
cheese production can be found here
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| Specially selected Berkswell maturing at the Neal's Yard Dairy maturing arches. |
Friday, May 17, 2013
#31 Stichelton
While we were working at Neal's Yard Dairy at the end of last year, we were invited to a number of staff cheese tastings where we met with NYD suppliers, tasted their cheeses, and heard what drove them to create their unique cheeses. We were lucky enough to attend a session with Joe Schneider, who makes Stichelton - one of the stars at NYD.
Stichelton is a blue cheese made from unpasteurised, organic milk from the Collingthwaite Farm on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire.
Many people have said that Stichelton is "a raw milk Stilton" but this is not strictly true - first of all Stilton cannot be made using unpasteurised milk according to it's PDO designation. Stichelton is a cheese in it's own right. Although the original recipe was based on traditional methods used to make Stilton long before it's PDO status was granted, the current process will have been tweaked and modified to create the best product possible at the Collingthwaite Farm factory. For example, traditional calf rennet is used and the curd is hand ladled from the vat to the draining table, but instead of piercing the cheeses by hand they are pierced by machines to ensure more uniform ripening and distribution of blueing. It could be said that Stichelton gives one an idea of what a Stilton could be like if it was still made using the old traditional methods before pasteurisation was common. Interestingly, the only Stilton that is still made using the traditional hand ladling technique is made specifically for Neal's Yard Dairy, to meet their high standards.
A good Stichelton has an orange/golden/brown crust that is not too dry, with a creamy smooth mouthfeel, even blueing throughout the paste, and loads of flavour. The flavour can be slightly sweet with savoury notes, and some aromatic blue flavours. Many more slight variations in flavour can be seen between different batches or individual rounds of the cheese.
The tasting session was set up as a blind tasting. We tasted 8 cheeses in two groups of four, with nothing to identify them (except our expertise - many of the cheesemongers attending were able to identify the cheeses sold by NYD). The cheese samples included Stilton purchased at supermarkets (made with vegetarian rennet), Colston Basset Stilton from NYD, and samples of Stichelton.
Whilst a lot of variation can be expected when tasting these types of small volume blue cheeses, everyone agreed that the supermarket Stiltons were below the level of the Stilton and Stichelton made using traditional methods. Part of this is due to the extra care and handling the cheeses receive through a proper cheesemonger. Partly it is due to the cheese makers and their attention to detail to make the best cheese possible for a customer with high demands. Opinion varied between those of us at the tasting session about which sample was best out of a couple of Sticheltons and the traditional Colston Basset Stilton. Some pieces of cheese tasted slightly different due to difference amounts of blueing, some people have different preferences or can detect tastes (e.g.bitterness) more or less strongly than others. Nevertheless, we were picking fine details between some very delicious cheeses!
Some people claim they prefer Stichelton over Stilton purely because it is made with unpasteurised milk. In my opinion, Stichelton is not automatically better than Stilton, but it has the potential to be better because of the unpasteurised milk and the careful cheesemaking methods used. Because of variability caused by many things, sometimes a traditional Colston Basset Stilton is going to be better, but when Joe and the team get it right the resulting Stichelton has a complexity and flavour that the Stilton will probably not achieve. The best way to make sure you get the best cheese is to buy it from a cheesemonger, who knows how to look after the cheese properly and will hopefully have selected the batch to meet their standards.
Stichelton is a blue cheese made from unpasteurised, organic milk from the Collingthwaite Farm on the Welbeck Estate in Nottinghamshire.
Many people have said that Stichelton is "a raw milk Stilton" but this is not strictly true - first of all Stilton cannot be made using unpasteurised milk according to it's PDO designation. Stichelton is a cheese in it's own right. Although the original recipe was based on traditional methods used to make Stilton long before it's PDO status was granted, the current process will have been tweaked and modified to create the best product possible at the Collingthwaite Farm factory. For example, traditional calf rennet is used and the curd is hand ladled from the vat to the draining table, but instead of piercing the cheeses by hand they are pierced by machines to ensure more uniform ripening and distribution of blueing. It could be said that Stichelton gives one an idea of what a Stilton could be like if it was still made using the old traditional methods before pasteurisation was common. Interestingly, the only Stilton that is still made using the traditional hand ladling technique is made specifically for Neal's Yard Dairy, to meet their high standards.
