milk type
Cow
ingredients
MILK, salt, rennet
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Raw
location
Nuneaton, Warwickshire
milk source
Own herd
breed
Holstein
season
All year
average age
3-6 Months
cheesemakers
The Clarke Family
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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
our work with this cheese
Accompaniments
Serving Suggestions
Elevate a white sauce with a generous grating of Sparkenhoe Red Leicester.Recipes
Quesadillas with Guacamole
Cheesy mexican tortillas with soured cream, avocado and Red Leicester.Potato Gratins With Garlic and Red Leicester
Potato gratins are a classic side dish and a definite crowd-pleaser. The red Leicester in this version gives these a sharp flavour and brilliant orange colour, a great contrast against other green ...FAQs
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Sparkenhoe Red Leicester
Complex and balanced, nutty and mellow, this farmhouse revival of a classic British cheese is full flavoured without any aggressive acidity


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
ingredients
MILK, salt, rennet
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Raw
location
Nuneaton, Warwickshire
milk source
Own herd
breed
Holstein
season
All year
average age
3-6 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 batches that express nutty, rich, complex flavours, without any aggressive acidity, and a texture that is succulent but chewy. At our maturing arches in Bermondsey the cheeses are turned and brushed once a week for between four and six months.
pairing suggestion
Elevate a white sauce with a generous grating of Sparkenhoe Red Leicester.