UK-wide delivery excluding Northern ireland. We aim for orders to arrive +/- 2 delivery days of the date chosen.

Mature Sparkenhoe Red Leicester

A more mature, meatier version of Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, selected by us and aged for up to 12 months in total, creating richly savoury, brothy flavours and a texture that is crunchier and more crystalline than elastic.

Clothbound with lard.

PORTION

£8.20 Sale

- +
Spend over £29.50 to receive free delivery (England, Wales & Central Scotland)

Delivery Information

Standard delivery is free to most postcodes in the UK for orders over £29.50. Click here for a list of postcodes where additional delivery charges apply.

For orders under £29.50, standard delivery is £6.00.

Collection from our London shops is free - choose Shop Collection at checkout.

Choose your preferred delivery date at checkout. As we use third party couriers (typically DPD) we cannot guarantee the arrival day of your order but we will do our best to ensure that it arrives as close as possible to your chosen date. To be sure it arrives in time, we recommend choosing a date a couple of days ahead of when you would like to eat your cheese. 

Find Out More
Download Crib Sheet
 

milk type
Cow

coagulant
Animal Rennet

milk treatment
Raw

location
Nuneaton, Warwickshire

milk source
Own herd

breed
Holstein

season
All year

average age
12 Months

cheesemakers
The Clarke Family

Show MoreShow Less

Conceived as a long-lasting cheese made to use up surplus milk from Stilton production, the rise in popularity of Stilton meant a lack of surplus milk available in Leicestershire. Today, more Red Leicester is made outside of the county than in it.

background

Historically all Red Leicester cheese was made in the county of Leicestershire, using raw milk. A hard cheese with a longer shelf life than soft or blue cheeses, it was a favourite of Stilton maker...
Read More
Historically all Red Leicester cheese was made in the county of Leicestershire, using raw milk. A hard cheese with a longer shelf life than soft or blue cheeses, it was a favourite of Stilton makers, who made it with surplus milk; indeed, some continue to make a more commercial, pasteurised version. But until David and Jo Clarke decided to revive the practice in 2005, Red Leicester in its traditional raw milk and cloth-bound incarnation had been extinct for 50 years. Though neither David nor Jo had any experience of cheesemaking, they had inherited a herd of Holstein-Friesians, whose pedigree and quality had been carefully overseen by the Clarke family for three generations. Drawing on a combination of old books and local advice, the pair recovered the traditional recipe and set to converting the milk of their 150 cows into Red Leicester, using animal rennet and annatto, a natural plant dye obtained from a South American bush that has been used in the colouration of cheeses for almost 300 years. The cheese is clothbound with lard, as is traditional. As it matures, the texture dries and the flavour strengthens and deepens, from savoury, smooth and mellow, to nutty and rich.
Read Less

our work with this cheese

We visit the Sparkenhoe Farm once a month to taste and select cheeses with David and Jo Clarke. We look for two profiles of cheeses: those we can sell soon, at around the four to six-month mark, an...
Read More
We visit the Sparkenhoe Farm once a month to taste and select cheeses with David and Jo Clarke. We look for two profiles of cheeses: those we can sell soon, at around the four to six-month mark, and those which can to be aged for a further six months at our maturing arches in Bermondsey. The latter are exclusive to Neal's Yard Dairy, and are quite different to the younger cheeses: drier, nuttier and more intensely savoury in flavour. The skill in selecting for these kinds of cheeses is being able to identify the qualities in a cheese that mean it has the capacity to be matured for longer. Once they reach the arches, the wheels are turned and brushed once a week to aid with maturing.
Read Less

Accompaniments

Mixed Seed Crackers
£2.90

Rosebud Piccalilli Chutney
£5.15

Serving Suggestions

Elevate a white sauce with a generous grating of Mature Sparkenhoe Red Leicester.

Recipes

Baked Ham and Egg Pots

Baked Ham and Egg Pots

 Breakfast in a pot – these baked eggs are super quick to make and cook!
Red Leicester Scones with Chive Butter

Red Leicester Scones with Chive Butter

 A classic savoury scone recipe from Nadiya Hussain.

FAQs

How much cheese to buy?

As a general rule of thumb, we would recommend roughly between 100 and 150 grams per person for after dinner, and a bit more if cheese is the focus of the meal. If you are buying cheese to serve over a couple of days or as part of a buffet, it is advisable to buy a few larger pieces. This will both look better and keep better than many small bits. To help visualise weights, a good tip is to consider that a regular supermarket pat of butter weighs between 200 and 250 grams. If you are at all unsure please give us a call for some advice.

