Our August Cheese of the Month contains:
Appleby's Cheshire
We visit the Applebys every month on our ‘Northern Run’ when we taste through every batch that has been made since our last visit. We select the batches we want to sell, and get a taste of what’s to come next time! It’s a treat to visit the farm, with its make room accessible through a door in the kitchen, as all dairies would have once been, allowing the cheesemaking to easily fit into the daily routine and flow of family life. This week’s batches have a soft and succulent texture with brightly lactic flavours and a warm mineral finish.
Made by The Appleby family near Shrewsbury, Shropshire.
Raw cow’s milk, animal rennet.
Duckett's Caerphilly
Chris Duckett, the original producer of this cheese, became the last traditional maker of raw milk farmhouse Caerphilly in England. In the late 90s, Chris became ill forcing production to move to Westcombe Dairy in Somerset, where it remains today. Chris taught Tom Calver to make the cheese, and Tom adopted the recipe and continues to produce the cheese. The brine that is used to salt the cheese is from Chris Duckett’s original tank, making it around 20 years old. Its microbial community is unique to the rind of Duckett’s Caerphilly.
Made by Tom Calver and team near Evercreech, Somerset.
Raw cow’s milk, animal rennet.
Keen's Cheddar
The batch of Keen’s we include here is a rare and special batch. After attending one of our Cheddar Maker's Forums, James Keen was interested in the idea of using microbes from his farm to make the starter culture used in his cheese, a technique that predates the commercial starter cultures popular today. This involved James taking milk from his bulk tank and leaving it to sour on its own in a warm environment. Every day for a few weeks he’d do this, smelling and tasting the soured milk to choose his favourite ferment. He then ‘bulked’ the soured milk up to a large volume in a churn of sterile milk to use as his starter. He made a batch of cheese this way (that’s 20 cheeses) in December 2017, and we are delighted with the results. A wonderfully creamy textured cheese, this batch has a full, brothy flavour with a bright juiciness.
Made by The Keen family near Wincanton, Somerset.
Raw cow’s milk, animal rennet.
Dorstone
Charlie Westhead has been making Dorstone at his creamery since 2004. The Dorstone we include here is specially selected for us by Charlie based on taste and texture. It arrives with us in Bermondsey at 7 days old and is further dried and matured by our soft cheese specialists. Flavours are citrussy with a light and fluffy texture. Charlie’s son, Conan, heads our packing team, and leads a team of people who work to ensure your cheese reaches you in excellent condition. Enjoy!
Made by Charlie Westhead and team, near Dorstone, Herefordshire.
Pasteurised goat’s milk, animal rennet.