Raw milk has been a hot topic for the past while, both on the island of Ireland and overseas, with frequent articles cropping up about the dangers of fresh raw milk and raw milk cheese. The issue is much more complex than is often portrayed in these articles and there are strong and reasoned voices on both sides of the raw milk debate.
Since Indie Füde started nearly 3 years ago we’ve been selling raw milk cheese to our local customers and beyond through our website. Today, roughly 50% of our Irish cheeses are made using raw milk. In this blog post, we add our voice to the raw milk debate and ultimately, encourage our readers and customers to seek out and experience some delicious Irish raw milk cheese!
Raw Milk v Pasteurisation?
The fact is drinking raw milk is a public health issue. Pasteurisation is highly effective at killing things such as listeria, E coli, and salmonella that can hang around in the gut and faeces of even healthy cows. Raw milk, on the other hand, relies heavily on the skill of the farmer and the cleanliness of the operation to avoid contamination.
But making cheese out of raw milk is really a separate issue. For various reasons, raw milk cheese produced under strict standards of cleanliness is far safer than raw fluid milk.
There are plenty of instances of both raw and pasteurised milk cheese causing illness due to poor production, storage, or handling.
Some will argue whatever benefits there are from using raw milk for cheese production do not justify the potential risk of illness if something goes wrong. Others will argue that raw milk offers a healthy mix of natural bacteria while pasteurisation is a simple solution supporting industrial scale production by killing off both the good and the bad bacteria in the milk. There are more arguments than not on both sides of this issue!
For more information about raw milk, the benefits, the risks, visit http://www.realrawmilkfacts.com
Why We love Raw Milk Cheeses…
Raw-milk cheese taste better, dramatically so!
Don’t get me wrong, there are pasteurised cheeses that are every bit a good as raw milk cheeses, the skill very much lies in the hands of the cheese maker, and the quality of their raw material, the milk. But for me like-for-like a raw milk cheese wins most times, there is just this richness to it, this extra creaminess and mouth-feel, and it tastes different based on our seasons, our “terroir”.
There is definitely a certain uniformity that comes with pasteurisation, but or me food is certainly not uniform. There is also the history and tradition, and the passion of the raw milk cheese producer (who has to work extra hard to meet strict regulations, for no extra money!), that I can see and taste in every delicious cheesy morsel. The science bit say that the complex mix of organisms naturally occurring in raw milk leads to a depth of flavour that pasteurised cheeses can’t really approach…producing natural, often “spunky”, exciting flavours that can’t be simply replicated in a lab.
Irish Raw Milk Cheese Makers & Supporters
So politics aside, we have some phenomenal raw milk cheese makers in Ireland. Every Irish raw milk cheese maker understands that the stakes/risks are very high. If these producers aren’t fastidious with the cleanliness of their cheese operation, they run the risk of not only potentially endangering consumers, but also bringing negative attention to all raw milk cheese makers. We know for a fact they take their responsibility very seriously and that is undoubtedly the reason why food-borne illness from raw milk cheese is very rare.
Sourcing Irish raw milk cheese is a very intentional decision on our part. We choose to work with local producers who demonstrate the passion, artistry and technical capacity necessary to produce exceptional raw milk cheese. Over the years of active importing by the large multinational supermarkets, we’ve seen traditional food production under pressure from larger, less expensive and more convenient options. Now more than ever it is essential for retailers and consumers alike to appreciate and support these traditional cheese producers.
Luckily, we are not alone in our praise and support of raw milk cheese producers. The Oldways Cheese Coalition has long supported traditional raw-milk cheese producers, and has championed the now International Raw Milk Cheese Appreciation Day, which this year we are supporting on April 21st. Also, Ireland has its own Raw Milk Cheese Presidia which is made up of 11 artisan dairies on the island of Ireland who’s objectives are to raise awareness among consumers, retailers and food policy experts of the quality of raw milk cheeses, and to defend the right of small-scale producers to make raw milk cheese in Ireland. Hoorah!
