Our Jersey milk cheeses are some of our unsung heroes in the Northumberland Cheese Company range, and we thought it was time to shed some light on our Kielder and Chevington cheeses.
Our Jersey milk come from Wheelbirks Farm, in Northumberland. Wheelbirks is home to the oldest single Jersey herd in Northumberland, and we are extremely lucky to have such a wonderful Jersey milk supply in close proximity (the cow picture in this very post is one of Wheelbirks’ cows!).
Marc Robertson, who founded the business, decided to start using Jersey milk when he acquired an ancient cheese recipe from Northumberland. The recipe had Shorthorn cow milk listed in the ingredients. The Shorthorn breed actually originated in the North-East, but by the time Marc came across the recipe, there were no local herds of these cows. Shorthorn milk is characterised by its high fat content, and keen to emulate the recipe as accurately as he could, Marc sought out another local herd who could provide a close variety. Luckily, Jersey milk, which also has a high fat content, could be found locally at Wheelbirks farm, and so he started to use them as a supplier.
Jersey cheese uses slightly different methods to cheese made with standard cow’s milk. The first change occurs when cutting the curds:generally, our Gouda-style cheeses are cut to baked-bean size (a true term!) or rice size. Jersey curds are cut to 2cm dice.
Most of our cheeses are hard pressed. However, our Jersey cheeses are naturally weighted down by the weight of the fat content, and the larger curds naturally press down to release the whey. The result is quite an open-textured cheese.
The Jersey cheeses are velvety smooth, with a buttery flavour. Our Kielder is ripened by conventional methods, and the result is a rich, deliciously yellow cheese, with a hint of citrus. It is beautiful melted. The Chevington is cellar-ripened; it has been dubbed ‘the Brie of the North’, and despite its firmer texture, it does have a Brie-like quality to its flavour.
Both of these cheeses are a fantastic and distinctive addition to a cheese board. Include them for a nod to the North, and beautiful products which we have access to.
Find them here, under cow's milk: https://www.northumberlandcheese.co.uk/cows-cheese
.png)