Artisan (Raw Milk) Collection

1 kg serves between 6-8 people:

All English, all lovingly handmade using unpasteurised (raw) milk, our wonderful artisan selection makes a great cheeseboard:

Baron Bigod (200g) – Jonathan and Dulcie Crickmore have been dairy farmers all their lives at Fen Farm Dairy in Suffolk.  Falling milk prices prompted them to diversify into cheese making.  Seeing a gap in the market for a large (3 kg) unpasteurised Brie (similar to Brie de Meaux) they started to develop Baron Bigod.  This involved purchasing a herd of French cows (Montbeliarde) to provide the rich milk needed to complement their newly acquired cheese-making skills.  Baron Bigod is a rich creamy brie with all the vegetal flavours associated with the French equivalent.  Made with unpasteurised milk and traditional rennet.

Stichelton (200g) – In 1988 Colston Bassett finally gave up making unpasteurised Stilton.  A change of the Stilton decree in the 1990s meant that unpasteurised Stilton was lost forever because it now had to be made only from pasteurised milk.  Yet in 2006 Joe Schneider set-up on the Wellbeck Estate to try and recreate an unpasteurised Stilton made on the farm.  Overcoming many obstacles, what he eventually produced, is made from unpasteurised milk, was not allowed to be called Stilton.  So he named it Stichelton, the Anglo Saxon name for the village of Stilton.  Stichelton is toasty, nutty and sweet with a creamy light texture and gentle blue note.

Sparkenhoe Red Leicester (200g) – a truly authentic Red Leicester with a beautifully nutty taste: a legendary cheese made from an old recipe, dating back to 1745. Annatto, the dye used to make its orange colour, is a natural plant dye obtained from a South American bush. Sparkenhoe is matured for six months, with a firm texture and gentle lactic butterscotch flavour. Sparkenhoe is made by David and Jo Clarke of the Leicestershire Handmade Cheese company in South West Leicestershire with unpasteurised milk and traditional rennet.

Montgomery Cheddar (200g) – James Montgomery is a third-generation cheesemaker from Somerset and has been awarded the title of Champion Cheesemaker of the world. Montgomery cheddar is the most traditional of all the big daddy cheddars and is the most complex in flavour – it just goes on and on!  there is the scent of the cloth wrappings and fresh hay and a flavour which packs a punch but is always mellow. Made with unpasteurised milk and animal rennet.

Appleby’s Cheshire (200g) – One of the finest British Cheeses, Mrs. Appleby’s Cheshire is the only traditional handmade Cheshire cheese left.  Each cheese is cloth wrapped and matured for a maximum of 6 months.  The red colour of the cheese is produced by the addition of annatto, a natural vegetable extract. Mrs. Appleby herself died in 2008 aged 88, leaving behind a legacy of promoting and reviving traditional farmhouse cheese making. Her family continue the tradition of making cheese at Hawkstone farm. Mrs. Appleby’s Cheshire is moist and buttery, lightly crumbly with an aftertaste which leaves you wanting more! Made with unpasteurised milk and vegetarian rennet.  Includes a packet of biscuits chosen to compliment the selection.