The Cheeses
If you’re local to our store in Comber, we invite you to stop in and learn more about the raw milk cheeses we carry. For those of you who are farther afield, here are a few raw milk suggestions from Cheesemonger and the online cheese room manager Johnny.
Here’s a list of some of Johnny’s favourite, Irish raw milk cheese makers and their cheeses:
Coolattin Farmhouse Cheese
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Cheese Maker: Tom Burgess
Raw Milk Cheese: Mount Leinster
Location: West Wicklow, Ireland
Tom Burgess has been producing top quality milk from his pasture fed cows in West Wicklow for over twenty years. He wanted to develop a product, which reflected this quality, and decided it would be mature Raw Milk Cheddar, that would emphasise the ethos and practice of “Pasture to Cheddar the same day”.
Mount Leinster is traditional handmade extra mature cheddar coated with cloth. In contrast is the hard, pale yellow interior with occasional fissures, very typical of artisanal mature cheddars. The flavour is sweet and fruity when young, and develops a more complex nutty note as the cheese ages. It pairs well with Irish Cider.
Durrus Farmhouse Cheese
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Cheese Maker: Jeffa Gill
Raw Milk Cheese: Dunmanus
Location: West Cork, Ireland
When Jeffa Gill began making cheese on her farm in 1979, she started it as part of her pioneering spirit to provide for her family from her own small holding in West Cork and to capture something of the beauty of the area in her unique hand-crafted cheeses.
Today, more than 37 years later, her cheeses are still made by hand using traditional techniques on our farm in the beautiful valley of Coomkeen just beyond Durrus village in West Cork. They are a small family business dedicated to producing the highest quality product while staying true to the principles from which they were founded…which were sustainability, quality and enjoying the work that they do.
Dunmanus is nutty, salty with the addition of a boozy rind as the rind washed Durrus matures past 3 months. In terms of wine matches pair it with full bodied whites such as Albarino, Gewurztraminer or lighter reds such as Beaujolais
Mike’s Fancy Cheese
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Cheese Maker: Mike Thomson
Raw Milk Cheese: Young Buck
Location: Newtownards, N. Ireland
Our friend and neighbour, Mike’s Fancy Cheese, is proud to be creating a new tradition of raw milk cheese making in Northern Ireland.
The man behind MFC, Mike Thomson, went from cheese enthusiast at Arcadia Deli in Belfast to cheese making student at the School of Artisan Food, Nottinghamshire. Upon graduating he gained experience from some of the UK leading artisan cheese makers, before going on to be head cheese maker at Sparkenhoe Farm. With the desire to produce his own cheese within Northern Ireland Michael turned to crowdfunding platform, seedrs. Supported by friends and backed by 98 investors, he is now operating out of Newtownards, buying milk from a single herd and is supplying Northern Ireland with its first raw milk cheese, Young Buck.
Young Buck blue has a delicate tropical and salty flavour with peppery spicing towards the blue end. It is made in the Stilton style, but as a younger version and hence its name. The texture is sublime, wonderfully creamy that can only come from the skill of the cheese maker and the wonderful raw material, the unpasturised milk. Young Buck has a characteristic knobbly crust with a central smooth creamy blue-veined paste, which becomes chalkier and slightly crumbly towards the edges. It pairs wonderfully with Port and a spicy Shiraz in general. A real favourite here with our staff and customers here at Indie HQ.
Knockanore Farmhouse Cheese
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Cheese Maker: Eamonn & Patricia Lonergan
Raw Milk Cheese: 15 Fields & Smoked Knockamore
Location: Waterford, Ireland
Knockanore Cheese is made on the farm in the tiny townland of Ballyneety in the ancient and historic parish of Knockanore, County Waterford. The Irish name ‘Cnoc an Oir’, literally translates as ‘the hill of gold’. It is on these golden and lush rolling hills that Eamonn and Patricia Lonergan and their family keep a herd of 120 pedigree Friesian cows, and every drop of milk that goes into Knockanore Cheese is from these cows.
