Westcombe Ricotta

A cow’s milk Ricotta with a moussier, lighter texture than is typical of many continental versions, but with rich, savouriness and long-lasting cooked flavours.

Please note: Available in our shops and via wholesale. We can only sell this cheese online for collection, not delivery. If you are interested, please give us a call, or use the Contact us form, and we can give you more information on current availability.

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
Cow

coagulant
Animal Rennet

milk treatment
Raw

location
Evercreech, Somserset

milk source
Own herd; Bought-in

breed
Holstein; Dairy Shorthorn

season
All year

average age
Fresh Cheese

cheesemakers
Rob Howard; The Calver Family

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Westcombe Ricotta puts to good use what would usually be seen as a waste product: the whey left behind from the make of Westcombe Cheddar

background

Westcombe Ricotta is produced from the whey left over from Tom Calver's make of Westcombe Cheddar. The removal of whey – the liquid component of milk – is a fundamental part of coagulating milk. It is commonly discarded by the cheesemaker as a waste product, due in large part to its acid properties and its sheer volume. But while the majority of whey is water, held in solution are a great diversity of bacteria, enzymes and proteins, packed with potential. Tom will heat a batch of whey for a prolonged period until its proteins denature and begin to coagulate into fragile white clumps. Once solid enough to be moulded, the coagulated proteins are salted and then ladled into colander-like moulds and the liquid allowed to drain off. Moisture will slowly continue to drain out as the ricotta sits in its mould.

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Accompaniments

Orkney Oatcakes, Thick
£1.00

Scottish Honey
£7.30

Serving Suggestions

Top toasted bread with Ricotta, smoked salmon and a scattering of fresh dill.

Recipes

Cheese & apricot stuffed blini

One of the most comforting dishes that speaks of family traditions and works fantastically well as a breakfast dish as well as a desert after dinner.

Cannon of lamb with tomatoes & ricotta

Grilled summer lamb with beautiful ricotta and a quick red onion pickle.

Ricotta Honey Cheesecake with Pistachios

A sweet, indulgent pudding riddled with pistachios and topped with fresh honeycomb.

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.