Cais na Tire

Cais na Tire is wonderful ewe’s milk cheese from Barry Cahalan and Lorraine Davis of Borrisokane, north Tipperary. Cais na Tire is best described as a cross between Manchego & Parmesan with it’s crumbly texture and sweet, caramel notes.

In 2013 Barry and Lorraine left agricultural college to set-out on their own on family land. They had initially wanted to go into dairy cow farming but were unable to afford the large initial capital investment. Rather than abandoning their dream they decided to start a sheep dairy, which requires much lower startup costs. They set about building a shed and bought a handful of Lacaune and Friesland dairy sheep. Farmed seasonally from Spring to Autumn the sheep are kept out at pasture feeding on the fresh grass of the Tipperary plains.

Barry and Lorraine were lucky enough to be located close to their good friend Marion Roeleveld who makes the fantastic Killeen Goats Gouda. Working with Marion, and using the fantastic rich milk from their dairy sheep, a new cheese was soon born: Cais Na Tire. Not as supple as Marion’s Gouda recipe (the curd isn’t washed like Gouda), Cais Na Tire has a flakier texture and is similar to the hard sheep’s milk Tommes of the south of France.

At present Barry and Lorraine have just 200 sheep, which means that only a very small amount of Cais Na Tire cheeses is made each week; it’s a rare find!

Cais na Tire is the perfect local replacement for parmesan when it comes to risottos and pasta dishes, but also works well on a cheeseboard due to it’s sweet caramel notes. Why not try it shaved over the top of a delicious Ballyhoura Risotto Meal Kit for a easy weeknight meal?

Circular Dimensions: 18cm (W) x 13cm (H)