15 Fields is their renowned Cheddar, in fact the house cheddar of Sheridan’s Cheesemongers in Meath, where it goes to mature. The name 15 Fields originates from the pastures on which the cows graze, the 15 fields. The cheese is made by traditional cheddar methods using Eamonn’s raw milk and vegetarian rennet. Production of 15 Fields is limited from about May to October because the cheese is only made when the cows are out on pasture. The 8-month mature cheddar is both sweet, and nutty and has a wonderful creamy mouth-feel.
Smoked Knockanore is a younger version of 15 fields that has been smoked naturally over oakwood. The oak used is sourced locally from the neighboring town of Lismore. The wheels are then aged on-site for a minimum of four months. The exterior of the cheese is light mahogany in colour, with a rich yellowy interior. The long smoking process gives it a smoky, almost meaty flavour that packs a punch.
Corleggy Cheese
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Cheese Maker: Tom & Silke Kroppe
Raw Milk Cheese: Drumlin, Corleggy, Creeney, Cavanbert
Location: Cavan, Ireland
At Corleggy every cheese is made by hand with production not exceeding 10 tonnes per annum between Goats, Sheep & Cows’ milk cheeses. Tom & Silke collect all their milk from three neighbouring farms using just morning’s milk for production.
Corleggy Goat is a hard cheese handmade from raw goat’s milk. A typical Irish goats cheese because the goats graze the rich pasture and eat more grass than their southern European cousins…that makes for sweeter milk and in time cheese. 8 weeks to 4 months matured depending on season weather & humidity. The rind is natural & edible and very flavoursome. We feel that the aroma and taste strike a perfect balance between rich and mild.
Creeney is a hard sheeps cheese. At 2 months this is a mild cheese but as it matures up to 12 months it becomes a very sharp cheese indeed. It is rare as production is limited to 4 months in the year. Sheep milk is the richest milk of the 3 and high butter fat and protein content makes for the rich luxurious taste. Like goats milk, sheep milk products are suitable for people with cow’s milk allergies. Creeney is always very slightly salty, the reason is that the sheep graze the grass to the very earth, full of salts and minerals from all the rich rain!
Cavanbert is a soft cow’s cheese in the style of, you guessed it “Camambert”. Made fresh every Monday and matured for a minimum of 2 weeks or when it starts to develop the typical white mould. It’s a mild soft cheese and also a great addition to a cheeseboard at a more mature stage, say 6 – 8 weeks.
Leave at room temperature for at least 3 hours and the centre becomes soft and gooey!
Drumlin is a hard cow’s cheese matured for a minimum of 2 months. Drumlin at 2 – 3 months has a smooth taste and a slight nutty flavour, it is delicate through and best served in slices, team with a rich Cabernet Sauvignon. Drumlin comes is traditional, Wild Garlic & Chilli, Cumin and Green Peppercorn, all of which allow the base cheese to be enjoyed before the herbaceous characters of additions come through…yum!
Carlow Farmhouse Cheese
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Cheese Maker: Elizabeth Bradley
Raw Milk Cheese: Carlow Sheeps, Carlow Goats Tomme
Location: Carlow, Ireland
Elizabeth Bradley started making cheese in 2005 on her farm at Fenagh in County Carlow using raw milk from a neighbour’s dairy herd. Elizabeth developed the cheese for sale at the local farmer’s market in Carlow where her cheeses have built up a loyal following within a few short years. She believes that it is vital to the interests of both farmers and consumers that there is an increase in direct interaction between the two.
