Ewe's Milk
Ewe's milk cheese is highly seasonal. Farmers are only able to milk their sheep for 6 months of the year and even then their milk production is much lower than other animals. Each ewe produces less than a quarter of the milk made by a goat over the course of a year, and perhaps only one twentieth of that produced by a cow. However, the milk is incredibly concentrated and rich in protein, making superb, creamy cheeses.
Brucklay
A wonderful hard sheep’s milk cheese made by the Poortman family. The Poortmans moved to Aberdeenshire from Holland. Their Dutch Friesian milk sheep have been grazing on the organic fields of the Brucklay Estate since April 2003. The cheese is only produced from April to October to allow the ewes to rest until their lambs are born. The ewes are milked twice a day and from this the Poortmans produce a Gouda style natural ewes’ milk cheese with a sweet and nutty flavour.
Wigmore
Wigmore is an English cheese that comes from Berkshire and was created by Anne Wigmore. It is a vegetarian cheese made from sheep's milk and belongs to semi-soft cheeses. The curd is washed to remove excess whey, then packed in moulds to drain. The cheese has a fantastic taste, combining floral flavours with burnt caramel, and macadamia nuts. Wigmore constantly wins gold medals at the British Cheese Awards.
Unpasteurised, vegetarian.
Beenleigh Blue
Beenleigh Blue is one of three cheeses made by the excellent cheesemaker, Robin Congdon in South Devon, England. Like Roquefort, Beenleigh is made with sheep's milk, however, its flavour is sweeter, less salty, and the texture is fudge-like and even flakey. Robin also makes the Harbourne Blue, a goat's milk sibling of Beenleigh Blue and Ticklemore, a goat's milk cheese aged in caves by the sea.
Known as the Roquefort of Devon, it is matured for about seven months from ewes which are only milked between March and July so is only seasonally available.
Crozier Blue
An excellent semi-soft Irish blue cheese, made with pasteurised sheeps' milk by Jane and Louis Grubb, Nr. Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland - in the style of their excellent Cashel Blue cows's milk cheese. The cheese has a voluptuous creamy texture and salty sharp tang. Because it’s aged from between 6 months and a year, it’s available throughout the year.
Roquefort Vieux Berger AOC
From the caves of Combalou in southern France, Roquefort, arguably the world’s greatest blue, has had its name and methods protected since 1411. Heavenly flavour reminiscent of the cavern air where the cheese ripens and the mould grows naturally. This artisan variety, made in smaller batches with local milk is round, deep and perfectly balanced.