OGLESHIELD

Country of Origin:  British Isles

Milk Variety:  Cows'

Style of Cheese:  Hard

Milk: Unpasteurised

Jamie Montgomery has long had a herd of Jersey cows on his farm but found their rich, buttery milk unsuitable for Cheddar making. Instead, a new recipe was developed. The cheese was named Shield after an ancient bronze shield that was unearthed nearby. The area is steeped in history and is reputed to be one of the possible sites for Camelot. The resulting cheese was good but still seemed to lack a little something. Bill Oglethorpe came up with the idea of washing the rind to retain more moisture in the cheese and to develop more meaty, savoury flavours. The resulting cheese has a more supple texture and a fuller, earthier flavour. It also melts beautifully and makes a delicious British alternative to Raclette.

RENEGADE MONK

Origin: Somerset

Producer: Feltham's Farm

Style: Soft

Milk Type: Organic cow's milk

A delicious soft mildly blue cheese made from organic cow's milk, with a mild flavour. 'Drunkenly washed in ale' - an absolute winner!

SAINT NECTAIRE

Size 1.5kg

Region: Auvergne

Style: Soft

Milk type: Unpasteurised Cow

Our Saint Nectaire comes from the ripening rooms of affineur Xavier Morin. Xavier is more than French, he is from Cantal. He is a passionate advocate of the cheeses from Cantal and the Auvergne, where some of France’s oldest and most famous cheeses are produced.

Xavier works in complete partnership with each individual cheese maker. He knows their animals, their challenges and the cheese making process inside out. We are fortunate indeed to be one of Xavier’s special customers.

Our Saint Nectaire is made from the milk of the now rare breed of Salers cow native to the Auvergne region of France. The Salers are robust and even-tempered animals but they will only yield milk when their calves are nearby. This means that it takes two herdsmen to milk the cows, one to actually milk the cow and the other to keep the calf nearby. Most cheese makers consequently have moved over to breeds that are easier to farm and more suitable for mass production. The Morins however are committed to continuing the Salers breed and remaining true to the tradition of their native region. 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.

SHARPHAM RUSTIC GARLIC      AND HERB

County: Devon

Cheese-maker: Debbie Mumford

Farm: Sharpham Estate

Style: Semi-soft

Milk Type: U, Jersey Cow

Age: 10 weeks

Vegetarian

  Rustic is made on the Sharpham Estate, which overlooks the slopes of the River Dart, downstream from Totnes in Devon. The estate has a vineyard, dairy and creamery, where they have been producing wine and cheese for over twenty years.

The milk is taken from their herd of Jersey cows, and it is particularly rich and creamy. The cheese was originally made in the coach yard next to the house, but, in April 2003, cheese-making was moved into a new purpose-built creamery sited next to the winery. The building is modern and bigger, but the team still employs the same traditional techniques, and the cheeses remain fully hand-produced.

Sharpham Rustic has an elliptical shape (rather like Pecorino), a deep golden curd, and a rich savoury flavour. It is a wonderful example of a talented cheese-maker, Debbie Mumford, using old skills to create a new cheese. By adding cream back into the cheese, Debbie captures the richness of a triple cream (like Pierre Robert); and then, by maturing the cheese, she creates a more concentrated flavour.

The idea of fresh chives and wild garlic came from the cows themselves. As they chewed on wild garlic while grazing in the water meadows, there was an unmistakable taint in the milk. However, as the flavour was so good, the idea of adding garlic to the cheese was born.

SLACK-MA-GIRDLE

Full fat soft cheese made with pasteurised cows' milk and non-animal rennet. A soft almost runny cheese with a natural mouldy rind. It has a delicate slightly lemony flavour deepening to a buttery taste and creamy texture on ageing. The cheese is wrapped and boxed individually. The colour of the rind can vary from green to brown via grey depending on the time of year.

History: Slack-ma-Girdle gets its name from a variety of apple grown regionally. The cheese was developed in 2016, in response to demand for a non-smelly variety for the warmer months of the year. However demand has dictated that is now made year round. Unlike Stinking Bishop the rind is not washed and paradoxically doesn't smell!

