Past Newsletters

Vol 4 No 8

Ah, I remember it well!

Honestly, there was a time when the first sound you might have heard each morning was the clinking of glass bottles of milk. In parts of England you will still wake up to that sound! Coombe Farm Dairies delivers in more ways than one - and if you don't believe it, check out their website http://www.coombefarm.co.uk/farm/farm.html. Coombe is dedicated to 'doorstep service,' as an important part of a community's way of life. Coombe Farm sells a wide range of dairy products, and we know you will enjoy sampling their cheddar made from the milk of their nationally famous herd, 'Springbird.' This cheddar is aged for one year. We recommend that you read 'Tasting Notes,' and follow our guidelines to experience and compare the differences between your two cheddars.

Reserve Champion Super Cow

Located on 600 acres of rolling pastures on the Sussex Downs, this farm is a family run enterprise. The Carr's who have been milking on the premises since 1955, own the 'Springbird' herd of 180 cows which is ranked within the top 1% of all pedigree milking herds in the UK. Of course the young Carrs, Ben and Clare, are especially proud! 'The South of England Show was another successful year for our "Springbird" herd, winning numerous awards. We were fortunate to be presented the Reserve Champion Super Cow by Her Majesty, The Queen!' What a thrill that must have been for these kids! If you go to the Coombe Farm website you will see numerous other awards and pictures of the children and the Queen. Note that the cow's names are mentioned in each award!

These fashionable ladies are fed only the very best. The Coombe Farm grows 120 acres of maize which is fed as maize silage, 40 acres of barley, 120 acres of wheat, and the remainder is used for hay silage and grazing. It goes without saying that these Pretty Babies are fed a hormone free diet, and their milk and cream are free from any additives or preservatives.

The Girls have insisted on a brand new computerized milking parlor - as each lady enters the parlor, she is announced by name, and her milk production is recorded. The parlor was designed to be a quiet, soothing retreat for these Divas, and obviously, they are worth it! You may visit the parlor by appointment only.

The Granddaddy of all Cheddars

What you are about to taste is pure gold. Grafton 4-star was made in 1999. We chose this cheddar because it's extraordinarily flavorful without the 'bitter bite' that marks so many aged cheddars. Although this bitterness is often associated with aged cheddar, maître fromagers and affineurs confirm that this is an undesirable characteristic - a sign of second-rate cheese making and/or less desirable milk. A well made cheddar will acquire depth in its flavor without bitterness. We know you'll be impressed by its complexity and intensity, by its exceedingly long and delicious finish, and a sweetness that's remarkable for cheddar of this age.

Four Star is "the oldest aged, and the newest addition' to Grafton's family of fine cheddars. Slightly drier in texture, it's best to allow this cheese to fully warm to room temperature before cutting and serving. In the US, as well as Internationally, Grafton Village Cheese Company is renowned for its Cheddar products. They are part of the New Wave of American Farmhouse Cheesemakers, who have been energizing our taste buds with distinctive farmhouse cheeses for a decade or so. Your half pound block of Four Star has been hand cut form a 40 pound block, and hand wrapped like most of the cheeses we send.

In The Wake of Tragedy Blooms Growth

Located on the main route from Boston to Albany, the town of Grafton, Vermont, was a blossoming community in the early 1800s. 'The town had many farms, over 10,000 sheep, sawmills, gristmills, tanneries, woolen mills, a soapstone quarry, a carriage and sleigh factory, an inn, and several stores.' Originally founded in 1890 as the Grafton Cooperative Cheese Company, the company used surplus milk from local dairy farmers to make cheese. In the days before refrigeration, there were many such cooperatives in rural agricultural communities.

Some years later, a fire destroyed most of the town and the original creamery. The inn, one sawmill, and a store were all that remained of Grafton commerce, and consequently, many of the village's fine buildings were badly neglected. In 1963, the Windham Foundation began purchasing and restoring old Grafton buildings, including the creamery. Today, it owns nearly half of the buildings in the central village, including the Old Tavern (built in 1801), and the Grafton Village Cheese Company.

Passionate and Precise

As before, quality and intense flavors that wake up your palate are the hallmarks of this company. At the Grafton Creamery, it takes about ten pounds of Jersey milk for every pound of savory cheddar. The raw milk comes from select herds of Jersey cows known for extraordinarily creamy and high butterfat milk, which contributes to the complex flavor, and supports the aging process. That's Jersey, as in an old breed of cows - not the state where Tony Soprano lives. Take note, there aren't too many Jersey herds left in the US because their yield is so much lower than that of the more popular black and white Holstein's.

Everything at Grafton Village Cheese Company is done the old fashioned natural way by hand.

Scott Fletcher, their alchemist and skilled affineur, has been 'teaching milk how to be cheese for over thirty years.' Scott employs five other cheesemakers, and together they nurture this ancient process, passionately and with precision.

First the raw milk goes through a heating process, and then into a vat. Once the bottom of the vat is covered, a thermoactive culture is added (it becomes active when heated) which starts the conversion of milk sugars (lactose) into lactic acid. Using specifically regulated heating and timing, the culture separates milk solids from the whey while the cheesemakers cut and stir the mixture. The curd is cut by hand into slabs, then stacked and pressed together. This is done many times ' it's called cheddaring. This process removes excess liquid and sets the curds. Now the mixture must be very carefully tested to achieve the proper acidic level. Finally salt, the only preservative, is added to stop the development of lactic acid.

