the cheese blog

Verulamium

Verulamium (after the Roman’s name for the site that is now St. Albans) is a pasteurized goat’s milk cheese made by Elizabeth Harris at Childwickbury Estate near St. Albans, Herts. The cheese is set quickly and uses penicilium camemberti mould in the starter. Why is this important? Have a look at the picture. Verulamium has the typical bloomy rind in an aged goats cheese, but look at the edge. It’s almost liquid. The process to make Verulamium gives it this wonderful effect and a great texture. The paste is very soft, but then you get these liquid smooth textures as well. It’s a similar texture to Bipartisan. The taste is great too. It has almost no goat’s milk taste. Instead, it has a very clean, fresh milk taste with hints of grass and herbs. I’m completely intrigued by this cheese and will definitely be picking up some more the next time I’m at Neal’s Yard.

Posted in Hertfordshire | No Comments »

Ragstone

Ragstone is a goat’s milk cheese (unpasteurized) made by Neal’s Yard Creamery, near Dorstone in Herefordshire. It comes in the form of a log, about 15cm in length. The exterior has a wonderful craggly, bloomy rind that is marbled in pale gold. The interior is the usual goat’s milk bright white, with some ripeness near the edge. The paste is quite firm for an aged goat cheese. It is slightly crumbly, but manages to hold itself together. The taste is fantastic! It is well balanced between goat tang and a very lemony aftertaste, that lingers for quite a long time. Between the wife and I, this cheese was gone in minutes. Just a wonderfully perfect cheese.

Posted in England, Herefordshire | No Comments »

Ravens Oak Goat Cheese

Ravens Oak Goat Cheese is made by Butlers Cheeses at their Ravens Oak Dairy in Cheshire. The cheese, as implied in the name, is a slightly aged goat’s milk cheese made in small rounds, in a similar size to Camembert or Brie. The exterior is coated in a pillowy, bloomy rind. The interior paste is snow white, with a slight amount of ripening near the rind (the amount all depends on the age of the cheese). The paste is soft and smooth as you would expect in an aged goat’s milk cheese. There isn’t much aroma. The taste is fresh, without too much goaty tang. There is a hint of citrus tartness, like a light lemon flavor (Raven’s Oak says white wine, which I think it apt, maybe like a sauvignon blanc). Overall, a nice cheese for a snack with some water crackers or as the goat cheese selection a cheese board, e.g., the kind of goat cheese that people who don’t like fresh goat cheese would likely enjoy and not even notice.

Posted in Cheshire, England | No Comments »

Spenwood

I’m a huge fan of goat and sheep’s milk cheeses, and Spenwood is right up there with one of the best sheep’s milk cheeses available.

Spenwood is made by the Wigmore’s (in my neck of the woods in Berks) from unpasteurized sheep’s milk. It is a hard pressed cheese, which is then brined. This leads to Spenwood having a lovely white, suede-like textured, hard rind. The interior is pale yellow, but it kind of glows. It’s just a wholesome looking paste. The aroma is mild, a little briny. The texture of the paste is firm, not hard. It has a bit of tooth, but then goes a bit soft when warmed. The taste is fabulous! It’s a bit nutty (walnuts, almonds) and has a hint of sweetness. It’s quite rich tasting, but not in an unctuous way. You could eat a lot of this cheese and not notice it! Overall, just a wonderful cheese. Something that you could serve anyone, cheese lover or not, and they would know they were eating something special.

Posted in Berkshire, England | No Comments »

Valentine’s Day (Goat Cheese) Special

The wife and I were at Whole Foods in London and came across these heart-shaped, fresh goat cheeses. They were coated in yellow curry powder, fine green peppercorn, and mild paprika. Quite tasty with the herbs. I have to admit I’ve never had curry powder on a cheese before. Happy Valentines Day!

Posted in England | No Comments »

Stichelton

It was Christimas time in the UK, and Stilton is basically a requirement for Christmas dinner. However, I wanted something more authentic than even “approved” Stilton, so off to Neal’s Yard for some Stichelton.

Stichelton is an unpasteurized, organic cow’s milk ,English blue cheese made by Joe Schneider at Collingthwaite Farm on the Welbeck Estate. Stichelton is made in a partnership between the owners of Welbeck Estate, Joe Schneider and Randolph Hodgson of Neal’s Yard Dairy.

Stichelton is simply what Stilton used to be prior to laws being passed requiring it to be made from pasteurized milk. Now that Stilton has its own Certification Trade Mark and is an EU Protected Food Name (granted in 1996), any “Stilton” not made in the three designated counties, with pasteurized mik, not pressed, etc. cannot be called Stilton. Hence, Stichelton was born.

The cheese has a medium hard, natural rind with the traditional oranges and grays. The interior is simply amazing. It has so many colors running through the veins (emerald green, turquoise blue, navy blue, medium gray ..) The paste looks like Normandy butter. The aroma is constrained, with just a whiff of pepper and brine. The taste is what I expect from a top class blue cheese. There is a rich buttery background with slight sharpness and pepper from the mold, with some butterscotch and hazlenut flavors swirling around. This is about the complete package, not a single characteristic dominating the experience. If you’re lucky enough to have access to Stichelton, I say get some, get a nice Port, and have a great cheese experience.

Posted in England, Nottinghamshire | No Comments »

Milleens

Milleens is from the Beara peninsula of South West Ireland. It is made from pasteurized milk from Friesian cows. There is a great write-up available on Neal’s Yard website.

Milleens is a washed rind cheese with a nice reddish-orange colored exterior. The paste is soft and the color is a deep butter yellow. Allowing the cheese to warm to room temperature allows the paste to become creamy, almost to the point of runny. The aroma definitely has that washed-rind funk. It is very earthy. This one almost knocked me over after being out for a few hours. Without the rind, it’s a bit more subdued, with the mushroom and barnyard aromas kept in check. The taste is not overly sharp, tangy or salty. It is well balanced, but definitely not a cheese for everyone as it is definitely one of the more stinky cheeses I’ve had in a while.

Posted in Ireland | 1 Comment »