Cardo was made by Mary Holbrook in Somerset. Mary sadly passed away earlier this year, but her team continue to make cheese. Rather than using an animal derived rennet to coagulate the milk, Mary's team uses a solution infused with dried Cardoon stamens. Cardoon is a variety of thistle native to the southern Iberian Peninsula.
Location
Timsbury, Somerset
Our work with this cheese
We take batches of Cardo from Sleight Farm at a very young age and wash them, often just with water, sometimes with a light saline solution, in our maturing rooms. Washing Cardo promotes a healthy, sticky rind and orange or pink pigmentation.
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Women in Cheese: a profile of cheesemaker Mary Holbrook
This short 'farm-visit' film features cheesemaker Mary Holbrook at her farm near Bath in Somerset. Mary has her own herd of around a hundred home-bred goats, or 'the league of nations' as she calls them. As we follow her around the farm, the true depth of her knowledge and experience reveals itself. We hope you enjoy watching it.