How should I store my cheese?

The best option is to keep your cheese wrapped in its paper within a box in the fridge. This will prevent the cheese from drying out and absorbing other flavours. Your cheese will arrive wrapped in waxed cheese paper, which achieves the best possible balance between maintaining humidity around the cheese and allowing it to breathe. We are happy to provide some free extra cheese paper, just search for "cheese paper" and add it to your basket. We don't recommend cling film or foil as it can cause the cheese to sweat which will negatively affect the flavour.

Mature Sparkenhoe Red Leicester

A more mature, meatier version of Sparkenhoe Red Leicester, selected by us and aged for up to 12 months in total, creating richly savoury, brothy flavours and a texture that is crunchier and more crystalline than elastic

Conceived as a long-lasting cheese made to use up surplus milk from Stilton production, the rise in popularity of Stilton meant a lack of surplus milk available in Leicestershire. Today, more Red Leicester is made outside of the county than in it.

milk type
Cow

coagulant
Animal Rennet

milk treatment
Raw

location
Nuneaton, Warwickshire

milk source
Own herd

breed
Holstein

season
All year

average age
12 Months

cheesemakers
The Clarke Family

background

Historically all Red Leicester cheese was made in the county of Leicestershire, using raw milk. A hard cheese with a longer shelf life than soft or blue cheeses, it was a favourite of Stilton makers, who made it with surplus milk; indeed, some continue to make a more commercial, pasteurised version. But until David and Jo Clarke decided to revive the practice in 2005, Red Leicester in its traditional raw milk and cloth-bound incarnation had been extinct for 50 years. Though neither David nor Jo had any experience of cheesemaking, they had inherited a herd of Holstein-Friesians, whose pedigree and quality had been carefully overseen by the Clarke family for three generations. Drawing on a combination of old books and local advice, the pair recovered the traditional recipe and set to converting the milk of their 150 cows into Red Leicester, using animal rennet and annatto, a natural plant dye obtained from a South American bush that has been used in the colouration of cheeses for almost 300 years. The cheese is clothbound with lard, as is traditional. As it matures, the texture dries and the flavour strengthens and deepens, from savoury, smooth and mellow, to nutty and rich.

our work with this cheese

We visit the Sparkenhoe Farm once a month to taste and select cheeses with David and Jo Clarke. We look for two profiles of cheeses: those we can sell soon, at around the four to six-month mark, and those which can to be aged for a further six months at our maturing arches in Bermondsey. The latter are exclusive to Neal's Yard Dairy, and are quite different to the younger cheeses: drier, nuttier and more intensely savoury in flavour. The skill in selecting for these kinds of cheeses is being able to identify the qualities in a cheese that mean it has the capacity to be matured for longer. Once they reach the arches, the wheels are turned and brushed once a week to aid with maturing.

pairing suggestion

Elevate a white sauce with a generous grating of Mature Sparkenhoe Red Leicester.

From The Blog

  • Blue Friday

    Blue Friday

    Today is Black Friday, which for many of us is the greatest klaxon that the Christmas period has ...

  • Reasons to be Cheeseful: the Neal’s Yard Dairy Subscription

    Reasons to be Cheeseful: the Neal’s Yard Dairy Subscription

    Unprecedented. Uncertain. Unstable. Unbelievable. Many adjectives have been used to describe the ...

  • Cheese Care and Sharing Tips for Your Christmas Cheeseboard

    Cheese Care and Sharing Tips for Your Christmas Cheeseboard

    Many of us are looking forward to the tradition of our Christmas cheeseboards. With Covid-19 rest...

  • Sally Barnes's Wild Atlantic Smoked Salmon

    Sally Barnes's Wild Atlantic Smoked Salmon

    There is a sense of normality and purpose in the lives of true artisans of food, people who have ...

  • Blue Cheese Shortage at Christmas

    Blue Cheese Shortage at Christmas

    The impact of the first national lockdown is still being felt across the British farm-made cheese...

  • St. Tola Tortelloni with Winter Squash, Sage, and Brown Butter

    St. Tola Tortelloni with Winter Squash, Sage, and Brown Butter

    Cheesemonger and chef Keelan has created a seasonal recipe featuring one of his favourite goat's...