A good Stichelton has an orange/golden/brown crust that is not too dry, with a creamy smooth mouthfeel, even blueing throughout the paste, and loads of flavour. The flavour can be slightly sweet with savoury notes, and some aromatic blue flavours. Many more slight variations in flavour can be seen between different batches or individual rounds of the cheese.
 |
| Stichelton we took home from the tasting session, and then devoured. |
The tasting session was set up as a blind tasting. We tasted 8 cheeses in two groups of four, with nothing to identify them (except our expertise - many of the cheesemongers attending were able to identify the cheeses sold by NYD). The cheese samples included Stilton purchased at supermarkets (made with vegetarian rennet), Colston Basset Stilton from NYD, and samples of Stichelton.
Whilst a lot of variation can be expected when tasting these types of small volume blue cheeses, everyone agreed that the supermarket Stiltons were below the level of the Stilton and Stichelton made using traditional methods. Part of this is due to the extra care and handling the cheeses receive through a proper cheesemonger. Partly it is due to the cheese makers and their attention to detail to make the best cheese possible for a customer with high demands. Opinion varied between those of us at the tasting session about which sample was best out of a couple of Sticheltons and the traditional Colston Basset Stilton. Some pieces of cheese tasted slightly different due to difference amounts of blueing, some people have different preferences or can detect tastes (e.g.bitterness) more or less strongly than others. Nevertheless, we were picking fine details between some very delicious cheeses!
Some people claim they prefer Stichelton over Stilton purely because it is made with unpasteurised milk. In my opinion, Stichelton is not automatically better than Stilton, but it has the potential to be better because of the unpasteurised milk and the careful cheesemaking methods used. Because of variability caused by many things, sometimes a traditional Colston Basset Stilton is going to be better, but when Joe and the team get it right the resulting Stichelton has a complexity and flavour that the Stilton will probably not achieve. The best way to make sure you get the best cheese is to buy it from a cheesemonger, who knows how to look after the cheese properly and will hopefully have selected the batch to meet their standards.
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| Stichelton maturing on the shelves at Neal's Yard Dairy's Bermondsey maturing facility. |
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
#30 Cuor di Fassa
Back in January we went on a skiing trip to the Val di Fassa in the Italian Dolomites. We stayed in the town of Canazei near the head of the valley. What a beautiful and picturesque place! I have seen photos from a summer trip my mother came on to the same region, and we'd love to come back here in summer to walk around the high passes and valleys, visiting the rifugios and seeing the cows grazing on the alpine pastures.
Apart from skiing, drinking hot chocolate on the slopes, and plenty of red wine back in the chalet every day, we also went on a search for some local cheese. In the centre of Canazei we found a shop selling a small selection of local and regional cheeses. We selected the most local of all - Cuor di Fassa, made right in the valley we were staying.
In actual fact, Cuor di Fassa is made locally by Caseificio Sociale Val di Fassa, which is one of the co-operatives that make up the Gruppo Formaggi del Trentino, a consortium that has developed over the years to market the cheeses of the Trentino region. Probably the most well known cheese they sell is Trentingrana - a DOP protected Grana style cheese made in the region. The website http://www.trentingrana.it has all the information on the regional cheeses.
In actual fact, Cuor di Fassa is made locally by Caseificio Sociale Val di Fassa, which is one of the co-operatives that make up the Gruppo Formaggi del Trentino, a consortium that has developed over the years to market the cheeses of the Trentino region. Probably the most well known cheese they sell is Trentingrana - a DOP protected Grana style cheese made in the region. The website http://www.trentingrana.it has all the information on the regional cheeses.
