Tower of whole and cut pieces of Gubbeen semi-soft washed rind cow’s milk cheese, showing the patterned rind and creamy-coloured paste

Gubbeen

A semi-soft washed rind cheese boasting a medley of savoury, nutty and fungal flavours and a bouncy, pliant texture with a pleasing bite at its pink rind.

PORTION

Quarter

MINIMUM 280 g

Half

MINIMUM 565 g

Whole

MINIMUM 1135 g

Regular price £9.70 Sale

Quantity

- +

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.

Download Crib Sheet

milk type
Cow

coagulant
Animal Rennet

milk treatment
Pasteurised

location
Schull, West Cork, Ireland

milk source
Own herd

breed
Holstein-Friesian; Various in minority

season
All year

average age
2-3 Months

cheesemakers
Giana Ferguson

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A pinkish-white organism native to Gubbeen Farm, which flourishes on the rind of Gubbeen cheese, was identified by microbiologists in 2001 and named Microbacterium gubbeenense after the farm and dairy.

background

Gubbeen is made by Giana Ferguson and her team in County Cork in Ireland, at a spot where the Gulf Stream regularly comes into land from the Atlantic. The warmer, brighter weather means that grass arrives early in the year, and the herd can be put out to pasture sooner, so the majority of their diet is grass based, which is a real benefit to the cheese. Gina hails from a cheesemaking background, having helped her father make cheese in Spain before gaining experience in France. Her husband Tom is the sixth generation of Fergusons to have farmed at Gubbeen. This marriage of farming heritage, cheesemaking experience and distinct microclimate has made for a cheese which, in its reflection of people and place, is truly unique. Microbacterium Gubbeenense, a white velvet bloom organism native to the pastures of Gubbeen Farm, is one of a garden of different microorganisms which influence Gubbeen's structure and flavour, the growth of which is encouraged by regularly washing the cheeses in salt, water and a splash of white wine.

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our work with this cheese

Gubbeen is delivered to us from Ireland every two weeks. When it reaches us, the cheeses are unwrapped, put on racks and kept in a relatively warm environment. After experimenting with the temperatures, our maturation team found that keeping them for two to three weeks in our warmest maturation room resulted in cheeses which were meatier and more intense in flavour. The cheeses are turned once a week while they are maturing, during which time the rind cultures move further through the paste: deepening the flavour and softening the paste to create a texture that is bouncy, unctuous and smooth.

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Accompaniments

Biscuit Selection
£7.50

Rosebud Red Onion Port Marmalade
£4.10

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.