the cheese blog

Wobbly Bottom Farm Soft Goat with Chives

Wobbly Bottom is a farm located outside of Hitchin in Hertfordshire. They have their own heard of goats that includes British Saanens, British Alpines, British Toggenburgs and Anglo Nubians according to their website. I discovered Wobbly Bottom at the local farmers market and I’ve been very pleased with all the cheeses tried so far.

The Soft Goat with Chives is a fresh goats milk cheese made from pasteurized milk. It’s rolled in fresh chives (they also offer pepper, roasted garlic, and others). The cheese looks very pretty. The chives are fresh and bright green, which contrasts well with the snow white colored cheese. The smell is fresh with a mild grassy aroma from the chives. The paste is soft, but not overly soft. It has a slight bit of tooth. It is quite smooth on the palate, with no chalkiness. The taste is typical goat, with a bit of saltiness. The chives adds a nice herbal, onion and grass flavor to the cheese. I’m not a huge chive fan, but this combination worked extremely well.

I’ve tried several of Wobbly Bottom’s cheeses so far (more reviews to come shortly) and I’ve been quite impressed by the quality of their product. If you happen to see them at one of the many farmer’s markets around Herts (or you can order off their website), be sure to try their cheeses. You won’t be disappointed.

Posted in England, Hertfordshire | No Comments »

Butlers Goosnargh

Butlers Goosnargh Goats is an aged goats milk cheese made by Butlers Farmhouse cheeses in Lancashire. Goosnargh is bright white, with a firm, crumbly paste. There is a slight citrus aroma. The mouthfeel is quite crumbly, and a bit creamy and then dry. The taste starts out sharp and very tangy, and then mellows a bit into some citrus notes. I didn’t notice much nuttiness as described on the package or website. Tangy and citrus were the most obvious flavours. It doesn’t necessarily taste like a goats milk cheese, other than the tanginess. Overall, it went down very easily and there was nothing left on the cheese board. I could see Goosnargh being quite a good cheese grated and melted over granary bread or equally at home by itself on a cheeseboard for those looking for something other than a fresh goats milk cheese.

Posted in England, Lancashire | No Comments »

Sedlcanský Vltavín

This is the second cheese I purchased in Prague. Vltavín is a Czech Blue Cheese made by Sedlcanský. It’s a cow’s milk cheese made in a Camembert style, but as a blue cheese. The cheese has been described as “[a]n amazing combination of two classic flavors Camembert and blue-veined rocquefortového type.”

The exterior is mold ripened, with white patches over a gray rind. The interior is pale yellow with the distinctive blue cheese veins. The paste is semi-firm. The taste was surprisingly good for a commercial cheese sold in a grocery store. It has a mellow flavor with a well balanced tang from the mold. It wasn’t salty or too spicy either. Overall, quite an interesting and enjoyable cheese.

Posted in Czech Republic | No Comments »

Niva Syr

I was wondering through the Tesco department store in Prague (the one on Národní) and figured I’d check out the cheese selection. Niva Syr (this is a link to one of the makers) is a popular type of Blue Cheese in the Czech Republic. It’s a cow’s milk cheese. This particular version was quite light on the veining and had a significant amount of eyes in the snow white paste. The texture was creamy and slightly crumbly. The taste was quite excellent. It was slightly salty and had a good amount of sharpness from the mold, but nothing overpowering. It was just a very nice cheese and when I visited the Tesco again, I was quite tempted to purchase some more!

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Partridge Blue

Partridge Blue is made by The Exmoor Blue Cheese Company in Somerset, Devon. It is a stronger version of their Exmoor Jersey Blue cheese. Partridge is made from Jersey cow’s milk. It is aged twice as long as Jersey Blue.

It has very rustic natural rind with tons of variation. The interior ranges from pale yellow at the center to golden yellow to beige at the edge. The interior has wonderful grey and green mold, which if you look closely, you can see the silvery threads of the mold. The paste is semi-soft, a bit creamy, and slightly crumbly. The aroma smells rich and slightly pungent, but in a good way. The taste is immense! You would think this would be overwhelming in flavor, but it’s not. It’s extremely well balanced. It has a creamy richness, the right amount of salt, and spiciness. The taste however, goes on a very long time.

When I was asking for recommendations in West Country Cheese Shop, I was informed the taste of Partridge would linger for ten minutes. True to her word, it definitely does! Just an excellent cheese. Highly recommended if you can find it.

Posted in Devon, England | No Comments »

Sharpham Rustic

Sharpham Rustic is made by Sharpham Wine and Cheese near Totnes, South Devon. Sharpham is a cow’s milk cheese that is matured for 6 to 8 weeks. It has a thin, natural white rind. The golden yellow interior is a nice contrast to the exterior. The paste is semi-firm with irregular eyes. The interior has a soft, buttery mouthfeel. The taste is mild and subtle, with a nice buttery richness, that isn’t overwhelming. Overall, quite a pleasant cheese.

Posted in Devon, England | No Comments »

Gunstone

I picked this number up at a small farmer’s market somewhere in Exmoor. Gunstone is another cheese from Dave Johnson in Crediton, Devon.

Posted in Devon, England | No Comments »