St James

A washed-rind ewe’s milk cheese that is strongly influenced by seasonality, ranging from a buttery softness to a more firm and granular texture. Flavours are deep, malty and punchy towards the rind, with a milky freshness and tangy note coming from the paste.

PORTION

Eighth

MINIMUM 180 g

Quarter

MINIMUM 360 g

Half

MINIMUM 725 g

Whole

MINIMUM 1455 g

Regular price £13.30 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

ingredients
MILK, salt, rennet

coagulant
Animal Rennet

milk treatment
Raw

location
Cartmel, Cumbria

milk source
Own herd

breed
Lacaune

season
Spring-Summer-Autumn

average age
2-4 Months

cheesemakers
Martin Gott

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Martin Gott, the maker of St James, is one of the rare breed of cheesemakers who propagate their own starter cultures rather than buying them in.

background

Martin Gott developed St James at Holker Farm in Cumbria, which he runs with his partner Nicola Robinson. It was given its name as a tribute to the late James Aldridge, one of the great pioneers of British cheesemaking – and it is a cheese of which James would doubtless approve. St James is made from the raw milk of the farm's flock of Lacaune ewes; as the milk changes throughout the lactation, so does the character of the cheese. From the beginning of the season in February through to November, variations in the texture and flavour of the cheese are seen. Martin propagates his own starter cultures, a process that he feels imparts the whole cheese with the flavours of the farm. Three times a week for three to four weeks, the cheeses are individually washed in a brine and turned, allowing them to form their striking orange-yellow rind, with its rich, savoury depth.

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our work with this cheese

We visit Holker Farm Dairy on our monthly trips up north to taste and select cheeses to sell. Martin, who we've known since his time as a young man working at Borough Market, is very proactive in e...

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Accompaniments

Orkney Oatcakes, Thin
£0.60

Rosebud Red Onion Port Marmalade
£5.15

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.