CHEESEWIRE

Scienti c breakthrough creates new strains of blue cheese mould

By Patrick McGuigan

Blue cheese producers will soon be able to create new avours and textures in their products a er a breakthrough discovery that enables scientists to naturally breed new strains of blue mould.

Penicillium roqueforti, the blue cheese mould, was thought to reproduce asexually, but Paul Dyer, professor of fungal biology at the University of Nottingham, has discovered it is possible to naturally breed the mould to create completely new varieties with unique cheesemaking properties.

The new process has been commercialised by Myconeos, a er extensive trials with artisan cheesemakers Moyden’s Hand Made Cheese in Shropshire and Highland Fine Cheeses in Ross-shire. A range of new blue moulds will be launched under the Mycoforti brand this month.

“We have new strains that give very di erent avour, aroma, texture and colour properties,” said Dr Jacek Obuchowicz, CEO of Myconeos. “We have developed blue moulds that can break down fat 20 times faster than existing moulds, or work much more slowly. Beyond that, we are looking at strains for goats’ or sheep’s milk blues. We want to be able to provide a toolbox that mould-ripened cheesemakers can use to create new products and sensations.”

The initial range includes four strains – Classic, Mild, Intense and Artisan – which each provide di erent avour and texture characteristics in cheese. A bespoke mould has also been developed for Moyden’s by isolating a wild strain of blue mould from a hay bale at a Shropshire farm. Cheesemaker Martin Moyden plans to use it to make a new version of his agship cheese called Wild Wrekin Blue.

“In blind tastings we found it consistently gave the cheese a real sweetness and brighter, more vibrant blue veins,” said Moyden. “I’ve always loved the connection between cheese and the place it is made, and this will really strengthen that idea of terroir. We will likely see a big increase in new blue cheeses with these moulds. It could have a big impact for both micro-producers and large manufacturers.”

Obuchowicz said he was in talks with cheesemakers across the UK and hoped to also work with Continental producers. He added there was potential to look at breeding other cheese mould varieties beyond Penicillium roqueforti in the future.

Cheesemakers will be able to use the newly discovered blue moulds to alter flavour and texture

myconeos.com

NEWS IN BRIEF

Cardiff cheese shop Madame Fromage has headed north to the Monmouthshire town of Abergavenny to open a second outlet. The new Deli & Café on Nevill Street stocks 150 different cheeses, as well as a range of accessories and accompaniments.

Somerset cheesemaker Feltham’s Farm has won the Virtual Cheese Awards for the second year running after its La Fresca Margarita queso fresco was named Best British Cheese. The company won last year with the washed rind cheese Renegade Monk.

Lidl is working in partnership with Wyke Farms to develop a carbon-neutral cheddar. Changes to the way feed, land, manure, animals and energy are managed will help save 22.5 million kilos of carbon dioxide per year as part of the project, which will be verified by The Carbon Trust.

Worcester-based Croome Cheese has saved the Harlech, Tintern and Y-Fenni flavoured cheddar brands after the Abergavenny Fine Food Co stopped production of the trio last year. The three cheeses are still made with Welsh cheddar, but are now blended in Worcestershire, and come in 1.2kg and new 150g waxed rounds. croomecuisine.com

THREE WAYS WITH...

Lady Grey

This new raw goats’ milk cheese, from St James Cheese in Cumbria, is made in 1.6kg rounds, which are coated in ash. The cheese has a semi-soft texture and grassy flavour when young, becoming sweeter and more mushroomy as it matures and the paste breaks down beneath the rind.

Cider The cheesemongers at The Fine Cheese Co, which helped develop Lady Grey, have had success pairing the cheese with ciders from Somerset producer Wilding Cider. Ditcheat Hill cider has a fresh and fruity flavour, which pairs well with the bright acidity of younger cheeses. More mature cheeses work well with Kingston Black, which has notes of apple pie and poached plums.

Beetroot Beetroot and goats’ cheese is hardly a new combination – there’s an earthiness to both that makes for a pleasing match. But Tracklements’ Beetroot & Horseradish Relish adds another layer to the pairing with a gentle peppery heat from the horseradish that picks up on spicy notes found near the rind of Lady Grey.