Anyway, back to Val di Fassa, where the local co-op also makes a variety of other cheeses, including another famous one called Puzzone di Moena, which we shall have to try one day when we return! Cuor di Fassa itself was traditionally produced in the cow-herders' huts or in barns at mid-mountain level, or in the community dairies down in the valley floor. It is characterized by the contribution of mountain herbs and flowers. In times of poverty, it was a staple of the diet along with polenta or boiled potatoes. These days it is still made from raw cows milk obtained from pastures in the Val di Fassa and Val di Fiemme. It has 28-29% fat. The cheese is made into 10 kg wheels and is generally matured for 2-8 months, although there appear to be examples available that have been aged for longer.
In the shop we found, Cuor di Fassa was available in a variety of ages. We chose to take home a piece of the stagionato (aged) version which we think was about 6-8 months old - although there was an older looking wheel available.
It had a complex aroma, with floral and animal notes dominating, and a slight sense of acetic acid as well as a not quite so pleasant fecal/animal-type aroma.
The rind was firm, even and pale brown in colour, with evidence of brine salting and some rind washing. The body was very open, perhaps up to 20% of the volume, from gas producing cultures which had produced rough and uneven "eyes". The texture of the body was springy and elastic.
When we tasted it, the first things we noticed were acidity and an amino acid/histamine type heat, which then gave way to a sweet and complex flavour with floral, pasture and animal notes (think of the smell of a lovely mountain pasture), . The finish was slightly dirty tasting - not in a bad way, as it was in balance with the rest of the flavours and gave a sense of being connected to the local "terroir". We described this in our notes as having a "long flavour" i.e. it just kept going as one flavour gave way to another.
Overall, while this was not a perfect cheese, it had loads of flavour and complexity - each time we tasted a piece we found something new - and was a great way to feel linked to the local food culture. This cheese would be great on a cracker with some condiments or a slice of Italian salami.
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| Nothing like a bit of local pride - the Val di Fassa regional logo used on the wax paper. |
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Neal's Yard Dairy
Neals Yard Dairy (NYD) is a well-known company that
specialises in British and Irish territorial cheeses. The operations cover the full range from affinage
(maturing and looking after the cheeses), selecting and grading cheeses,
wholesale supply (restaurants, delis and other cheese shops), export, and
retail to the public through two popular shops – one in Covent Garden and one
next to Borough Market. Sandi and I were
lucky enough to be able to work at NYD for 2 ½ months from mid-October 2012. We had previously been making cheese at one
of NYD’s suppliers – Holker Farm Dairy – so already had some insight into the business,
but it was interesting to get involved and see where the cheese had been going!
Sandi worked in the Borough Market shop, basically selling
cheese to the public all day. The NYD
style is all about the cheese – which is the star – and making sure the
customer has chosen the right cheese for them.
The culture is based on the fact that that every block of cheese is
individual and can have a different character from even those in the same
batch. Many of the producers that supply
NYD are very small volume and all the cheese is hand made. This requires a lot of tasting – by both the
customers and the cheese monger. How can
you recommend a cheese to a customer if you aren’t familiar with the particular
pieces on display!? With all that cheese
out on display, there is a lot of work involved in setting it out in the
morning, and putting it all away in the evening. Sandi learnt how to cut down and section large
cheeses, how to glass-face (applying cling-film to the cut face), how to wrap
different shapes of cheese amongst other skills. Even though she learnt a lot in 2 ½ months,
we were always impressed with the skill, ease and speed with which a seasoned
cheesemonger can accomplish these tasks after years in the profession.
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| Sandi in action with a piece of Montgomery's Cheddar |
Andrew spent his time on “cheese shift” at the maturing
rooms in Bermondsey. These are situated inside
brick railway arches. This is where all
the cheeses arrive from suppliers, at which point they are checked in by Cheese
Shift, and taken to the appropriate ripening rooms. Generally the harder cheeses – such as Cheddars,
Lancashire, Red Leicester – are already ready to sell when they arrive (they
will have been selected by managers on trips to the suppliers during the year
and matured by the cheese makers). If
all these cheeses had to be matured for up to two years, there just wouldn’t be
any room. However there is still an
impressive amount of hard cheese in stock.