SPARKENHOE RED LEICESTER

County: Leicestershire

Cheese makers: David & Jo Clarke

Style: Hard

Milk Type: U, Cow

Age: 4 months +

David and Jo Clarke are dairy farmers who run one of the country’s top herds of pedigree Holstein-Friesian cattle.

When they decided to revive the tradition of cheese-making on the farm, they discovered that Red Leicester had been made there from 1745 until 1875. David was initially wary of making the cheese, as Red Leicester cheese had a poor reputation – all that remained at the time was factory-made cheeses that bore little resemblance to the great farmhouse cheeses of the past. In fact, traditional Red Leicester cheese had died out in England in the early 1950s.

In the end, it was David and Jo’s desire to re-create the original great Red Leicester cheese that overcame their initial worry.

So, in 2005, armed with an old recipe and having completed a cheese-making course, the Clarkes set about reviving Red Leicester, using traditional methods and raw milk from their own herd.

The name Sparkenhoe has historical significance, in that it is an old Leicestershire term meaning ‘gorsey nob’.It is also the name for the ‘hundred area’ in which the farm is situated.

TALEGGIO

Country: Italy

Area: Mario Costa novara

A mellow, supple and fruity cheese, it has a crumpled,

sometimes sticky skin (often speckled with green and grey

moulds), a yielding texture, and a flavour that is soft and

buttery. The cheese melts beautifully into pasta and risotto,

and elevates the humble toastie to grand new heights.

VINTAGE LINCOLNSHIRE POACHER

Simon and Tim Jones make this cheese on their family farm from the milk of their own dairy herd.

A unique cross between a cheddar and an Alpine recipe gives the cheese a fine balance of savoury to sweet tones,

Matured for around 18 months gives the cheese a greater depth and complexity.

WESTCOMBE CHEDDAR &
WESTCOMBE CHEDDAR HAND SELECTED

County: Somerset

Cheese-Maker: Tom Calver

Farm: Lower Westcombe

Farm Style: Hard

Milk: U, Cow

Age: 12 months +, 14 months +

Cheese has been made at Westcombe since the 1890s and they now remain as one of the last three traditional producers of Somerset Cheddar. They have the status of PDO but the Calvers are one of the last three families, along with Jamie Montgomery and the Keens to make traditional Artisan Somerset Cheddar. The criteria for this is much stricter than that for West Country Farmhouse Cheddar, and includes using raw milk from their own herd, pint starters rather than the more widely used powdered versions, and animal rennet. The cheese must never be made in a block form, and must be cloth-bound before being matured for at least one year. The Calver family farm two farms with 400 cows and make unpasteurised Cheddar daily, using methods passed down over many generations.  Tom Calver is the most recent generation working in the dairy.  Under his guidance the cheese has gone from strength to strength as he has adjusted the recipe and refined the maturing.  At the same time his father, Richard, has worked on improving the quality of the cows feed to get a better fat and protein content.

Together with Tom Calver, Ruth Raskin, our Cheese Quality Manager has been hand selecting Cheddar from Westcombe Dairy. Under Tom’s watchful eye, the chosen cheeses are then matured for longer to allow a deeper, fuller flavour to develop. Only those cheeses that have the perfect flavour profile are selected to be matured on. This Cheddar has a wonderfully full and savoury flavour with a slight tang.

WIGMORE

County: Berkshire

Cheese-maker: Anne & Andy Wigmore

Farm: Village Maid Dairy

Style: Soft

Milk Type: U, Ewe

Age: 4 – 6 weeks

Vegetarian

 Anne Wigmore began making cheese in the experimental dairy at the National Institute for Research in

Dairying (NIRD) in 1984, having worked there previously for a number of years as a microbiologist. Soon

afterwards, she decided to set up on her own, and, in 1986, Village Maid Dairy was born in a converted

building at the end of her garden. Anne’s knowledge of cheese-making is highly technical, but she has a great feel for the cheese too.