We stock Elizabeth’s delicious Carlow Sheep cheese. While Ewes milk production lasts for just 6 months of the year (April-Sept), while Elizabeth’s cheese is available all year round. Their dairy Lacaune ewes happily rear their lambs on the farm and stress-free ewes gives beautiful rich milk. This cheese is flavoursome; nutty and morish without being strong; it’s not far removed from mild cheddar in flavour. It’s a firm cheese that can be matured for up to a year or more.This cheese won Bronze (2013) and Gold (2014) in its category in the British Cheese Awards.
Inagh Farmhouse Cheese
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Cheese Maker: Siobhan Ni Ghairbhith
Raw Milk Cheese: St. Tola Raw Milk Goats Log, St. Tola Ash Raw Milk Goats Log
Location: Roscommon, Ireland
Siobhan Ni Ghairbhith runs St. Tola at Inagh Goat Farm, just south of the beautiful Burren area in Co. Clare.
Meg and Derrick Gordon began making St. Tola in the Burren in 1978, primarily as a means of making a living out of their 25 acre holding.
All the milk used came from their own herd. Meg had picked up cheese making skills during her time in Normandy, whilst Derrick, as former tea-plantation manager, was no stranger to hard agricultural work. This formidable combination allowed the couple to make a success of their business. Some twenty years later their neighbour, Siobhan Ni Ghairbhith, interested in learning the cheese maker’s art, began to take lessons from Meg. A year later Meg handed over the running of the business to Siobhan, who took charge of the herd and relocated production to a purpose built cheese making facility on the her parent’s family farm, a short distance away.
These days the St. Tola range includes crottins, logs, hard cheeses, Greek style cheese and a soft cream cheese.
St. Tola log is a fresh, mild cheese made with raw organic goat’s-milk from the St. Tola herd of Saanen and Toggenburg goats. Young St. Tola is fairly loose textured with a mild and creamy flavour. Since the cheese loses moisture as it matures, older St. Tola is firmer textured with a more pronounced flavour, developing a pale yellowish (geotrichum) rind as it matures. When properly matured the cheese has a lightly mould speckled natural rind and a wonderful citrus flavour which mingles with lots of other subtle herbal and even nutty tones. Owing largely to its low salt content at just 1%, St. Tola rarely develops real sharpness, and is a fantastic introduction to the world of quality goat’s cheese. St Tola Ash is also a variation that we stock, featuring a striking edible rind, that contrasts beautifully to the white silken interior.
St. Tola is also wonderful to cook with and is often used in the nascent modern Irish style, where the emphasis is firmly on the use of quality, local ingredients. Try it on toast with honey, or with filo pastry and tomatoes.
Fermoy Natural Cheese Co.
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Cheese Maker: Frank & Gudrun Shinnick
Raw Milk Cheese: St. Gall, Cáis Dubh
Location: Cork, Ireland
Frank and Gudrun Shinnick’s award winning cheese made from the milk of their own herd of pedigree Friesian cows The long grazing season on the fertile pastures of the Blackwater River valley produces superb quality raw milk.
Saint Gall is named after the monastery St Gallen near Appenzell in Switzerland, furthermore St Gall was one of the companions of Saint Columbanus. This brine-washed cheese has all the characteristics of a fine Swiss cheese with the rich, earthy creaminess from the Irish countryside, coupled also with the fruity nuttiness of a French Comté as it matures, and the oozy meltability of an Italian Fontana. The recipe uses skimmed milk from Friesian cows to enable the texture to age longer and become firmer, the long grazing season on the fertile pastures of the Blackwater River valley produces superb quality raw milk. In essence St Gall is a thermophilic hard cheese, and the flavours are sweet and subtly sour and nutty, with a distinctive palate-tingling finish. It has also won a Gold Medal in 2008 at the World Cheese Awards held in Dublin.
Cáis Dubh is a 6-month Emmentaler style, creamy and mouth filling. Tons of layers of flavour with intense nutty/savouryness.. Slightly sharper than say a Dutch Gouda, this is a tangy result perfect for a cheese board. Won a Sliver Medal at World Cheese Awards
