RECIPE FEATURE
BEN HARRIS, TICKLEMORE CHEESE, DEVON
www.ticklemorecheese.co.uk Cheeses: Beenleigh Blue, Harbourne Blue, Devon Blue Like Tom Calver, Ben Harris was brought up on a dairy farm and started his career as a chef, working at the Carved Angel in Dartmouth. In 2002, though, he decided to make a change of direction by joining the Ticklemore Cheese Dairy skirting the banks of the river Dart in Devon. There Ben was lucky enough to learn his skills from one of the pioneers responsible for the revival of artisan cheesemaking in the West Country, Robin Congdon. Having become Ticklemore’s chief cheesemaker, Ben has taken over the making of the three hand-crafted blues that Robin became known for: Beenleigh Blue, made from ewe’s milk; Harbourne Blue, using goat’s milk from a farm on the edge of Dartmoor; and Devon Blue, from cow’s milk. Last year Devon Blue was voted Best English Cheese at the British Cheese Awards. “It was very gratifying to see that our cheese was up there with Britain’s best cheeses,” says Ben. “We must be doing something right.”
SUE PROUDFOOT, WHALESBOROUGH FARM, CORNWALL
www.whalesboroughcheese.com Cheeses: Sue’s Trelawny, Miss Muffet, Keltic Gold, Cornish Smuggler, Cornish Crumbly You can taste the sea air in Sue Proudfoot’s cheeses, crafted on the
remote dairy farm near Bude on the north Cornwall coast where she lives with her husband. Despite having no previous experience, Sue started making cheese in 1999 as a way of adding value to the milk produced by the 300 cows on the 500-acre farm. With the help of advice from a Somerset cheesemaker, she started by making a cheese called Sue’s Trelawny. Over time she developed other cheeses, including her multi-award-winning Keltic Gold, which is used by Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant down the coast. Also popular with locals is her Miss Muffet, a washed curd cheese similar to a traditional gouda. By 2004 milking cows three times a day and cheesemaking proved too much of a challenge, so the cows were sold and Sue and started sourcing milk from local farms. The moist sea air, she says, is perfect for cheesemaking. “It’s mild and wet here so the grass has a long growing season. As our cheeses mature, they take in the warm, moist, salty air all around them, which contributes to their deep flavours.”
LEFT: Sue Proudfoot, Whalesborough Farm
How to look after your cheeses
Elise and Gary Jungheim sell an amazing range of West Country cheeses in their renowned Tavistock cheese shop, Country Cheeses. The shop now has two other branches in Topsham and in Totnes, and sells online too. “When buying cheese, never be afraid to ask for a little sample to try,” says Elise. “Do bear in mind that in most cases the cheeses will have come straight out of the chill cabinet so give them some time to warm up in the mouth. Cheeses are never at their best when cold.” Once you’ve chosen your cheeses and got them home, how do you care for them to ensure they taste their very best? Elise shares her five Golden Tips:
Be aware of the different needs of your cheeses. Younger more moist ones need to be kept cold whereas hard cheddar style cheeses can be left in a cool room or larder.
Cheeses don’t like fluctuations of temperature so if you’ve bought a large piece cut off what you need and allow it to get to room temperature leaving the rest in the ‘cool place’.
Keep an eye on your mould ripening i.e. the ones with bloomy white rinds, and blue cheeses. These will ripen if left at a higher temperature, but if left in a cold fridge will stay firm.
If possible keep your cheeses in a container with the lid slightly off. Always keep your cheeses wrapped to stop them drying out.
If you are re-wrapping your cheeses always use new wrap.
www.countrycheeses.co.uk
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