Wigmore is the sister cheese to Waterloo. They are both washed curd cheeses, which means that an amount of whey is replaced with water during the make, so leading to a gentle, delicate flavour and a smooth texture.

Do not imagine this creates a bland cheese though. Wigmore is complex and fruity, and rich and unctuous, with a great delicacy of taste and texture.In the late 90s Chris was not well. Production shifted to a nearby farm, Westcombe Dairy, complete with the original brining tank and 20-year old brine that adds a natural flora to the cheese.  Over time Chris taught Tom Calver to make the cheese. He has continued the Duckett’s family legacy and using Chris’s mother’s ‘make notes’ from the 1930s, reverted to her older and more traditional recipe.  Under his guidance the cheese has been re-established to its former glory.

WYFE OF BATH

County: Somerset

Cheese-maker: Graham Padfield

Farm: Park Farm, Kelston

 Style: Semi-hard

Milk Type: P, Organic Cow

Age: 3-6 months

Vegetarian

 of Bath is made with organic cows' milk, from a recipe inspired by Gouda, by Graham Padfield at Park Farm in the village of Kelston, on the outskirts of the historic city of Bath.  Cheese is at the heart of the family business, and they have recently built a new dairy to accommodate the high demand for their cheese. Everything is still made by hand, and the quality of the milk is paramount. Graham uses the organic milk from his own herd of Holstein Friesian cows to make the cheese, which is formed in a basket mould before being aged for four months for a rich, deep flavour.  As a hand-made, single-herd cheese, its taste changes slightly according to the season, but it is always sweet and rich, and redolent of buttercup meadows! It is similar in style to a young Gouda, but the cheese is not pressed, which gives it a much more springy texture than its Dutch cousin.

Wyfe of Bath takes its name from the tale of a character in the 14th Century British literary classic, The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Using the old English spelling of ‘wife’, the tale is told by a lusty character with strong appetites!

We have a continually changing range of specially selected cheeses available in our Kilwardby Street shop.  Please come in and see our range.

CHEESE PLATTERS

Choose 4 or 6 cheeses from our range of specially selected cheeses and they will be presented on a slate platter. (Subject to availability)

The deluxe option is the 4 or 6 cheese patter plus either a 37.5cl or 70cl bottle of port.

APPLEBY’S CHESHIRE

County: Cheshire

Cheese-maker: Lucy Appleby

Farm: Appleby’s of Hawkstone

Style: Hard

Milk Type: R, Cow

In 1952, Lucy Appleby decided to revive one of England’s great cheeses: cloth-bound, raw milk Cheshire. Her knowhow has been passed down to her sons and grandson, who now make this crumbly, tangy, herbaceous-tasting cheese.

BARON BIGOD

Milk:  Cows'

Style:  Soft

Milk: Unpasteurised

Baron Bigod is a stunning brie-style cheese, with a rich, full, earthy flavour and a lingering finish. It's made bymade my Jonny Crickmore from the milk of his own herd of Montbeliarde cows in Suffolk. Jonnylikes the cheese best when its wrinkly coat has broken down the golden, buttery paste under the rind, while a thin line of lactic curd at the centre remains.

Jonny’s family has been farming the land here for three generations, but it was only recently that Jonny decided it was time to make some radical changes.He wanted to start selling raw milk, and to move into making the best raw milk cheese that he could. But raw milk and fine cheese need the best raw ingredients, and the family’s herd of Friesians weren’t really the best place to start.

So Jonny set off to France in search of cows that could produce the highest quality milk available. He chose Montbeliarde, the cows whose high protein milk is used for some of the famous French cheeses such as Comté and Vacherin Mont d’Or. He brought his ladies back to Suffolk, and set about building up his herd by cross-breeding Friesians with Montbeliardes to gradually add the great benefits this breed brings to the family’s own herd.