Rosemary Rosemary is another easy match for goats’ cheese. Rosemary crackers, rosemary honey and even a gin & tonic garnished with lemon and a sprig of rosemary all work well with younger Lady Grey cheeses. The herb dovetails with similar floral and herbaceous notes in the cheese.

Tunworth maker unveils rebrand and looks to boost production

By Patrick McGuigan

More than 15 years a er Tunworth rst launched, the iconic British cheese has been rebranded with a more modern look, ahead of plans to signi cantly expand production.

Producer Hampshire Cheese Co launched Tunworth in 2005 and has since added the spruce-wrapped Winslade to the range. Both have been rebranded, with the words ‘so cheese’ removed and a simpler design.

“The old branding was a bit heavy and old fashioned,” said owner Stacey Hedges. “It served us well but needed freshening up. It now has a modern, simple look, which still stands out. Tunworth has enough of a name that we don’t need to tell people it is ‘so cheese’ or ‘Camembert-style’.”

A leaf design was included to re ect the close relationship the company has with Rother eld Park Estate Farm in Hampshire, which has seen the cheesemaker and dairy farm work to improve sustainability and milk quality.

The farm has introduced Montbeliarde and Swedish Red breeds to the herd to improve protein and fat content in the milk and has changed the cows’ feed, cutting soya from their diet and planting herbal leys in the pasture.

“We’ve been thinking more about how dairying a ects the planet and trying to mitigate that,” said Hedges. “We’ve seen a big change in milk quality, meaning better avour and body in the cheeses.”

The company is also planning a major expansion this year to increase capacity from 1.5 tonnes a week to three tonnes. “We’ve had a surprisingly good year with strong sales through independent and online retailers,” said Hedges. “We’re really con dent we can grow whatever happens now.”

hampshirecheesecompany. co.uk

The words ‘soft cheese’ have been removed from Tunworth’s new-look box

BEHIND THE COUNTER TIPS OF THE TRADE

Becky Aldred, Aldred’s Fine Cheese, Scarborough

Owner Becky Aldred has come up with a novel way to get reluctant customers over the threshold – put the cheese on a takeaway pizza or burger.

The basement of her Scarborough shop was converted into a kitchen during the coronavirus crisis for making pizzas, burgers and poutine. It was a way to keep cheeses on the counter turning over and to appeal to a different demographic, she says.

“It might be Ribblesdale goats’ cheese burger and pizza with Forme d’Ambert one week, but then different cheeses the next. We’ve found we’re getting through to people who wouldn’t normally come into the shop, but when they taste the cheese in a dish they come back to buy it. People also come to the shop to collect their takeaway and see what we sell, and then come back.”

A good example is when six builders visited after one had bought a burger with Dolcelatte. “He loved the cheese so they all wanted to see what we did. They bought £200 worth of cheese between them.”

aldredsfinecheese.co.uk

CHEESE IN PROFILE with

Old Winchester

What’s the story?

Lyburn Farm is on the edge of the New Forest and for the past 50 years has been farmed by Mike Smales and his family.

Their 200-strong herd of Holstein Frisian cows produces 1.5 million litres of milk per year, of which 50% is used to make cheese on the farm. During the summer, the cows graze outdoors in the fields and in September they move inside and feed on maize and grass silage.

When Smales started making cheese, he made a conscious decision not to make cheddar and experimented over several years with gouda-making techniques. The eventual result was the ever-popular Winchester. Old Winchester, also known as Old Smales, is and transformed into cheese. The curds are washed during production. They are then pressed into large moulds before being brined. The rind is sealed with a very thin plastic coating and is matured for 1618 months.

The 4.5kg wheels of cheese are turned regularly to ensure even moisture distribution.

the aged version and is a dryer, harder cheese often referred to as a British Parmesan.

How is it made?

Milk for cheesemaking is transported each morning across the yard in the farm tanker, to the dairy, where it is pasteurised

Appearance & texture:

The cheese has sweet, nutty, slightly smoky flavours and a hard, smooth texture with crystalline crunch. It is golden yellow in colour.

Variations:

None

Cheesemonger tip:

Old Winchester is made with vegetarian rennet so do propose it as a British alternative to Parmesan, even HRH Prince Charles recommended using it in his favourite recipe, which was shared during the recent British Cheese Weekender event, hosted by the Academy of Cheese.