And it all needs to be tasted and graded weekly to ensure it is top
quality and that customers get the right profile of cheese. Andrew could often be found wiping the rinds
and turning these hard cheeses. There is
also a large volume of Colston Basset Stilton and a similar cheese called Stichelton
that need to be held on the shelves, turned, and tasted through in a similar way.
Another big job for the staff on Cheese Shift is to move all these blue cheeses
by hand. At busy times we moved up to 6
pallets (about 5500kg) worth of Stilton in a day, which involved throwing
individual 7kg cheeses up to someone on the mezzanine area, stacking them on
shelves, and rotating older cheeses back down the ground level shelves. This is good team work, and there was
certainly no need for a gym membership for Andrew!
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| Andrew patting cheeses at the arches. |
We tasted so many cheeses during our time at NYD, many of
which we are intending to write about on this blog, so keep an eye out in the
future.
We both really enjoyed our time working at NYD. Each of the teams we were in was inclusive,
open, passionate, and always willing to teach us. In fact, NYD is full of passionate people,
who believe in the absolute top quality of cheese. If it wasn’t for Neals Yard Dairy, a number of
traditional British cheeses would probably no longer be made. As it is, most of them have only one
remaining manufacturer who makes them to the traditional methods. We were sad to leave and under different
circumstances would have loved to return.
We thoroughly recommend a visit
to Neal’s yard Diary for any cheese lover who finds themselves in London.
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| The Borough Market shop |
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| So much top quality cheese. |
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| Wensleydale and Stichelton. |
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| Kirkham's Lancashire. |
Sunday, February 24, 2013
NZ Champion of Cheese awards
Sandi and I just finished the day judging at the NZ Champions of Cheese awards at the Langham hotel in Auckland. We were both lucky enough to taste a variety of cheese styles in our categories. Although there was a range of quality as usual, there were some very nice cheeses. We continue to notice the absence of some cheese styles that are common overseas - and hope that kiwi cheese makers can be encouraged to continue to develop in this area and that the public will support them.
The final round of judging the gold medal winners to pick out the championship cheeses (for artisan and large commercial producers) showed some good New Zealand cheese makers. We are waiting until Tuesday night at the awards night to find out who won the Champion of Champions award!
Andrew & Sandi
The final round of judging the gold medal winners to pick out the championship cheeses (for artisan and large commercial producers) showed some good New Zealand cheese makers. We are waiting until Tuesday night at the awards night to find out who won the Champion of Champions award!
Andrew & Sandi
#29 Le Crottin de Chevre
One day while we were walking around Paris last October, we
stopped to buy a picnic lunch at a small supermarket on a street hidden down
the side of a local church. The usual
items for us – some bread rolls, salami and cheeses. We got a pack of the everyday sliced Swiss
style cheese from a mass producer (which was nice but we won’t bother to write
about here), but I also spied various packs of smaller more interesting cheeses
at pretty good prices. I grabbed a twin
pack of Crottin de Chevre, under the Rians brand, made by Laitieres H.
Triballat in the village of Rians, in teh Berry region – almost the dead centre of France.
For €2.80 we got two 60g cheeses which were well packaged in
little plastic containers that protected the cheeses and which appeared to be
designed to allow them to breathe with minimal packaging touching the
rind. The rind of the cheeses was
covered in a fine layer of geotrichum wrinkles, and had a slightly creamy/ivory
colour with tinges of white starting to develop. The curd was firm and cracked slightly when
cut, but was creamy and fresh tasting, with only a slight (and pleasant) goat
flavour. The rind development had added
a little aroma and flavour to the goat curd and appeared to release a little
more goat milk flavour (from the broken down fats) around the rind. This was very nice on a fresh baguette. Later in the week Andrew finished it all up
by himself (nobody else was a goat cheese fan) on fresh bread with honey.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
#28 St Clemens Danish Blue
#28 - St Clemens Danish Blue cheese
My father and his new wife Kirsten (who is Danish) bought us a piece of nice Danish blue cheese when they visited us in London on their way back from a conference. They purchased it from a local cheese shop near where they were staying in Denmark. Based on the label, we know it is a cheese from Bornholms Andelsmejeri, a co-operative on the island of Bornholm in the Baltic sea. Dad and Kirsten had visited Bornholm a couple of years before and had visited the dairy factory, but unfortunately they could not bring back the cheese to us in New Zealand!
