4 minute read
Marion Roeleveld
Marion Roeleveld
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
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BY GEORGINA CAMPBELL
The cheesemaker’s cheesemaker’ is a good description of Marion Roeleveld. While not a household name like some of the pioneering West Cork cheesemakers of the 1970s who first made Irish farmhouse cheese a force to be reckoned with, Marion brought something different to the table when the former agricultural journalist left Holland in 2001 to settle in Galway and in 2004, using milk from her partner Haske’s goats, started making Killeen Farmhouse Cheese on their 50-acre farm near Portumna. Unlike most Irish cheesemakers, who tend to be self-taught, Marion had worked in cheese production in the Netherlands. As she said in an interview with Andy and Kathy Swinscoe of the Courtyard Dairy (the iconic North Yorkshire cheese retailers, affineurs and, since 2017, cheese museum), ‘It was an easy decision to make cheese. I knew about the production of Gouda, and we had this goats’ milk…’ The main Killeen Farmhouse Cheese production is a semi-hard goats’ cheese Gouda, made from pasteurised milk and traditional rennet and available plain or with fenugreek. With curds washed and pressed in the Gouda style and with a smooth white paste, the 5kg cheeses are covered in a thin breathable plastic coat and sold from two months of age, when the flavour is fresh and clean with a hint of nuttiness that develops as the cheese ages. Interestingly, the Courtyard Dairy – which has become a champion for several exceptional Irish cheeses, including Young Buck – ages Killeen in-house for a minimum of nine months to develop the flavour to its full potential. A cows’ milk variety is also made, using milk supplied by a local farmer, and it comes in plain, basil and garlic, cumin seed and an Emmental style called Kilmóra. A holistic philosophy informs the whole production process and the running of the farm, where quality and traceability are paramount. They grow all the grass, hay and silage for the goats themselves and it is a closed herd – Haske only introduces selected breeding males to the herd. Marion’s training and all-round knowledge of farmhouse cheese production also led to her working with other producers to develop some remarkable cheeses, including Mossfield Organic (a mild, creamy, Cheddar-type cheese made by Ralph Haslam of Mossfield Organic Farm in Co. Offaly); the ewes’ milk Cáis na Tíre, which Marion originally made for Tipperary farming couple Barry Cahalan and Lorraine Davis, who now produce it themselves; and most recently the East Galway gem, Kylemore Farmhouse Cheese, made by Teresa Roche nearby at Loughrea. Consistency and an absolute commitment to quality have led to awards aplenty for Killeen Farmhouse Cheese, far too many to mention here, but winning Best Goat Cheese (twice) in the British Cheese Awards and Supreme Champion (three times) in the Irish Cheese Awards are among the highlights of an impressive career that – fortunately for the development of Irish food – no doubt has plenty more delicious surprises in store. killeenfarmhousecheese.wordpress.com
Risotto with mushrooms, asparagus and mature Killeen goats’ cheese
Marion Roeleveld says this is pure comfort food, perfect on a cold evening. She loves the combination of the mushrooms and the earthy taste of mature Killeen. Serves 4
Handful of dried porcini or mixed mushrooms 1 bunch of asparagus 1.2 litres vegetable stock 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 350g Arborio rice 1 glass of dry white wine 100g mature Killeen goats’ cheese (e.g. Dunnes Stores Simply Better Five-Months Matured Killeen Goats’ Cheese), grated 25g butter Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the dried mushrooms in a small heatproof bowl and cover with just-boiled water from the kettle. Allow to soak for 10 minutes. Snap the woody stalks off the asparagus spears and discard, then cut the spears into 2.5cm-long pieces. Boil the asparagus for 5 minutes, then drain and set aside. Heat the stock in a small saucepan almost to the boiling point, then reduce the heat and leave it simmering. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook gently for 5 minutes, stirring. Don’t let the onion brown. Add the rice and give it a stir, then add the wine, reduce the heat to medium-low and keep stirring until the wine has been absorbed into the rice. Strain the liquid from the soaked mushrooms and stir it in, then chop up the soaked mushrooms and add them too. Add the hot stock one ladle at a time, stirring until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Keep adding more stock one ladle at a time and stirring until the rice is cooked but still has a little bite. The whole process should take 25 to 30 minutes. Just before the end, stir in the cooked asparagus. When the risotto is cooked, take the pan off the heat and stir through half the grated cheese and all the butter. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. To serve, divide the risotto between warmed shallow bowls and scatter the rest of the cheese over the top. Recipe by Marion Roeleveld
