Spofforth - Take Home Notes
The Ultimate Christmas Cheese Board
#1: Wooky Hole Cheddar
Caves are great for maturing cheese because they have a constant temperature all year round and high humidity to stop cheese drying out during its maturation. Gerry Cottle, once the ringmaster and owner of Britain’s leading circus is now owner of historic Wookey Hole Caves near Wells in Somerset. He revived a 400 year old tradition by letting local cheese makers use Wookey Hole to mature cheddar in the cave. And this is one of those cheeses - a true British classic cave-aged cheddar! (V+P)
#2: Yorkshire Blue
Based in Thirsk in North Yorkshire, Shepherd’s Purse was started by the absolute legend Judy Bell on her farmhouse kitchen table back in the 80s. Today, her daughters Katie and Caroline are running the show and smashing it. They are the undisputed masters of blue cheese and the creamy Yorkshire Blue is a beautiful blue. When it was launched it was the first blue cheese to be made in Yorkshire for over 30 years. (V+P)
#3: Brie with Cranberries
This beauty hails from the lush, green pastures of Normandy, France, a place where these kinds of cheese are practically the regional currency. This takes a glorious Brie de Meaux-style soft cheese and slaps a thick, fruity layer of sweet cranberry filling right down the middle. . You get the rich, mushroomy, bloomy rind on the outside, a creamy, milky paste, and then—BAM!—a sharp, sweet-tart cranberry burst right in the centre. (V+P)
#4: Ribblesdale Sheeps Cheese
Ribblesdale Sheeps Cheese is made in a small, family-run artisan dairy in Hawes, in't Yorkshire Dales. Founded in 1978 by Iain Hill, it is now run by his niece Iona Hill and her husband Stuart, whose team hand-make their acclaimed goat and sheep cheeses using traditional, small-batch methods. Ribblesdale Sheep’s cheese is a bit of a dairy rebel! There's nothing fluffy or wooly here - it’s tangy, bright, and crumbly with a bit of farmhouse funk. (V+P)
#5: Red Storm
This is a modern take on the famous Red Leicester. Made by the wonderful Snowdonia Cheese Company – who you might know for Black Bomber - this ‘redefines what you would expect from a Red Leicester’ – from WALES! Punchy, full-flavoured with all the characteristics people love - it’s a big Christmas sack of everything people love about cheese! (V+P)
#6: Délice de Bourgogne
A French cow’s milk cheese from the Burgundy region of France. It was first created in 1975 by Jean Lincet at Fromagerie Lincet. It’s a triple cream cheese! EXTRA double cream is added during the cheese-making process. Hailing from the stunning Burgundy region of France, this isn't just cheese, this is pure, unadulterated indulgence. Start the Christmas excess NOW! Luxuriant and blooming lush! (V+P)
#7: Manchego Champagne Rose
A proper celebration in a wedge! Hailing from the sun-baked plains of Castile-La Mancha in central Spain - this is a stunning sheep’s milk cheese that has decided to dress up for a night on the town! All the traditional Manchego-style cheese flavours, but bathed in Rosé Champagne for a cheeky fruity sparkle - creamy, with a finish that feels like a celebration on your tongue. A cheese that thinks it’s a glass of fizz at Christmas? Why not! (nV+nP)
#8: Villa Chilli Fumé Gouda
A really rather special cheese - smoked with added chili flakes. Made form thermised cow’s milk and matured for about 8 weeks, it is nice and soft, creamy in texture, spicy and full of flavour. The Villa range of Gouda cheeses is made by the Dutch cheese company Treur Kaas, a family business since 1955, based in Woerden the cheese center of the Netherlands. They work with selected farmers to create both traditional and more exotic cheeses. (V+P)