  • Raw Milk Cheese Appreciation Day | Special Selection

    Raw Milk Cheese Appreciation Day | Special Selection

    Raw Milk Cheese Appreciation Day is an initiative of the Oldways Cheese Coalition, a US-based non...

  • Culture Starter

    Culture Starter

    Ask anyone in the UK what food they most associate with lockdown and the answer is likely to be o...

  • Three outstanding chefs, three outstanding cheeses

    Three outstanding chefs, three outstanding cheeses

    August brings us the second Buy British Cheese selection and this month’s cheeses are noteworthy ...

  • Postcard from The North  

    Postcard from The North  

    David Lockwood makes a monthly trip to visit farms and select cheese north of London, known at N...

  • Buy British Cheese Subscription

    Buy British Cheese Subscription

    Despite the tentative reopening of pubs and restaurants, small-scale cheesemakers remain in a hi...

  • Retailing in Lockdown: A Letter of Thanks to Our Customers

    Retailing in Lockdown: A Letter of Thanks to Our Customers

    Above: Our Borough Market shop, redesigned to maintain social distancing. Cheesemonger Estelle Re...

  • Cooking with Cheese: The Chef Series | James Lowe

    Cooking with Cheese: The Chef Series | James Lowe

    A good cheese enjoyed on its own or as part of a board is a glorious thing – but that doesn’t mea...

  • Cooking with Cheese: The Chef Series | Anna Tobias

    Cooking with Cheese: The Chef Series | Anna Tobias

      A good cheese enjoyed on its own or as part of a board is a glorious thing – but that doesn’t m...

  • Cooking with Cheese: The Chef Series | Jeremy Lee

    Cooking with Cheese: The Chef Series | Jeremy Lee

    A good cheese enjoyed on its own or as part of a board is a glorious thing – but that doesn’t mea...

  • Wheels in Motion

    Wheels in Motion

    Over the last few weeks, the public have come out in force to support British farmhouse cheesemak...

  • Rollright Recipe by Steve Williams

    Rollright Recipe by Steve Williams

    Steve Williams, renowned chef of the illustrious 40 Maltby Street has kindly written a recipe for...

  • Apple, Celery, Stichelton, Walnut & Bitter Leaf Salad by Laura Jackson

    Apple, Celery, Stichelton, Walnut & Bitter Leaf Salad by Laura Jackson

    Laura has cooked at Towpath Cafe since it opened ten years ago. She is a truly brilliant cook; he...

  • Ogleshield, Polenta, Courgettes & Herbs by Sam Lowry

    Ogleshield, Polenta, Courgettes & Herbs by Sam Lowry

    Sam Lowry is resident cook at Leila's Shop [something of an institution!]. He has cooked at 40 Ma...

  • Mushroom & Kirkham's Lancashire Omelette by Laura Jackson

    Mushroom & Kirkham's Lancashire Omelette by Laura Jackson

    Laura is head chef at Towpath Cafe. She is a truly brilliant cook; her food is nutritious, unpret...

  • Pea, Ham & Berkswell Lasagne by Anna Tobias

    Pea, Ham & Berkswell Lasagne by Anna Tobias

    Anna Tobias has cooked at many of our favourite places to eat, from River Cafe to Rochelle Cantee...

  • How we slice it

    How we slice it

    Bronwen Percival is Technical Manager and cheese buyer for Neal’s Yard Dairy. Ben Harris is Head ...

  • Cheese Care Guide

    Cheese Care Guide

    Farmhouse cheese is handmade and thus varies with each day’s production, changing as it matures. ...

  • How the public rallied to support British cheese

    How the public rallied to support British cheese

    To lose business just from restaurants would be challenging for any cheesemaker. Losing all marke...

  • Safeguarding the Future of British Farmhouse Cheese

    Safeguarding the Future of British Farmhouse Cheese

    Neal’s Yard Dairy’s role is to select and mature the British and Irish cheeses we like the best, ...

  • Remaining Open in a Crisis

    Remaining Open in a Crisis

    Neal’s Yard Dairy’s Decision and Our Protocol  We’ve had a lot of feedback from customers about o...

  • Cheesemonger turns cheesemaker at Kirkham's Lancashire

    Cheesemonger turns cheesemaker at Kirkham's Lancashire

    This week's blog comes from cheesemonger Caitrin, who usually works in our Covent Garden Shop. Pr...

  • Granny's Apple Pie Recipe

    Granny's Apple Pie Recipe

    Continuing in our theme of Lancashire-centered recipes, we couldn't neglect to include a recipe f...

