Ogleshield cheese was originally called Jersey Shield and had a natural rind composed of greyish-green moulds. William Oglethorpe – then senior cheese maturer at Neal's Yard Dairy – came up with the idea of washing the cheese with a brine solution in order to better mature it, and, in recognition of his contribution, his surname was incorporated into its name.
Jamie Montgomery is best known for his farmhouse Cheddar, which has been made by the Montgomery family for three generations. Ogleshield, a washed-rind cheese that is relatively quick to produce in comparison to Cheddar, was born of Jamie's decision to transform the milk of his herd of Jersey cows – milk which until then was exclusively sold for drinking – into cheese. After being moulded, the cheeses are washed with a brine solution every three days, creating a moist, slightly pungent rind which softens the cheese and enriches its milky and sometimes meaty flavour. Made by cheesemaker Tim Griffey, Ogleshield is the only cheese made exclusively from Jersey cow's milk to be sold at Neal's Yard Dairy.
We visit Manor Farm every month to select Montgomery's Cheddar. While there, we taste through the Ogleshield and give direct feedback as well as passing on observations from the team at our maturing arches in Bermondsey.