Great milk deserves the utmost respect, and Jonny’s perfectionism in choosing his herd is matched by his approach to cheese-making. The warm milk straight from the milking parlour is handled as carefully as possible to preserve its delicate cell structure. The milk is gravity-fed to the dairy, where it is gently poured into the cheese vat.Each stage of the process is done by hand, from cutting the curds with long knives to carefully transferring the fragile curds into the moulds by using the traditional pelle-a-brie ladles.

If you choose to purchase a whole, 1kg Baron Bigod cheese, you will receive it hand-wrapped in wax paper and packed in its own, beautiful wooden box.

BATH BLUE

County: Somerset

Cheese-maker: Graham

Farm: Park Farm, Kelston

Style: Blue

Milk: P, Organic Cow

Age: 8 - 12 weeks

Nestled in the Mendip Hills on the out skirts of Bath, Park Farm has been home to the Padfield Family for three generations. Graham’s grandmother once made Cheddar on the farm. However cheese-making stopped during Graham’s father’s time and only re-started in 1993, with the discovery of an  recipe for Bath Cheese found in an old book and so Bath Soft was born. Over the years Wyfe of Bath and more recently Bath Blue have been added to the range. All the cheeses are made on the farm using milk from the family’s organic Friesian herd. Bath Blue follows a traditional Stilton recipe and was voted Supreme Champion at the 2014 World Cheese Awards.

BATH SOFT

County: Somerset

Cheese-maker: Graham Padfield

Farm: Park Farm, Kelston

Style: Soft

Milk: P, Organic Cow

Age: 4-6 weeks

 A mild and creamy, organic, brie-style cheese made to an original 19th century recipe from the milk of the farm's own herd, by Graham Padfield at Kelston, Bath.

Three generations of the Padfield family have farmed the land around Kelston Manor, near Bath.  

It was Graham Padfield who re-introduced the family tradition of cheese-making, deciding to make a cheese traditional to the area. He found a recipe in an old grocer’s recipe book for a Bath Cheese.

It was a cheese recommended to Lord Admiral Nelson by his father in 1801. Graham uses the organic milk of his own Friesian cows. The resulting cheese is mild, creamy and delicate.

COLSTON BASSETT STILTON

County: Nottinghamshire

Cheese-maker: Billy Kevan

Dairy: Colston Bassett and District

Style: Blue

Milk Type: P, Cow,

Age: 12 weeks +

Vegetarian

Hand-made by Billy Kevan and his team in Nottinghamshire, Colston Bassett is one of the last remaining hand-ladled Stiltons. Hand-ladling produces an intensely rich and creamy cheese; and the Colston Bassett flavour is deep, lingering and complex.

Local milk is left to set under the watchful eye of Billy Kevan, only the fourth head cheese-maker since 1920. The curd is gently cut into small cubes and left to settle. It is then drained and hand-ladled into curd trays. The next morning it is milled and packed into stilton hoops where it will drain naturally before being rubbed and put into the maturing rooms.

After four to six weeks and again one week later, Colston Bassett Stilton is pierced to allow air to get in, so that the blue veins can develop.

Stilton’s origins date back to the 18th century when it was eaten at The Bell Inn, Stilton. Now a protected cheese, Stilton can only be made in the counties of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire. Colston Bassett Stilton is often considered to be the best. Little has changed since they started making cheese in 1913, and they still use the milk from four of the original local farms that set up the co-operative in the beginning. The reputation of the dairy has gone from strength to strength, and it is now famous for making Stilton that is velvety and smooth, with a full, well-balanced, sweet and ‘mineral-y’ flavour.

DUCKETT’S CAERPHILLY

County: Somerset

Cheese-maker: Tom Calver

Farm: Westcombe

Style: Hard

Milk Type: U, Cow

Age: 2 months

Made by Tom Calver at Westcombe Dairy.  The recipe was handed down to them from Chris Duckett, a third generation Caerphilly maker.  

Traditionally a Welsh cheese, Somerset farmers began making it in the early 1800s when demand exceeded supply in Wales.  Many cheddar makers decided to make this product as it is matured for around 8 weeks, rather than the year for farmhouse cheddar.  Like many of ‘the crumblies’ it is an acidic, lactic make with a crumbly interior.

