Swaledale cheese
Swaledale | |
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Country of origin | England |
Region | Swaledale, North Yorkshire |
Town | Richmond |
Source of milk | Ewe/Cow |
Pasteurised | Unpasteurised |
Texture | Medium firm |
Weight | average 2.25 kg (5 lb) |
Certification | PDO |
Named after | Swaledale |
Swaledale is a full fat
Description
The cheeses are round in shape with an average weight for the cheese wheel of 2.25 kilograms (5 lb) and are made with unpasteurised milk.[3] The animals whose milk is used to make Swaledale cheese, all graze on land in Swaledale which makes their milk characteristic of the area as a particular mixture of herbs and grasses grow there due to its soil and climate and this give the cheese distinctive properties.[1] The cheese has a moist medium firm texture and its flavour is described as having “the freshness of the misty Dales and wild bracken, with the sweet caramel undertone of ewes’ milk”.[3]
Production
Swaledale cheese is handmade to a recipe from Swaledale, the knowledge of which is limited to a few people. Milk from farms in Swaledale is collected and, in the first stage of the cheesemaking process, heated to 28 °C (82 °F) with microbiological culture. After being left for two hours rennet is added to the milk. The mixture is then left to curdle for an hour after which time the resulting curd is heated to 28 °C, cut up and stirred. It is then cut up again, drained and the resulting cubes stacked up, before the blocks are broken up and then put into moulds lined with muslin. The moulds are then lightly pressed during storage at 28 °C for 18 hours, and are turned once after four hours. Once the cheese has finished being pressed it is removed from the moulds and is soaked in a solution of 85% brine for 24 hours.[1]
After being made Swaledale cheese is stored in humid cellars. While the cheese is maturing, if it is not covered in natural wax, a grey-blue mould grows on its rind.[3] The cheese takes between three and four weeks to mature.[1]
History
Awards
In 1995 Swaledale Cheese and Swaledale Ewes Cheese were awarded European protected designation of origin (PDO) status. Swaledale cheeses have won a number of awards including three gold awards at the 2008 Great Taste Awards and three gold and two bronze medals at 2008 World Cheese Awards.[4][5]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "EU Protected Food Names Scheme — UK registered names, National application No: 00613A — Swaledale Cheese". Defra, UK — Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. 21 July 2003. Archived from the original on 23 December 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-7112-2554-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-57223-200-6.
- ^ a b "About Us". Swaledale Cheese Company. 2007. Archived from the original on 7 May 2008. Retrieved 23 December 2008.
- ^ "Awards after Richmond company wins protected status". Northern Echo. 27 November 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2016.