Kirkham's Lancashire
milk type
Cow
ingredients
Raw Cow's MILK, Salt, Cheese Cultures, Animal Rennet
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Raw
location
Near Goosnargh, Lancashire
milk source
Own herd
Show More
milk type
Cow
ingredients
Raw Cow's MILK, Salt, Cheese Cultures, Animal Rennet
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Raw
location
Near Goosnargh, Lancashire
milk source
Own herd
breed
Holstein
season
All year
average age
3-4 Months
cheesemakers
Graham Kirkham
Show Less
Traditional Lancashire is made using the curds created from several different milkings – a highly unusual approach which lends complexity to the flavour of the cheese.
Background
In 1939 there were 202 farmhouse producers of Lancashire. Today, only the Kirkham family remain, with Graham Kirkham the third generation to follow in his family's footsteps by making raw milk Lanc...
Read More
In 1939 there were 202 farmhouse producers of Lancashire. Today, only the Kirkham family remain, with Graham Kirkham the third generation to follow in his family's footsteps by making raw milk Lancashire according to the traditional method. This involves combining curds from several days' milkings – an approach as unique as it is time consuming, having originated in the days when Lancashire farms were much smaller, and didn't have enough cows to make cheese on a daily basis. But it's well worth the effort for the resulting complexity of taste. We have worked closely with the Kirkhams for over 30 years, beginning when Graham's father John managed the cows and his mother Ruth was responsible for the cheesemaking, and we look forward to many more years of this treasured territorial cheese.
Read Less
Our Work
Every month we visit Beesley Farm, taste our way through the batches of Kirkham's Lancashire that are one to two months old, and select those we think are best for us. The majority of these will be...
Read More
Every month we visit Beesley Farm, taste our way through the batches of Kirkham's Lancashire that are one to two months old, and select those we think are best for us. The majority of these will be sold the following month, when the cheese is just three or four months old and the flavours are fresh and gentle, but a few cheeses will lend themselves to a longer maturation period of approximately nine to twelve months. These we will take back to Bermondsey and tend to in our own maturing arches, to become Mature Kirkham's Lancashire. During maturation they will develop a texture that is closer to the crumbly side of 'buttery crumble' and some flavours that are more upfront and punchy.
Read Less
Graham Kirkham turning blocks of curd in the vat
The Kirkham's Lancashire dairy
Filling the Kirkham's Lancashire cheese moulds with curds
Accompaniments
Damson Paste - 200g Slice
£10.40
Rosebud Piccalilli Chutney
£7.00
Serving Suggestions
Serve chunks of Lancashire with warm Eccles cakes.
Makes excellent cheese on toast.
Recipes
Mini Mature Kirkham’s Lancashire and Onion Tarts
Makes approx. 20-24 tarts Ingredients For the base: 100g each wholemeal flour and white self-raising flour 100g cold butter Salt and pepper Cold water For the filling: 20g butter 2 medium ...FAQs
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.
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.
Kirkham's Lancashire
Best known for its inimitable crumbly-yet-creamy texture – a texture the Kirkham family call ‘buttery crumble’ – this raw milk farmhouse Lancashire boasts a bright, full flavour finished off by a light, yoghurty tang
Traditional Lancashire is made using the curds created from several different milkings – a highly unusual approach which lends complexity to the flavour of the cheese.
milk type
Cow
ingredients
Raw Cow's MILK, Salt, Cheese Cultures, Animal Rennet
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Raw
location
Near Goosnargh, Lancashire
milk source
Own herd
breed
Holstein
season
All year
average age
3-4 Months
cheesemakers
Graham Kirkham
background
In 1939 there were 202 farmhouse producers of Lancashire. Today, only the Kirkham family remain, with Graham Kirkham the third generation to follow in his family's footsteps by making raw milk Lancashire according to the traditional method. This involves combining curds from several days' milkings – an approach as unique as it is time consuming, having originated in the days when Lancashire farms were much smaller, and didn't have enough cows to make cheese on a daily basis. But it's well worth the effort for the resulting complexity of taste. We have worked closely with the Kirkhams for over 30 years, beginning when Graham's father John managed the cows and his mother Ruth was responsible for the cheesemaking, and we look forward to many more years of this treasured territorial cheese.
our work with this cheese
Every month we visit Beesley Farm, taste our way through the batches of Kirkham's Lancashire that are one to two months old, and select those we think are best for us. The majority of these will be sold the following month, when the cheese is just three or four months old and the flavours are fresh and gentle, but a few cheeses will lend themselves to a longer maturation period of approximately nine to twelve months. These we will take back to Bermondsey and tend to in our own maturing arches, to become Mature Kirkham's Lancashire. During maturation they will develop a texture that is closer to the crumbly side of 'buttery crumble' and some flavours that are more upfront and punchy.
pairing suggestion
Serve chunks of Lancashire with warm Eccles cakes.
Makes excellent cheese on toast.
You may also like
From the blog
View all
Latest posts