St Clemens is the "export" division/label of Bornholms Andelsmejeri, and the Danish Blue (or Danablu) made under this label has a great pedigree. It has been named "World Champion" twice at the World Champion Cheese Contest in Wisconsin (in 1980 and 1998).
Because the cheese we tasted was wrapped without a label, we are not totally sure which version of St Clemens Blue it was, but after tasting it we suspect it was possibly the 60+ version (meaning 60% FDM, or 60% of the non-moisture substance in the cheese is fat). This would be around 35-36% total fat content in this cheese. It had a clean outer surface (there is no real rind with this style of cheese) with a white, slightly creamy colour. The greeny-blue mould was distributed well through the cheese which had a regular open structure. The flavour was sharp, tangy, and salty with a rich blue mould flavour. The cheese was not very crumbly, as can be the case with Danablu, and had a nice creamy texture.
We had been given quite a large wedge of this cheese, and only tried a a little before we went on a trip to Paris. On our return 8 days later, our housemates had finished it all off, so we can only assume they liked it too! This was a cheese we liked and recommend for blue lovers, although perhaps it is not a cheese to try first if you are new to blue cheeses. We would love to visit the island of Bornholm and see for ourselves where this cheese is made.
Further info: http://www.st-clemens.dk
My father and his new wife Kirsten (who is Danish) bought us a piece of nice Danish blue cheese when they visited us in London on their way back from a conference. They purchased it from a local cheese shop near where they were staying in Denmark. Based on the label, we know it is a cheese from Bornholms Andelsmejeri, a co-operative on the island of Bornholm in the Baltic sea. Dad and Kirsten had visited Bornholm a couple of years before and had visited the dairy factory, but unfortunately they could not bring back the cheese to us in New Zealand!
St Clemens is the "export" division/label of Bornholms Andelsmejeri, and the Danish Blue (or Danablu) made under this label has a great pedigree. It has been named "World Champion" twice at the World Champion Cheese Contest in Wisconsin (in 1980 and 1998).
Because the cheese we tasted was wrapped without a label, we are not totally sure which version of St Clemens Blue it was, but after tasting it we suspect it was possibly the 60+ version (meaning 60% FDM, or 60% of the non-moisture substance in the cheese is fat). This would be around 35-36% total fat content in this cheese. It had a clean outer surface (there is no real rind with this style of cheese) with a white, slightly creamy colour. The greeny-blue mould was distributed well through the cheese which had a regular open structure. The flavour was sharp, tangy, and salty with a rich blue mould flavour. The cheese was not very crumbly, as can be the case with Danablu, and had a nice creamy texture.
We had been given quite a large wedge of this cheese, and only tried a a little before we went on a trip to Paris. On our return 8 days later, our housemates had finished it all off, so we can only assume they liked it too! This was a cheese we liked and recommend for blue lovers, although perhaps it is not a cheese to try first if you are new to blue cheeses. We would love to visit the island of Bornholm and see for ourselves where this cheese is made.
Further info: http://www.st-clemens.dk
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
#27 Kirkham's Lancashire
#27 - Kirkham's Lancashire cheese.
While we were working at Holker Farm, were were lucky enough for Martin to give us a day to go and make cheese with Graham Kirkham. We didn't have to be asked twice!
