Cheese of the Month Selection

Each month we choose four of the cheeses which we think are tasting best. We particularly like to feature cheeses which are in season, as well as batches of cheese which are tasting especially delicious in a particular month. If you want to keep up to date with the latest developments in British cheese making, this is also a good choice. Frequently we have limited quantities of new or experimental cheeses which we introduce to our customers through this selection.

Minimum weight: 1.2 kg

Spend over £60 to receive free delivery (England, Scotland and Wales).

Our May Cheese of the Month contains:

Brefu Bach

This cheese is relatively new to us, having graced our slates for the first time last year. Carrie Rimes found it astonishing that in a country so famed for its sheep, no one was making sheep’s milk cheese in Wales. Brefu Bach is part of her mission to change this. Carrie prioritises the sourcing of interesting sheep’s milk from traditional Welsh breeds feeding on species-rich pastures. The result is a sweet, slightly honeyed soft cheese, with lactic fromage-frais flavours. We think it’s the perfect before-dinner cheese. Why leave cheese until after your main meal?

Made by Carrie Rimes near Bethseda, North Wales.
Raw sheep’s milk, vegetarian rennet.

Tymsboro

After Mary Holbrook’s sudden passing in February, her team at Sleight Farm have honoured her wishes and are continuing to make Mary’s raw goat’s milk cheeses. This is the first season that the Sleight Farm team are cheesemaking without Mary’s formidable supervision. We are therefore visiting the farm regularly and working closely with them to offer support. The cheeses are bright with savoury, mineral notes at the rind. Its salty, powerful flavour prevails and with it too does Mary’s legacy.

Made at Sleight Farm, Timsbury Somerset.
Raw goat’s milk, animal rennet.

Sparkenhoe Blue

Sparkenhoe Blue came about when David and Jo Clarke (of Red Leicester fame) wanted to channel more of their milk production into cheese. Their son Will was also ready to take a more active role in the business. Stilton making is traditional to the area and so it seemed fitting to take inspiration from this much-loved cheese. Two years down the line, Sparkenhoe Blue is establishing its place on our counters as a deeply savoury blue cheese with a rich, dense and chewy texture. The cheese is a credit to Will, and we are delighted to include it in our monthly selection for the first time.

Made by Will Clarke, near Nuneaton, Warwickshire.
Raw cow’s milk, animal rennet.

Hafod

Our selection visits to Hafod are longer and more extensive than with the other Cheddar producers we work with; we taste six months’ worth of cheese over two days. We taste the cheeses twice: first at 3-6 months, then again at 6-9 months to make our selection. This is partly because the team at Holden Farm Dairy have such an experimental approach. One of the most recent experiments has been on the maturing side, namely maturing cheeses both with and without cloth binding. The non-bound cheese was the most popular, with a firmer and slower break down, and more balanced, clean and savoury flavours. From now on, at least for the moment, all Hafod cheese will be matured cloth-free. Let us know what you think!