Next, the cheesemakers pack the curd into cheese hoops, and put the hoops under pressure for about 16 hours. At each step, the cheese is tested - by taste, feel, and chemical analysis. "The keys to good flavor are time, temperature and acidity," says Fletcher. So they carefully regulate the heating during the initial stages, and use a culture that develops slowly to better control the acidity. Finally the cheeses are aged in controlled 'cheese caves' for a long ripening period.

Like fine wines, aging is a very important process in the making of a classic cheese. Managing this process to perfection is the true test of an expert cheesemaker. The passage of time under controlled conditions enables a cheese to take on specific characteristics that set it apart. Time makes cheddar more crumbly in texture, and gives it a greater concentration of salts and acids - thus its characteristic tanginess or sharpness, often called the "bite." Truly great cheddars, like Grafton Cheeses, are aged naturally so that they also retain a creamy smoothness. Before they go to market, each lot is tested and tasted by the Grafton cheesemakers. 'At Grafton, quality control is a paramount virtue,' says Scott.

Caerphilly by Singleton's

Caerphilly (kar-FIHL-ee) Marchnad Caws is Welsh for Caerphilly Cheese Market. This cheese was first made in 1830 on small farms close to the town and the famous castle, called Caerphilly. Today, it's mainly produced across the River Severn in Somerset, which of course is British turf. Like most cheeses, it was originally created to use up surplus milk and was sold strictly locally. It was thought that cheese absorbed the toxic substances which the miners inhaled, and before the birth of Caerphilly, Somerset Cheddar had been the popular choice. Caerphilly cheese replaced more of the salt the miners lost while working and it had a fresher flavor and softer texture. The Welsh mine workers would wrap the cheese in cabbage leaves to take as a handy self-contained lunch 'down the pit' - so Caerphilly quickly became a miner's staple.

Caerphilly began to provide a source of income when marketed at the fairs during the early nineteenth century. Demand quickly exceeded supply so a marchnad caws (cheese market) was established including cheesemakers from Vale of Glamorgan to Chepstow. At the height of production, 2½ tons of Caerphilly was sold each week. It was common to see the flat round cheeses, each weighing from five to ten pounds, being unloaded from horse drawn carts and wagons, and stacked in an open building on the Twyn.

Your cheese comes from Singleton's Dairy, a fourth generation success story. Eighty years ago at Beacon Fell, a picturesque part of Bleasdale Village, Lancashire, the Singleton family began making cheese in their farm house kitchen. Today, they are proud to have passed these years of experience down through the family and on to their dedicated staff - some have been with them for over 35 years! All of the milk comes from local dairy farms, which boast some of the lushest grazing in the UK. The dairy makes several varieties of coveted cheeses, and Grandma Singleton would be filled with pride and satisfaction to know that her recipes are so very much appreciated.

Bill Riding, Colin Wells, John Carr, and the Singleton's staff will never forget being invited to Buckingham Palace to celebrate the Queens Award. 'Her Majesty the Queen actually singled out Singletons for a post presentation chat!" The dairy modestly exhibits a room full of trophies for product and business excellence, including the recently earned Gold Standard Best Territorial, and Gold Standard Best Lancashire awards from the annual British Cheese Awards.

Tasting Notes

Farmhouse Cheddar: What most farmhouse cheddar makers strive for is a breadth of flavors that develop with time. You'll know great cheddar if you can still taste the sweet nuttiness several minutes after you have finished your first mouthful. The aroma of authentic farmhouse cheddar will usually be nutty or grassy. The color of the cheese will vary from straw yellow to beige, and the texture will be open with a few cracks - not rubbery and dense, which indicates factory processing. We think cheddar matches well with light and fruity red wines, or any dark beer or ale. Don't forget to check out our International Wine and American microbrew clubs at monthlyclubs.com!

When you compare the tastes of the two cheddars, you'll see how all the little details of cheesemaking add up to big differences! Both cheeses are made form the same basic recipe, but there are many variables that alter the flavor, including the types of grasses that the cows eat, the qualities of milk the breed produces, even the taste of the local waters, the manner in which the recipe is interpreted, and of course, the aging.

First, and this is very important, allow each cheese to come up to room temperature, and have a glass of water handy to clear your palate between tastings. Sample a small piece of each cheese, and slowly allow the cheese flavor and texture to fill your mouth. Note the aroma ' is it subtle grassy? What is the 'mouthfeel' ' the way flavor spreads around your mouth as the cheese melts? Is the texture dry and crumbly, smoother, buttery? Or is the cheese creamier? What are the main flavors you can taste - hints of nuttiness, fruits, and woody oakiness? How much 'bite' (sharpness) is there? And remember, that everyone has unique taste buds.

Caerphilly: This young cheese has an ivory white rind with a pale colored paste and semi-firm texture. It's a moist, crumbly cheese, and its flavor is usually described as salty buttermilk, slightly sour, but buttery. The nose is a little sour, but not at all overpowering. This gentle cheese is one that you could probably guess if you were blindfolded with its tang to the taste and smell. Left to mature in moist cellars, the whitish moulds become thicker and more leathery, the cheese more rounded and creamier, and of course, the taste changes. Caerphilly's flavor is brought out when paired with dry white wines, and served alone, or with bread and fruit.