Isle of Mull
milk type
Cow
ingredients
Raw Cow's MILK, Salt, Cheese Cultures, Animal Rennet, Clothbound with Lard
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Raw
location
Near Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Scotland
milk source
Own herd
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milk type
Cow
ingredients
Raw Cow's MILK, Salt, Cheese Cultures, Animal Rennet, Clothbound with Lard
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Raw
location
Near Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Scotland
milk source
Own herd
breed
Crossbred
season
All year
average age
10-18 Months
cheesemakers
Brendan Reade
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The Reade family farm uses its own sustainable sources to produce the energy it needs: wind, wood, and an on-site hydroelectric power plant.
Background
In 1982, Jeff and Chris Reade packed up their farm and family, and transported them the 500-odd miles from Somerset to Scotland. There, they settled in a derelict collection of buildings on the Isl...
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In 1982, Jeff and Chris Reade packed up their farm and family, and transported them the 500-odd miles from Somerset to Scotland. There, they settled in a derelict collection of buildings on the Isle of Mull, known as Scriob Ruadh. Fast-forward to today and those once-derelict buildings are home to an exceptional cheese, forged out of the challenging conditions of the island and the extraordinary resourcefulness of the Reades. During the summer the cows graze but with the notoriously damp Scottish climate the amount of time they can spend outdoors is limited. The quest for supplementary food led the Reades to the local distillery, Tobermory, which was facing the problem of disposing of fermented grain, one of the biggest by-products of distilling. It didn't take long for them to come to an arrangement, and that symbiotic relationship has continued ever since. The herd feeds on grass in summer and hay in winter but enjoys a supplement of fermented grain throughout the year, a unique addition which only adds to the cheese's deeply flavoursome complexity. Once set and moulded, the cheeses are kept in an underground cellar to mature for up to 18 months.
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Our Work
We journey up to Scriob Ruadh twice a year to taste and select Cheddar with the Reade family. Where possible, we choose cheeses with a firm, appealingly waxy texture, a rich, boozy flavour profile ...
Read More
We journey up to Scriob Ruadh twice a year to taste and select Cheddar with the Reade family. Where possible, we choose cheeses with a firm, appealingly waxy texture, a rich, boozy flavour profile and a complex sweetness – though Isle of Mull Cheddar can also boast flavours that are savoury and brothy.
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Selecting cheeses at the farm
Accompaniments
Brown Bread Crackers
£3.95
Serving Suggestions
Melt on top of wholemeal toast and serve with a sweet onion chutney.
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.
Isle of Mull
A hearty Scottish cheese with a firm, fondant-like texture that tends to be slightly more compact than the other Cheddars we sell
The Reade family farm uses its own sustainable sources to produce the energy it needs: wind, wood, and an on-site hydroelectric power plant.
milk type
Cow
ingredients
Raw Cow's MILK, Salt, Cheese Cultures, Animal Rennet, Clothbound with Lard
coagulant
Animal Rennet
milk treatment
Raw
location
Near Tobermory, Isle of Mull, Scotland
milk source
Own herd
breed
Crossbred
season
All year
average age
10-18 Months
cheesemakers
Brendan Reade
background
In 1982, Jeff and Chris Reade packed up their farm and family, and transported them the 500-odd miles from Somerset to Scotland. There, they settled in a derelict collection of buildings on the Isle of Mull, known as Scriob Ruadh. Fast-forward to today and those once-derelict buildings are home to an exceptional cheese, forged out of the challenging conditions of the island and the extraordinary resourcefulness of the Reades. During the summer the cows graze but with the notoriously damp Scottish climate the amount of time they can spend outdoors is limited. The quest for supplementary food led the Reades to the local distillery, Tobermory, which was facing the problem of disposing of fermented grain, one of the biggest by-products of distilling. It didn't take long for them to come to an arrangement, and that symbiotic relationship has continued ever since. The herd feeds on grass in summer and hay in winter but enjoys a supplement of fermented grain throughout the year, a unique addition which only adds to the cheese's deeply flavoursome complexity. Once set and moulded, the cheeses are kept in an underground cellar to mature for up to 18 months.
our work with this cheese
We journey up to Scriob Ruadh twice a year to taste and select Cheddar with the Reade family. Where possible, we choose cheeses with a firm, appealingly waxy texture, a rich, boozy flavour profile and a complex sweetness – though Isle of Mull Cheddar can also boast flavours that are savoury and brothy.
pairing suggestion
Melt on top of wholemeal toast and serve with a sweet onion chutney.
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