When many farmers turned away from making unpasteurised Caerphilly with a natural rind, Chris Duckett’s family continued on.  He became the last traditional producer of unpasteurised farmhouse Caerphilly in the UK.  

In the late 90s Chris was not well. Production shifted to a nearby farm, Westcombe Dairy, complete with the original brining tank and 20-year old brine that adds a natural flora to the cheese.  Over time Chris taught Tom Calver to make the cheese. He has continued the Duckett’s family legacy and using Chris’s mother’s ‘make notes’ from the 1930s, reverted to her older and more traditional recipe.  Under his guidance the cheese has been re-established to its former glory.

KIRKHAM’S LANCASHIRE

County: Lancashire

Cheese-makers: Ruth and Graham Kirkham

Farm: Beesley

Style: Hard

Milk Type: U, Cow

Age: 2 - 6 months

Vegetarian

A traditional, crumbly, unpasteurised Lancashire, with a wonderfully moist, pressed texture, and a mellow tang. Graham Kirkham makes traditional, crumbly Lancashire at Goosnargh. The milk for the cheese comes from their own herd of Friesian cows. The cheese is made over 3 days using a third of the curd from each day of cheese making. The cheese is then cloth bound and rubbed with the traditional butter, which allows the cheese to breathe and develop and matured from 2- 6 months.

The Kirkhams have been making cheese for 3 generations.  Graham learned to make cheese from his mother who now helps her husband to milk the cows. The Kirkhams are the last makers of traditional Lancashire. The three day curd method comes from the days where farmers only had a few cows and it would take 3 days to get enough curd to fill one cheese mould.

The flavour of the unpasteurised milk and the buttered muslin rind produces a rich and complex white Lancashire which melts in the mouth. It also creates the desired “buttery crumble” and is clean and lactic in flavour. It also makes the connoisseurs' cheese on toast, because it bubbles rather than melts.In the late 90s Chris was not well. Production shifted to a nearby farm, Westcombe Dairy, complete with the original brining tank and 20-year old brine that adds a natural flora to the cheese.  Over time Chris taught Tom Calver to make the cheese. He has continued the Duckett’s family legacy and using Chris’s mother’s ‘make notes’ from the 1930s, reverted to her older and more traditional recipe.  Under his guidance the cheese has been re-established to its former glory.

MANCHEGO CURADO

Origin: La Mancha

Producer: L Oveja Negra

Style: Hard

Milk Type: U, Ewe

Age: 6 months +

On the dry plateau of La Mancha (translates as ‘land without water’) Spain’s most famous cheese can be found.  Cheese-production in this region has been traced back to many centuries BC.   It has been a world famous cheese for many years, even being mentioned in the legendary ‘Don Quixote’.  It became officially protected (DOC) in 1984.

Manchego has become such a popular cheese worldwide that its production is increasingly industrial.

At The Fine Cheese Co., we have been on a mission to source and supply a true, artisan Manchego: one that defines the style, and is the Manchego of both our memory and our dreams.

That search is over. La Oveja Negra Manchego Curado is made by the Parra family on their organic farm, from the milk of their rare breed Oveja Negra (black sheep). Modern Manchego is invariably made from the larger white breed which provides higher yields. The hardy little black ewes may produce less milk, but the quality is superb giving the cheese a complex, sweet, nutty and herbaceous flavour. From 6 months, as the cheese is losing moisture, the interior becomes more compact and less open and springy while the flavour intensifies.

MERRY WYFE

An award-winning washed-rind cheese made with our Wyfe of Bath curds which are pressed and then washed in cider every other day for four weeks (hence the name ‘Merry’ Wyfe!). The cider is made here by Graham Padfield from organic apples harvested on the farm.

This cheese has a distinctive pungent orange (edible) rind and a rich, creamy texture typical of our cheeses; a beautiful addition to our range.

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