Cornish Yarg

Cornish Yarg, with crackers

Cornish Yarg is a semi-hard cow cheese, wrapped in nettle leaves. Hand made in Cornwall’s Lynher Valley at Netherton Farm, Cornish Yarg has been described as ‘lemony’ and quite fresh. The nettles lend the cheese a herby taste, along with a greyish-green rind which contrasts with the white paste.

The older Cornish Yarg becomes the more aromatic it gets, along with a slightly peppery taste. The creamy taste under the rind becomes more crumbly towards the centre, with a tangy taste.

Cornish Yarg is believed to have been made by a Cornish Dairy Farmer, by the name of Gray. The Horrells discovered the recipe and decided on the name Yarg. This is a reversal of the name of the former owner.

Cornish Yarg follows the style of Wensleydale, though the recipe differs in a number of ways. It is smaller than the traditional Wensleydale, has nettle leaves wrapped around it, and is given a spraying of penicillium candidum, which is a white mould to help give it a unique appearance and flavour.

Made from pasteurised milk, Cornish Yarg goes well with a light red wine, or strong ales like Old Speckled Hen.

Stilton

Blue Stliton, with grapes

Stilton can be traced back to the 18th Century and the process of making it has not changed much today. Stilton is only made in three counties in England and is recognised as English and has its own Certification Trade Mark. It is also an EU protected Food name.

In 1936 the Stilton Cheesemaker’s Association formed to lobby for the regulation to protect the quality and origin of the cheese.

Strangely Stilton is not named after the village of Stilton as it was never made there.

Made from cow milk, Stilton must be made from locally produced milk and made in a cylindrical shape. It is left to form its own crust or coat. This is not normally eaten due to its bitter flavour.

Often eaten with celery and pears, it can be added to soups to add flavour, usually vegetable or cream of celery. Traditionally eaten at Christmas, the cheese is usually eaten while drinking port.

Stilton has a unique flavour and, with an open texture and creamy taste that increases with age. The most common known stilton is blue, but there is also white stilton.

Edam

Dutch Edam, with grapes

Named after the town Edam, in the Province of North Holland, this pale yellow cheese, known in Spanish as queso de bola, meaning “ball cheese”, is traditionally sold in spheres, coated in red paraffin.

Edam has a very mild taste, smooth and nutty, with almost no smell when you compare it to most other cheeses. It has a significantly lower fat content compared to others, which means it is quite soft. Mild Edam is considered compatible with fruits, such as peaches, melons, and cherries, where as aged Edam is often eaten with apples and pears. Commonly eaten on crackers and bread, a glass of Pinot Noir is a recommended wine to accompany the cheese.

Made using skimmed or semi skimmed milk, Edam is usually consumed young, where the texture is elastic and supple. Aged Edam is left to mature for at least 17 weeks and is sold with a black coating.

Edam travels well. This fact made it a popular cheese in the 14th through 18th Centuries, both at Sea and in remote colonies. Considered a delicacy in Spanish and Latin American Countries, Edam is made from cow’s milk and is sold world wide.

True Edam has the mark of Holland on the rind, but it has been widely exported and imitated. Edam can be served on a platter and as a dessert cheese.

Cheddar

Cheddar, with crackers

English Cheddar is named after one of the most dramatic landscapes in the West Country, and is possibly one of the best known cheeses around the world. It is the most widely purchased and consumed cheese across the globe.

The name denotes a certain process in the making of cheddar. The process of Cheddaring is now so popular that many countries have taken to making their own, although the original comes from Somerset. Cheddaring is an additional step in the production, where after heating, the curd is kneaded with salt and then cut into cubes to drain the whey. It is then stacked and turned.

Cheddar can be traced back to the 12 century, and is one of England’s most renowned cheeses. It is recorded that Henry 2nd purchased over 10,000Ibs in 1170, at a farthing per pound. It has been suggested that the recipe was brought to England by the Romans from the Cantal Region of France, and was adapted; this, however, has never been proved.

Cheddar is made from cows milk and it ranges in colour from white to pale yellow, depending on the maturity, however, some are added to which lends them a yellow-orange colour. If it is properly cured the cheese has a slightly crumbly texture, but if too young the cheese remains smooth. The longer cheddar is left to mature the sharper the taste gets. Generally it is left for around 9 to 12 months, and if fully cured it is a hard, natural cheese. When you are purchasing cheddar, the first and most important thing to consider is the age. Strong, extra matured cheddar, is sometimes called vintage, and needs to be matured up to 15 months. Cheddar is produced in the shape of a drum, 15 centimetres in diameter, and has a natural rind bound in cloth.

Unlike many well known cheese’s, Cheddar’s name is not protected. This means that the name can be used across the globe, and it has. There are many stories about how cheddar came to be, some more believable than others. The land surrounding the village of Cheddar, Somerset has been at the heart of the dairy industry since at least the 15th Century, and cheese is still being made there to day.

Cheese

There are hundreds of different cheeses all over the globe. It is an ancient food which predates recorded history. No one is quite sure where it originated but ancient Greek mythology credited Aristaeus with the discovery of cheese. Homer’s Odyssey (8th Century BCE) describes the Cyclops making and storing sheep’s and goats’ milk cheese.

Cheese comes in a variety of styles, textures and flavours. One way of dividing up the many different cheeses is to separate them depending on what animal the milk comes from. The most common milk used is that from a cow, however, milk from sheep, goats, buffalo, reindeer, camels and yaks is also used. This is obviously dependant on the animals available in different countries. You don’t find many British cheeses made from camel’s milk.

Through this blog I am going to go through some of my favourite cheeses and some I have never tried before from various countries, with a variety of textures and flavours. I will also be giving you some information about how to make up cheese platters ranging from easy to the more difficult.

There will be daily updates so keep checking!