Tower of whole and cut pieces of Berkswell sheep’s milk cheese with a firm off-white coloured paste

Berkswell

Berkswell is a hard ewe’s milk cheese with a complex sweetness. Its gentle tang and slightly granular texture often draw comparisons with the Spanish cheese Manchego.

PORTION

Eighth

MINIMUM 250 g

Quarter

MINIMUM 500 g

Half

MINIMUM 1000 g

Whole

MINIMUM 2005 g

Regular price £12.80 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
Sheep

coagulant
Animal Rennet

milk treatment
Raw

location
Near Berkswell, West Midlands

milk source
Own herd

breed
Friesland

season
All year

average age
6-8 Months

cheesemakers
Julie Hay

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The distinctive UFO-like shape of the Berkswell is the result of its not being pressed, but moulded in a kitchen colander.

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Ram Hall Farm in the village of Berkswell, Warwickshire, has been in the hands of the Fletcher family for six generations. The first Berkswell cheese was made by Stephen Fletcher's mother Sheila in the early 1990s. Today, it is head cheesemaker Julie Hay who oversees the make, the milk for which is sourced entirely from Stephen's 450-strong flock of Friesland sheep. The sheep's feed is grown entirely at the farm, which Stephen runs together with his son George and father Peter. Dividing the flock into four and lambing continuously has enabled Berkswell to be produced throughout the year, and the rainbow-like array of moulds you find on the rind of Berkswell varies seasonally.

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our work with this cheese

We visit Ram Hall Farm to select our batches of Berkswell once a month, and the frequent contact affords us the opportunity to provide direct feedback to Stephen and Julia.

Accompaniments

Brown Bread Crackers
£2.90

Scottish Honey
£7.30

Tracklements Fig Relish
£4.20

Serving Suggestions

A delicious alternative to parmesan. Grate over pasta, or any dish that is topped with cheese before grilling.
Shave Berkswell over a green salad dressed with a sharp lemony dressing.

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.