Kirkham's Lancashire is the last remaining Lancashire cheese to be made the traditional way - using unpasteurised milk and by mixing curds from three days. It has a moist, creamy, delicate, slightly crumbly but still smooth texture. When young, it has a slightly lemony, creamy, balanced flavour with an acid tang at the end. As it ages past 3 months the savoury flavours develop more strongly, but it still retains it's characteristic texture and creamy tangy flavours. Kirkham's is also the only Lancashire with a buttered rind (instead of wax) - and because this coating is less airtight it allows the tangy, buttery savoury flavours to develop more. Interestingly, this was also apparent when we tasted a cheese with Graham that had been cut in half two weeks earlier - the sample taken from under the cut surface had a more complex (yet still balanced) flavour than a plug taken from an uncut cheese from the same batch.
The Kirkhams have their own herd of holstein-friesians, which are milked in a large shed next to the cheese factory. This allows Graham to know the quality of the milk and discuss any issues with his father (who milks the cows) and thus make any adjustments on a day to day basis.
We spent a full day with Graham and followed the whole process from the vat filling with milk, setting, cutting, stirring, dwelling, draining, curd stacking, pressing, curd cutting, curd breaking, milling, hoop filling and pressing again. Oh, and we also helped with removing the cloths from the previous day's cheese, trimming, re-clothing, re-pressing, and buttering the rinds of the previous week's cheese. Yes - to be a cheese maker you have to be organised and fit.
We were also fed like kings. Mrs Kirkham (Graham's mum Ruth, who started the business over 30 years ago and who was taught by her own mother) makes an amazing breakfast - complete with a large dish of Lancashire cheese melted on the stove top - which we spooned over our sausages, bacon and bread. What a treat.
For more information on Kirkham's Lancashire, see the following sites:
http://www.mrskirkhams.com/
http://www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk/cheeses/Kirkhams%20Lancashire.pdf
While we were working at Holker Farm, were were lucky enough for Martin to give us a day to go and make cheese with Graham Kirkham. We didn't have to be asked twice!
Kirkham's Lancashire is the last remaining Lancashire cheese to be made the traditional way - using unpasteurised milk and by mixing curds from three days. It has a moist, creamy, delicate, slightly crumbly but still smooth texture. When young, it has a slightly lemony, creamy, balanced flavour with an acid tang at the end. As it ages past 3 months the savoury flavours develop more strongly, but it still retains it's characteristic texture and creamy tangy flavours. Kirkham's is also the only Lancashire with a buttered rind (instead of wax) - and because this coating is less airtight it allows the tangy, buttery savoury flavours to develop more. Interestingly, this was also apparent when we tasted a cheese with Graham that had been cut in half two weeks earlier - the sample taken from under the cut surface had a more complex (yet still balanced) flavour than a plug taken from an uncut cheese from the same batch.
The Kirkhams have their own herd of holstein-friesians, which are milked in a large shed next to the cheese factory. This allows Graham to know the quality of the milk and discuss any issues with his father (who milks the cows) and thus make any adjustments on a day to day basis.
We spent a full day with Graham and followed the whole process from the vat filling with milk, setting, cutting, stirring, dwelling, draining, curd stacking, pressing, curd cutting, curd breaking, milling, hoop filling and pressing again. Oh, and we also helped with removing the cloths from the previous day's cheese, trimming, re-clothing, re-pressing, and buttering the rinds of the previous week's cheese. Yes - to be a cheese maker you have to be organised and fit.
We were also fed like kings. Mrs Kirkham (Graham's mum Ruth, who started the business over 30 years ago and who was taught by her own mother) makes an amazing breakfast - complete with a large dish of Lancashire cheese melted on the stove top - which we spooned over our sausages, bacon and bread. What a treat.
For more information on Kirkham's Lancashire, see the following sites:
http://www.mrskirkhams.com/
http://www.nealsyarddairy.co.uk/cheeses/Kirkhams%20Lancashire.pdf
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| Sandi helping trim and re-cloth the previous day's cheese. |
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| Stacking curd. |
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| Previous week's cheese waiting to be buttered. |
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| Buttering the rind! |
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| Melted Lancashire cheese as a breakfast condiment. Nom nom. |
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