Mendip Farm Cheese Club
Spring 2008

The Cheeses

Cantal

This is a traditional, creamery, hard cheese made with cow’s milk. There are two sorts of Cantal, Cantal Fermier is produced in mountain chalets in the summer months, while Cantal Laitier is a pasteurised cheese that is made throughout the year, using milk from nearby farms. Each cheese has a metal badge in the rind, and is stamped with the official AOC logo. A young Cantal is moist, with an open texture and springy, with a tang not unlike that of either cheese sauce or Lancashire and as it ages it becomes more like a Cheddar. A young cheese is sold when it is at least 30 days old. An old cheese is over 6 months old, and has developed a strong flavour. Between 2 and 6 months old you have a cheese that is called entre-deux, between the two.

Gevrik

From Cornish Country Larder comes this small Camembert type goat’s cheese. It is made in a dairy near Padstow, overlooking the Atlantic, using English milk. It is a full fat cheese, with a clean fresh taste, with delicate milky, yet nutty flavours. As it matures in develops a creamy, melting texture.

Perl Wen

Perl Wen was developed in 2000, and when young has the characteristics of both a Caerphilly and a Brie. The softness of the out side, blends with the lemony centre. This cheese can be eaten at any age, but when it ripens it becomes paler with a brown tinge, creating a unique flavour and a soft rich paste.

White Stilton with Date and Orange

From Cropwell Bishop, comes this sophisticated combination of rich dates with the sharp, fruitiness of orange.

Cheesey Bits

Cantal is one of the oldest cheeses from France, it was originally made by putting the curd into a wooden cylinder (le formage) that is believed to be the origin of the French word for cheese, fromage.