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#40: Gorwydd Caerphilly

Gorwydd (pronounced Gor-with) Caerphilly is a mature caerphilly produced by the Trethowan family. It used to be made on Gorwydd Farm in the Welsh mountains, but the dairy has now moved over the border to Somerset. It’s made according to a traditional recipe with raw unpasteurised cow’s milk and a traditional animal rennet. However, unlike traditional caerphilly that was sold young, Gorwydd is matured for three months. This maturation allows texture to develop through the cheese: a natural rind, surrounding a creamy mushroomy layer, with a crumbly lemony centre.

Gorwydd has won all sorts of awards. Most recently, “Super Gold” at the 2016 World Cheese Awards in San Sebastián, making it one of the top 66 cheeses in the world.

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#39: Peakland White

Peakland White is a crumbly, salty cheese made by our friends in Hartington. They describe it as having similarities to Cheshire, White Stilton, and Feta, and it lends itself to being flavoured with cranberries or smoked tomatoes. It is matured for only two weeks, and thus tastes young, fresh and clean. Suitable for vegetarians, and made with pasteurised local Derbyshire milk.

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#38: Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire


Ruth Kirkham is a name that has become synonymous with Lancashire cheese since she began producing her traditional raw milk cheese in 1978,  although she has now passed on the mantle to son Graham.

Made with raw milk and animal rennet, everything is done by hand, save the peg mill, which mills the curds. The cheese is then clothbound using a buttered cloth whilst it matures.

Pass the Eccles Cakes!

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#37: Smelly Ha’peth

We have finally got round to stocking some of everyone’s favourite former-soapstar-now-cheesemaker’s cheese. The Saddleworth Cheese Co (that’s Sean Wilson, or Martin from Corrie, as I’m sure he’s not at all fed up of being called) produce the trinity of Lancashire cheeses (crumby, creamy & tasty), but as we’re pretty big fans of Mrs Kirkham’s, we’ve instead plumped for the ‘other’ option – his blue cheese offering.

Smelly Ha’peth is a medium-soft blue. Made to his own recipe, Sean acknowledges Dovedale in its development. However Smelly Ha’peth has a more firm texture, and is less salty, with a nuttier flavour.

Thanks to Vicki for her recommendation!

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#34(&35): Yorkshire Fettle

This ewe’s milk cheese is a Mediterranean salad style cheese from Shepherd’s Purse in North Yorkshire – definitely not feta as it’s not Greek.

Hand-salted and then hand-waxed to seal in the moisture, it comes without any excess briny liquid, and is less salty and has a firmer, creamier texture than many of its Greek counterparts.

How about it trying it in a beetroot and hazelnut salad, as recommended by its creator Judy Bell?

I’m on holiday next week folks, so there’ll be a gap in my Cheese-of-the-Weeking.

Monty xx

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#33: Fowler’s Sage Derby

Fowler’s of Earlswood, in Warwickshire, make our Sage Derby. Slightly less alarming looking than other sage derbies, which come marbled green, this one has an altogether more sophisticated look, with a layer of the tasty herb through the centre and a sprinkling on top. It’s a beautiful mellow creamy cheese with a savoury sage flavour.

And it gives me the perfect excuse for some children’s telly nostalgia. Herbidacious….

 

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#32: Berkswell Ewe

Berkswell is a hard ewe’s milk cheese made at Ram Hall farm in the West Midlands. With its distinctive (if slightly awkward for us cheese-cutters) shape, it’s dry with a grainy texture, and a sweet, nutty flavour. You can treat it like a manchego and tuck in to hunks of it with bread and quince jelly, or like a pecorino and shave it onto salads, green veg, poached eggs or pasta.

There’s a great article about the cheese – with some cool pics of how it gets its shape – here

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#30: Crozier Blue

Crozier Blue is made by the Grubb family in Tipperary. You may be more familiar with Cashel Blue – their semi-soft cow’s milk blue  – but this one is their sheep’s milk cheese, and is in fact Ireland’s only sheep’s milk blue.

It has an off-white colour common to sheep’s cheeses, a modest amount of grey-blue veining, and a natural rind. Matured for longer than Cashel, it has a more traditional blue flavour complemented by the creaminess of the sheep’s milk. For those familiar with Mrs Bell’s, another sheep’s milk blue we’ve regularly had in the shop, I find Crozier creamier and a little less salty.

Let us know which you prefer.
Monty xx

PS have you seen me in the shop window? Think I may have enjoyed a few too many cheeses since the shop opened…