Neals Yard Dairy

Neals Yard Dairy
KIRKHAM'S LANCASHIRE
(Image Gallery Below)

Made by Graham Kirkham at Lower Beesley Farm, near Goosnargh, Lancashire

Traditional

Traditional Animal Rennet

Unpasteurised Cows Milk

Graham Kirkham combines curd from three days of cheesemaking to make his Lancashire. Each cheese contains a mixture of one third of that day’s curd, one third of the yesterday’s curd, and the last third of the curd from the day before that. This recipe dates back to a time when farmers didn’t specialise in dairy herds and as they only had a couple of cows it took 3 days or more to get enough curd to fill one cheese mould. Along with the use of unpasteurised milk and the buttered muslin rind, 3 day curd is one of the features that makes Graham's cheese unique. Its flavours are lemony, yoghurty and savoury ending up on a real Lancashire tang. The texture is moist, rich, crumbly and creamy with what’s locally known as a “buttery crumble”.

Neals Yard Dairy
KIRKHAM'S LANCASHIRE

Please click on the images to view larger versions.
Photos taken by Jack Coleman.
© Neal's Yard Dairy

Graham Kirkham with his parents Ruth and John. Graham makes the cheese now - he was taught by his mother who now milks the cows with her husband.

Lower Beesley farm in the county of Lancashire - home of the Kirkham family for four generations.

Graham Kirkham

JOhn Kirkham preparing to milk his 70 cows

One of the herd

The Kirkham family on their 80 acres

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Cutting the curd made yesterday to assist draining

Checking the texture of the curd made yesterday

The curd from the three previous days (oldest on the right)

Breaking the curd into the mill

Curd pieces waiting to be milled

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Milling a second time

The old-fashioned Lancashire peg mill. Slow to use but essential to produce the right texture described as 'buttery crumble'

Mixing salt into the milled curd

Measuring the salt

Putting the curd in the mould

Gently firming the curd into the mould

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One of 5 presses over 100 years old

Banging out yesterdays cheese

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Spreading hot butter evenly into the rind

Buttering the rind. Most Lancashire is either plastic-wrapped or waxed. The old-fashioned buttered rind allows the cheese to breathe during maturing producing a cleaner flavour and a lighter texture.

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Writing the date on the cheese

Trimming the drawstring

Trimming the edges before binding

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Graham preparing to turn the cheese. The young cheeses are turned every day. Older cheese only once a week.

Cheeses maturing. Cheeses are at their best anwhere between 2 and 6 months old.

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