  • Food Bigger Than The Plate

    Food Bigger Than The Plate

    This week's blog comes from cheesemonger Sebastian. Prior to becoming a cheesemonger, Sebastian h...

  • 40 Maltby Street's Lancashire Tart Recipe

    40 Maltby Street's Lancashire Tart Recipe

    The Lancashire Tart is an iconic menu item from 40 Maltby Street, and here we are privileged to p...

  • 40th Birthday Cheese Knife - our Collaboration with Blenheim Forge

    40th Birthday Cheese Knife - our Collaboration with Blenheim Forge

    This blog comes from our colleague Thea, who is part of our Ecommerce team. Thea had the pleasure...

  • Lancashire 'Pesto' Recipe

    Lancashire 'Pesto' Recipe

    For Lancashire Month, we ran a (not very scientific) blind tasting for Neal's Yard Dairy staff of...

  • Dairy Diaries: Highfields Farm Dairy

    Dairy Diaries: Highfields Farm Dairy

    This year we are celebrating our 40th birthday!  As part of our celebrations, we are of course hi...

  • Dairy Diaries: Ticklemore Cheese Dairy

    Dairy Diaries: Ticklemore Cheese Dairy

    This year we are celebrating our 40th birthday here at Neal’s Yard Dairy. As part of our celebrat...

  • Dairy Diaries: St James

    Dairy Diaries: St James

    This year we are celebrating our 40th birthday here at Neal’s Yard Dairy. As part of our celebrat...

  • 5p charge halves bag use and funds school farm trip

    5p charge halves bag use and funds school farm trip

    We started charging 5p for Neal’s Yard Dairy carrier bags back in January 2018. We crossed our fi...

  • Dairy Diaries: Sinodun Hill

    Dairy Diaries: Sinodun Hill

    Pictured are our cheese buyer Bronwen and retail managers Amy and Lydia enjoying the company of t...

  • Dairy Diaries: St Tola

    Dairy Diaries: St Tola

    This year we are celebrating our 40th birthday here at Neal’s Yard Dairy. As part of our celebrat...

  • A Farm Visit to Holden Farm Dairy

    A Farm Visit to Holden Farm Dairy

    Here we share our cheese buyer Bronwen Percival's account of our recent trip to Holden Farm Dairy...

  • Compassion in dairy farming

    Compassion in dairy farming

    Here we share Patrick Holden of the Sustainable Food Trust's fascinating blog post.     Because I...

  • Recipe: Herring in Furs by Alissa Timoshkina's

    Recipe: Herring in Furs by Alissa Timoshkina's

    Today we are sharing an extra special #nydchefstable recipe to celebrate the release of Alissa Ti...

  • Remembering Mary Holbrook

    Remembering Mary Holbrook

    Here our Managing Director David Lockwood pays tribute to our friend and colleague Mary Holbrook....

  • Edith Cannon - the woman, the myth, the legend

    Edith Cannon - the woman, the myth, the legend

    As part of Neal’s Yard Dairy’s ‘Women in Cheese’ focus, we set ourselves the challenge of creatin...

  • The Stilton Grotto

    The Stilton Grotto

    Over the past week, cheesemongers in our Covent Garden and Borough Market shops have been buildin...

  • Salmo Salar by Max Jones

    Salmo Salar by Max Jones

    "The mountain is like the sea, Max. She gives you life, but she can also take it," explained che...

  • A Guide to Constructing and Decorating Your Celebration Cake

    A Guide to Constructing and Decorating Your Celebration Cake

    We love creating cakes to reflect the craftsmanship which makes the best, most delicious cheese. ...

  • SCA Farm Visit 2018

    SCA Farm Visit 2018

    In their own words, the SCA is an alliance of cheesemakers, retailers, wholesalers and others inv...

  • Sleight Farm on Film

    Sleight Farm on Film

    This short farm-visit film features cheesemaker Mary Holbrook at her farm near Bath in Somerset. ...

  • Postcard from the North

    Postcard from the North

    Hi, everyone, I wanted to take a moment to tell you about last week’s Northern Run and the latest...

  • Return of the Natives

    Return of the Natives

    Pasteurisation is a process during which milk is heated just enough to kill any bacteria that cou...

Your basket

Spend £29.40 more to receive free delivery (England, Wales & Central Scotland).

Your basket is currently empty.

Order Total £0.00
View basket / checkout

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. More Info