Spenwood
milk type
Sheep
ingredients
Thermised Sheep's MILK, Salt, Cheese Cultures, Vegetarian Coagulant
coagulant
Vegetarian Coagulant
milk treatment
Thermised
location
Riseley, Berkshire
milk source
Bought-in
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milk type
Sheep
ingredients
Thermised Sheep's MILK, Salt, Cheese Cultures, Vegetarian Coagulant
coagulant
Vegetarian Coagulant
milk treatment
Thermised
location
Riseley, Berkshire
milk source
Bought-in
season
All year
cheesemakers
The Wigmore Family
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Spenwood was inspired by a Pecorino cheese encountered by Anne Wigmore while visiting the Mediterranean island of Sardinia.
Background
Spenwood, named after the nearby Spencers Wood, is made in the Berkshire village of Riseley, not far from Reading, but it was inspired by the produce of the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. When i...
Read More
Spenwood, named after the nearby Spencers Wood, is made in the Berkshire village of Riseley, not far from Reading, but it was inspired by the produce of the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. When its maker, Anne Wigmore, visited Sardinia, she fell in love with the local ewe's milk cheeses, particularly Pecorino Sardo. On her return she decided to devote her efforts to recreating some of their charm, putting into practice the theoretical knowledge she had gained while working as a microbiologist at the National Institute for Research in Dairying. A hard-pressed cheese made from ewe's milk, Spenwood has a supple texture and a well-developed, nutty flavour. The longer it matures, the harder and more piquant it becomes, making it a good substitute for Parmesan or Pecorino in pasta and risotto recipes.
Read Less
Our Work
The cheese is generally sold at around six months of age, though it can be matured for longer, at which point its paste becomes denser and slightly waxy. Spenwood has a rounder, gentler flavour tha...
Read More
The cheese is generally sold at around six months of age, though it can be matured for longer, at which point its paste becomes denser and slightly waxy. Spenwood has a rounder, gentler flavour than our other hard sheep's milk cheeses, which tend to be marked by juicy, fruity acidity.
Read Less
Accompaniments
Brown Bread Crackers
£3.95
Tracklements Fig Relish
£4.95
Serving Suggestions
Shave Spenwood over rocket leaves dressed with olive oil and balsamic for a simple side salad.
Recipes
Asparagus and Cheese Quiche
The recipe for this quiche is flexible and forgiving. Try swapping out the asparagus for broccoli, or if you have leftover bits of other cheeses, use those in place of Spenwood and Ticklemore. ING...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.
Spenwood
A sheep’s milk cheese with a supple texture and a thin natural rind
Spenwood was inspired by a Pecorino cheese encountered by Anne Wigmore while visiting the Mediterranean island of Sardinia.
milk type
Sheep
ingredients
Thermised Sheep's MILK, Salt, Cheese Cultures, Vegetarian Coagulant
coagulant
Vegetarian Coagulant
milk treatment
Thermised
location
Riseley, Berkshire
milk source
Bought-in
season
All year
cheesemakers
The Wigmore Family
background
Spenwood, named after the nearby Spencers Wood, is made in the Berkshire village of Riseley, not far from Reading, but it was inspired by the produce of the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. When its maker, Anne Wigmore, visited Sardinia, she fell in love with the local ewe's milk cheeses, particularly Pecorino Sardo. On her return she decided to devote her efforts to recreating some of their charm, putting into practice the theoretical knowledge she had gained while working as a microbiologist at the National Institute for Research in Dairying. A hard-pressed cheese made from ewe's milk, Spenwood has a supple texture and a well-developed, nutty flavour. The longer it matures, the harder and more piquant it becomes, making it a good substitute for Parmesan or Pecorino in pasta and risotto recipes.
our work with this cheese
The cheese is generally sold at around six months of age, though it can be matured for longer, at which point its paste becomes denser and slightly waxy. Spenwood has a rounder, gentler flavour than our other hard sheep's milk cheeses, which tend to be marked by juicy, fruity acidity.
pairing suggestion
Shave Spenwood over rocket leaves dressed with olive oil and balsamic for a simple side salad.
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