Cheshire

Item #: 1264

Cheshire is considered to be the oldest British cheese. It is mentioned in the Doomsday book (1086) and probably dates back to Roman times. Genuine Cheshire is said to be made with the milk from cattle grazed on the salty pastures of the Cheshire plain in Cheshire, Shropshire and Clywd. It was so popular in London at one time that cheeses had to be shipped from Liverpool to London in order to keep up with the demand.

Although Cheshire is naturally a light golden color, it is more often dyed to a rich orange using annatto. Legend has it that because its reputation was so good, some Welsh farmers labeled their own cheese as Cheshire and sold it to coach travelers on the Hollyhead to London route. The Londoners were unhappy when they tasted the inferior cheese back at home and thus the name of Cheshire cheese began to fall into disrepute. The Welsh farmers were told to dye their cheese in order to distinguish it from real Cheshire. However, the new colored cheese quickly became fashionable and the Cheshire makers soon found themselves having to follow suit. Thus, red Cheshire was born.

Cheshire takes only two to three hours to make. The morning milk is added to the previous evening's milk, and after coagulation the curds are scalded in the whey for about 40 minutes. The whey is drained off very quickly while the cheese-maker cuts the curds and then tears it into small pieces. It is then salted, milled and put into moulds to be pressed for 24 to 48 hours. The Appleby's still use unpasteurized milk and bandage their cheese in the traditional way using cloths dipped in lard. Although they have a large farm with 290 Fresian cows and a cheese vat that appears to be the size of a swimming pool, they still are still able to make one of the finest Cheshire's to be found.

Ripening takes from 4 to 8 weeks but cheeses can be kept for well over a year. We mature our cheeses for four to six months since we believe this gives a pleasant light salty flavor, moist and crumbly texture and a beautiful aroma. The flavor becomes more pronounced with age.

• Country: Great Britain
• Size: CW 9.5#
• Texture: Firm
• Precut Code: 9154