CHEESEWIRE
news & views from the cheese counter
Makers facing up to shortages and surpluses of hard cheeses By Patrick McGuigan
Disruption to hard cheese production when the coronavirus pandemic hit last year is only being felt now as cheeses reach maturity – with some producers running short of stock and others facing a surplus. Soft cheesemakers were immediately thrown into crisis during the first lockdown because of the short shelf lives of their products, but there has been a delayed impact for producers of aged cheeses, who are only now feeling the effects of decisions taken a year ago. Holden Farm Dairy in Wales stopped production of
its Hafod cheddar in April and May last year when restaurants closed, but consequently has no cheese to sell now, just as it reopens. “Here we are a year later in a ‘hungry gap’ with no cheese available as we wait for summer 2020 cheese to mature,” said the company on Instagram. “Our Hafod customers have shown positivity and resilience, and now we are also grateful for their patience and understanding.” At Isle of Mull Cheddar, coowner Brendan Reade is facing the opposite problem. “We’re bulging at the seams in the cheese store,” he said. “There’s nowhere else for the milk to
Some companies, like Kent’s Winterdale chose to reduce hard cheese production last year and now have less available to sell
go on Mull, so it has gone into cheese. “No-one was furloughed. We continued milking cows and making cheese even when orders have dropped significantly during lockdowns. “Consequently, the age profile of our cheese is more like 18 months rather than 12 months. Cashflow has slowed down during this period. At a time when we had committed to major investment, we are starting to feel the pinch. “Having cheese maturing in the cellar for longer is a strain, but the upside is that it is tasting great. With the lockdown being eased, we’re hopeful sales will pick up.” Kent-based Winterdale Cheesemakers was forced to pour away 5,000 litres of milk during the first lockdown and significantly cut production of its raw milk cheddar, which owner Robin Betts said could lead to shortages. “Lockdowns have made planning difficult when you are making a cheese that won’t be ready for a year. It’s really opened our eyes that we need more flexibility in the business” To this end, the company has invested in a pasteuriser and bottling line to sell bottled milk, cream and butter under the new Kent Downs Dairy brand.
NEWS IN BRIEF Devon cheddar-maker Quicke’s has launched a new flavour map for people to fully appreciate cheese. The Flavour Mapping Project has been undertaken to chart the full tasting journey, from initial taste to mid-taste to aftertaste, providing a simple tool for cheese lovers to record their eating experience. A new monthly cheese market will launch in West London in May. The first Chiswick Cheese Market will be on 16th May at The Old Market Place, with more than 20 cheesemakers and mongers taking stalls. A new waxed cloth wrapping for food is targeting cheesemongers with larger sizes that can be used behind the counter as a replacement for clingfilm. WaxWrap, which is made from organic cotton cloth coated in a mixture of beeswax, pine resin and jojoba oil, is available in rolls up to 2m in length.
The Cheese Barge, a floating restaurant dedicated to cheese, opens this month in the Paddington Basin. The brainchild of Mathew Carver, who founded cheese conveyor belt restaurant Pick & Cheese, the double-decker barge will serve seasonal dishes that champion British cheeses, such as St Andrews Cheddar with green kimchi, curried Quicke’s Cheddar curds, and half a kilo of baked Baron Bigod. thecheesebar.com
THREE WAYS WITH...
Durrus
Produced in West Cork by Irish cheese pioneer Jeffa Gill and her daughter Sarah Hennessy, Durrus is a soft, elastic washed-rind cheese made from pasteurised cows’ milk. Aged for 6-10 weeks, the cheese has a pretty pink exterior with aromas of soil and hay, while the bulging paste is sweet and milky, with meaty flavours from the rind in more mature cheeses Whiskey Clonakilty Double Oak is a blended whiskey made by the Clonakilty Distillery in Cork, which is aged in bourbon casks and finished in American oak. It’s clean and fresh with lovely grassy and apple aromas, plus spicy milk chocolate notes on the palate. These creamier, vanilla flavours dovetail with the buttery cheese, which also has a subtle cocoa note from the rind. Pickles Durrus is a rich, earthy cheese with a yielding texture, particularly when it has been aged and broken down. It calls for an accompaniment with acidity and crunch, such as cornichons and pickled silverskin onions. Try Bread & Butter Pickles from Crooked Pickle Co – pickled cucumber and onions with added spices, which won two stars at last year’s Greate Taste Awards. Their bite and crunch send a bolt of energy through the cheese. Raclette Durrus’s elastic texture makes it an absolute dream to melt. Belfast cheese shop Indie Füde recommends using it to make higher-level cheese on toast or for melting over potatoes in an Irish take on raclette. The rind becomes more fragrant and meaty in flavour when it’s heated, while the paste blisters and caramelises under the grill, making it even sweeter. Vol.22 Issue 4 | May 2021
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