Chef’s recommendation:

The cheese is a great alternative to cheddar on a Ploughman’s lunch or shaved over hot pasta dishes. Pair it with a hoppy pale ale.

While the majority of traditional classroom courses are still suspended due to COVID-19, delegates can sign up to Academy of Cheese Level 1 & 2 courses online as self-study eLearning, or interactive virtual classes. academyofcheese.org

With a little help...

David Hartley had a real passion to see a farmhouse producer set up in Wensleydale

It was the Wensleydale Creamery that coaxed The Home Farmer into making a raw milk version of a classic Yorkshire cheese

By Patrick McGuigan

DAIRY FARMER BEN SPENCE was set for life as a yoghurt-maker when a courtesy call to his main customer ended up being one of those ‘sliding doors’ moments. Based in Wensleydale, the farm has long supplied Wensleydale Creamery with milk for its famous cheese, and Spence felt it only polite to check whether they were happy for some of it to go into yoghurt.

“I rang up the MD David Hartley to see what he thought,” says Spence, who set up The Home Farmer at his family farm in Aysgarth with his wife Sam and brother Adam in 2016. “But then he started asking me whether I’d ever thought about making cheese. With the creamery so close by and already taking our milk, it had never occurred to me. But David really encouraged us to start making Wensleydale and it sent our life on an alternative tangent.”

With help from Hartley and the Creamery’s head cheesemaker Richard Clarke, the Spences built a new cheese-processing unit and developed a raw-milk, clothbound Wensleydale called Old Roan, which launched in 2019. It might seem odd that the Wensleydale Creamery would help a rival on its doorstep, but the di erence in size between the two companies is vast. The Creamery produces 4,000 tonnes of cheese a year, sourcing milk from 40 local farms, while the Home Farmer only has 100 Friesian cows. “David just had a real passion to see a farmhouse producer set up in Wensleydale,” says Spence.

Trading has been tricky for the startup for obvious reasons, but it has secured listings with the Courtyard Dairy, Booths and The Fine Cheese Co, helped by its title as the only raw milk Wensleydale actually made in Wensleydale. Tragically, David Hartley passed away a er a long battle with cancer in December, so was not able to witness the full extent of The Home Farmer’s progress. “He sent me a text saying how proud he was of what we’d achieved and wishing us all the best,” says Spence. “It’s really sad what happened.”

The company currently makes 300kg of cheese a week. It has the capacity to manufacture more than triple that, but Spence is cautious about increasing production too soon a er he was le with “mountains” of cheese during the rst two lockdowns. Thankfully, the company managed to clear the backlog with the help of The Courtyard Dairy and through its mobile shop in a converted horse trailer, complete with milk and cheese vending machines. “I’m nervous about making too much again,” says Spence. “We’ve not had a normal year of trading, so we’re putting our nger in the air to work out how much cheese to lay down.”

The good news is that Old Roan only requires a few months of maturation, so the maturing room can be lled relatively quickly. It also means that it doesn’t take long to feel the bene t of recipe changes, as Spence looks to improve the cheese. “We were getting some bitterness at the beginning, but we’ve tweaked things and I’m much happier with how it’s tasting,” he says.

The cheese, like the business, is nding its feet a er a di cult year, and Spence is optimistic for the future. “David always used to say that Yorkshire as a brand for food is really strong and Wensleydale is part of that. If we get it right, there’s no reason why the cheese can’t be sold across the country.”

thehomefarmer.co.uk

CROSS SECTION

Old Roan

1

Old Roan is made with raw milk and animal rennet in 5kg rounds, which are wrapped in cloth. The cheese is aged for 2-4 months. The flavour and texture is very different to bright, white, crumbly Wensleydale. Old Roan is softer and closer with a mellow buttery flavour and pleasing savoury undertone, plus a burst of fresh acidity.

2

Frozen DVI starter cultures are used for consistency, but this precludes the cheese from carrying the Yorkshire Wensleydale PGI, which specifies the use of bulk starters. Spence plans to trial bulk starters further down the line. The cheese is based on prewar styles of Wensleydale, which were made with slow acidification of the curd for a less crumbly cheese. Spence has tweaked how he makes the cheese recently, including altering the maturation room temperature, to improve consistency and flavour with help from Andy Swinscoe at the Courtyard Dairy.